Element

Element is the most general base class from which all element objects (i.e. objects that represent elements) in a Document inherit. It only has methods and properties common to all kinds of elements. More specific classes inherit from Element.

For example, the HTMLElement interface is the base interface for HTML elements, while the SVGElement interface is the basis for all SVG elements. Most functionality is specified further down the class hierarchy.

Languages outside the realm of the Web platform, like XUL through the XULElement interface, also implement Element.

Element inherits properties from its parent interface, Node, and by extension that interface's parent, EventTarget.

Element.assignedSlotRead only

Returns a HTMLSlotElement representing the <slot> the node is inserted in.

Element.attributes Read only

Returns a NamedNodeMap object containing the assigned attributes of the corresponding HTML element.

Element.childElementCount Read only

Returns the number of child elements of this element.

Element.children Read only

Returns the child elements of this element.

Element.classList Read only

Returns a DOMTokenList containing the list of class attributes.

Element.className

Is a DOMString representing the class of the element.

Element.clientHeight Read only

Returns a number representing the inner height of the element.

Element.clientLeft Read only

Returns a number representing the width of the left border of the element.

Element.clientTop Read only

Returns a number representing the width of the top border of the element.

Element.clientWidth Read only

Returns a number representing the inner width of the element.

Element.firstElementChild Read only

Returns the first child element of this element.

Element.id

Is a DOMString representing the id of the element.

Element.innerHTML

Is a DOMString representing the markup of the element's content.

Element.lastElementChild Read only

Returns the last child element of this element.

Element.localName Read only

A DOMString representing the local part of the qualified name of the element.

Element.namespaceURI Read only

The namespace URI of the element, or null if it is no namespace.

Note: In Firefox 3.5 and earlier, HTML elements are in no namespace. In later versions, HTML elements are in the http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml namespace in both HTML and XML trees.

Element.nextElementSibling Read only

Is an Element, the element immediately following the given one in the tree, or null if there's no sibling node.

Element.outerHTML

Is a DOMString representing the markup of the element including its content. When used as a setter, replaces the element with nodes parsed from the given string.

Element.openOrClosedShadowRoot Read only

Returns the shadow root that is hosted by the element, regardless if its open or closed. Only available to WebExtensions.

Element.part

Represents the part identifier(s) of the element (i.e. set using the part attribute), returned as a DOMTokenList.

Element.prefix Read only

A DOMString representing the namespace prefix of the element, or null if no prefix is specified.

Element.previousElementSibling Read only

Is a Element, the element immediately preceding the given one in the tree, or null if there is no sibling element.

Element.scrollHeight Read only

Returns a number representing the scroll view height of an element.

Element.scrollLeft

Is a number representing the left scroll offset of the element.

Element.scrollLeftMax Read only

Returns a number representing the maximum left scroll offset possible for the element.

Element.scrollTop

A number representing number of pixels the top of the element is scrolled vertically.

Element.scrollTopMax Read only

Returns a number representing the maximum top scroll offset possible for the element.

Element.scrollWidth Read only

Returns a number representing the scroll view width of the element.

Element.shadowRootRead only

Returns the open shadow root that is hosted by the element, or null if no open shadow root is present.

Element.slot

Returns the name of the shadow DOM slot the element is inserted in.

Element.tagName Read only

Returns a string with the name of the tag for the given element.

The Element interface includes the following properties, defined on the ARIAMixin mixin.

Element.ariaAtomic

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-atomic attribute, which indicates whether assistive technologies will present all, or only parts of, the changed region based on the change notifications defined by the aria-relevant attribute.

Element.ariaAutoComplete

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-autocomplete attribute, which indicates whether inputting text could trigger display of one or more predictions of the user's intended value for a combobox, searchbox, or textbox and specifies how predictions would be presented if they were made.

Element.ariaBusy

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-busy attribute, which indicates whether an element is being modified, as assistive technologies may want to wait until the modifications are complete before exposing them to the user.

Element.ariaChecked

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-checked attribute, which indicates the current "checked" state of checkboxes, radio buttons, and other widgets that have a checked state.

Element.ariaColCount

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-colcount attribute, which defines the number of columns in a table, grid, or treegrid.

Element.ariaColIndex

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-colindex attribute, which defines an element's column index or position with respect to the total number of columns within a table, grid, or treegrid.

Element.ariaColIndexText

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-colindextext attribute, which defines a human readable text alternative of aria-colindex.

Element.ariaColSpan

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-colspan attribute, which defines the number of columns spanned by a cell or gridcell within a table, grid, or treegrid.

Element.ariaCurrent

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-current attribute, which indicates the element that represents the current item within a container or set of related elements.

Element.ariaDescription

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-description attribute, which defines a string value that describes or annotates the current element.

Element.ariaDisabled

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-disabled attribute, which indicates that the element is perceivable but disabled, so it is not editable or otherwise operable.

Element.ariaExpanded

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-expanded attribute, which indicates whether a grouping element owned or controlled by this element is expanded or collapsed.

Element.ariaHasPopup

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-haspopup attribute, which indicates the availability and type of interactive popup element, such as menu or dialog, that can be triggered by an element.

Element.ariaHidden

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-hidden attribute, which indicates whether the element is exposed to an accessibility API.

Element.ariaKeyShortcuts

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-keyshortcuts attribute, which indicates keyboard shortcuts that an author has implemented to activate or give focus to an element.

Element.ariaLabel

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-label attribute, which defines a string value that labels the current element.

Element.ariaLevel

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-level attribute, which defines the hierarchical level of an element within a structure.

Element.ariaLive

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-live attribute, which indicates that an element will be updated, and describes the types of updates the user agents, assistive technologies, and user can expect from the live region.

Element.ariaModal

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-modal attribute, which indicates whether an element is modal when displayed.

Element.ariaMultiline

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-multiline attribute, which indicates whether a text box accepts multiple lines of input or only a single line.

Element.ariaMultiSelectable

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-multiselectable attribute, which indicates that the user may select more than one item from the current selectable descendants.

Element.ariaOrientation

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-orientation attribute, which indicates whether the element's orientation is horizontal, vertical, or unknown/ambiguous.

Element.ariaPlaceholder

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-placeholder attribute, which defines a short hint intended to aid the user with data entry when the control has no value.

Element.ariaPosInSet

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-posinset attribute, which defines an element's number or position in the current set of listitems or treeitems.

Element.ariaPressed

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-pressed attribute, which indicates the current "pressed" state of toggle buttons.

Element.ariaReadOnly

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-readonly attribute, which indicates that the element is not editable, but is otherwise operable.

Element.ariaRelevant

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-relevant attribute, which indicates what notifications the user agent will trigger when the accessibility tree within a live region is modified. This is used to describe what changes in an aria-live region are relevant and should be announced.

Element.ariaRequired

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-required attribute, which indicates that user input is required on the element before a form may be submitted.

Element.ariaRoleDescription

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-roledescription attribute, which defines a human-readable, author-localized description for the role of an element.

Element.ariaRowCount

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-rowcount attribute, which defines the total number of rows in a table, grid, or treegrid.

Element.ariaRowIndex

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-rowindex attribute, which defines an element's row index or position with respect to the total number of rows within a table, grid, or treegrid.

Element.ariaRowIndexText

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-rowindextext attribute, which defines a human readable text alternative of aria-rowindex.

Element.ariaRowSpan

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-rowspan attribute, which defines the number of rows spanned by a cell or gridcell within a table, grid, or treegrid.

Element.ariaSelected

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-selected attribute, which indicates the current "selected" state of elements that have a selected state.

Element.ariaSetSize

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-setsize attribute, which defines the number of items in the current set of listitems or treeitems.

Element.ariaSort

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-sort attribute, which indicates if items in a table or grid are sorted in ascending or descending order.

Element.ariaValueMax

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-valueMax attribute, which defines the maximum allowed value for a range widget.

Element.ariaValueMin

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-valueMin attribute, which defines the minimum allowed value for a range widget.

Element.ariaValueNow

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-valueNow attribute, which defines the current value for a range widget.

Element.ariaValueText

Is a DOMString reflecting the aria-valuetext attribute, which defines the human readable text alternative of aria-valuenow for a range widget.

Element inherits methods from its parents Node, and its own parent, EventTarget.

EventTarget.addEventListener()

Registers an event handler to a specific event type on the element.

Element.after()

Inserts a set of Node or DOMString objects in the children list of the Element's parent, just after the Element.

Element.attachShadow()

Attaches a shadow DOM tree to the specified element and returns a reference to its ShadowRoot.

Element.animate()

A shortcut method to create and run an animation on an element. Returns the created Animation object instance.

Element.append()

Inserts a set of Node objects or DOMString objects after the last child of the element.

Element.before()

Inserts a set of Node or DOMString objects in the children list of the Element's parent, just before the Element.

Element.closest()

Returns the Element which is the closest ancestor of the current element (or the current element itself) which matches the selectors given in parameter.

Element.createShadowRoot()

Creates a shadow DOM on the element, turning it into a shadow host. Returns a ShadowRoot.

Element.computedStyleMap()

Returns a StylePropertyMapReadOnly interface which provides a read-only representation of a CSS declaration block that is an alternative to CSSStyleDeclaration.

EventTarget.dispatchEvent()

Dispatches an event to this node in the DOM and returns a boolean value that indicates whether no handler canceled the event.

Element.getAnimations()

Returns an array of Animation objects currently active on the element.

Element.getAttribute()

Retrieves the value of the named attribute from the current node and returns it as a string.

Element.getAttributeNames()

Returns an array of attribute names from the current element.

Element.getAttributeNode()

Retrieves the node representation of the named attribute from the current node and returns it as an Attr.

Element.getAttributeNodeNS()

Retrieves the node representation of the attribute with the specified name and namespace, from the current node and returns it as an Attr.

Element.getAttributeNS()

Retrieves the value of the attribute with the specified namespace and name from the current node and returns it as a string.

Element.getBoundingClientRect()

Returns the size of an element and its position relative to the viewport.

Element.getBoxQuads()

Returns a list of DOMQuad objects representing the CSS fragments of the node.

Element.getClientRects()

Returns a collection of rectangles that indicate the bounding rectangles for each line of text in a client.

Element.getElementsByClassName()

Returns a live HTMLCollection that contains all descendants of the current element that possess the list of classes given in the parameter.

Element.getElementsByTagName()

Returns a live HTMLCollection containing all descendant elements, of a particular tag name, from the current element.

Element.getElementsByTagNameNS()

Returns a live HTMLCollection containing all descendant elements, of a particular tag name and namespace, from the current element.

Element.hasAttribute()

Returns a boolean value indicating if the element has the specified attribute or not.

Element.hasAttributeNS()

Returns a boolean value indicating if the element has the specified attribute, in the specified namespace, or not.

Element.hasAttributes()

Returns a boolean value indicating if the element has one or more HTML attributes present.

Element.hasPointerCapture()

Indicates whether the element on which it is invoked has pointer capture for the pointer identified by the given pointer ID.

Element.insertAdjacentElement()

Inserts a given element node at a given position relative to the element it is invoked upon.

Element.insertAdjacentHTML()

Parses the text as HTML or XML and inserts the resulting nodes into the tree in the position given.

Element.insertAdjacentText()

Inserts a given text node at a given position relative to the element it is invoked upon.

Element.matches()

Returns a boolean value indicating whether or not the element would be selected by the specified selector string.

Element.prepend()

Inserts a set of Node objects or DOMString objects before the first child of the element.

Element.querySelector()

Returns the first Node which matches the specified selector string relative to the element.

Element.querySelectorAll()

Returns a NodeList of nodes which match the specified selector string relative to the element.

Element.releasePointerCapture()

Releases (stops) pointer capture that was previously set for a specific pointer event.

Element.remove()

Removes the element from the children list of its parent.

Element.removeAttribute()

Removes the named attribute from the current node.

Element.removeAttributeNode()

Removes the node representation of the named attribute from the current node.

Element.removeAttributeNS()

Removes the attribute with the specified name and namespace, from the current node.

EventTarget.removeEventListener()

Removes an event listener from the element.

Element.replaceChildren()

Replaces the existing children of a Node with a specified new set of children.

Element.replaceWith()

Replaces the element in the children list of its parent with a set of Node or DOMString objects.

Element.requestFullscreen()

Asynchronously asks the browser to make the element fullscreen.

Element.requestPointerLock()

Allows to asynchronously ask for the pointer to be locked on the given element.

Element.scroll()

Scrolls to a particular set of coordinates inside a given element.

Element.scrollBy()

Scrolls an element by the given amount.

Element.scrollIntoView()

Scrolls the page until the element gets into the view.

Element.scrollIntoViewIfNeeded()

Scrolls the current element into the visible area of the browser window if it's not already within the visible area of the browser window. Use the standard Element.scrollIntoView() instead.

Element.scrollTo()

Scrolls to a particular set of coordinates inside a given element.

Element.setAttribute()

Sets the value of a named attribute of the current node.

Element.setAttributeNode()

Sets the node representation of the named attribute from the current node.

Element.setAttributeNodeNS()

Sets the node representation of the attribute with the specified name and namespace, from the current node.

Element.setAttributeNS()

Sets the value of the attribute with the specified name and namespace, from the current node.

Element.setCapture()

Sets up mouse event capture, redirecting all mouse events to this element.

Element.setHTML()

Parses and sanitizes a string of HTML and inserts into the DOM as a subtree of the element.

Element.setPointerCapture()

Designates a specific element as the capture target of future pointer events.

Element.toggleAttribute()

Toggles a boolean attribute, removing it if it is present and adding it if it is not present, on the specified element.

Listen to these events using addEventListener() or by assigning an event listener to the oneventname property of this interface.

cancel

Fires on a <dialog> when the user instructs the browser that they wish to dismiss the current open dialog. For example, the browser might fire this event when the user presses the Esc key or clicks a "Close dialog" button which is part of the browser's UI. Also available via the oncancel property.

error

Fired when a resource failed to load, or can't be used. For example, if a script has an execution error or an image can't be found or is invalid. Also available via the onerror property.

scroll

Fired when the document view or an element has been scrolled. Also available via the onscroll property.

securitypolicyviolation

Fired when a Content Security Policy is violated. Also available via the global onsecuritypolicyviolation property, which available on elements and the Document and Window objects.

select

Fired when some text has been selected. Also available via the onselect property.

show

Fired when a contextmenu event was fired on/bubbled to an element that has a contextmenu attribute. Also available via the onshow property.

wheel

Fired when the user rotates a wheel button on a pointing device (typically a mouse). Also available via the onwheel property.

copy

Fired when the user initiates a copy action through the browser's user interface. Also available via the oncopy property.

cut

Fired when the user initiates a cut action through the browser's user interface. Also available via the oncut property.

paste

Fired when the user initiates a paste action through the browser's user interface. Also available via the onpaste property.

compositionend

Fired when a text composition system such as an input method editor completes or cancels the current composition session.

compositionstart

Fired when a text composition system such as an input method editor starts a new composition session.

compositionupdate

Fired when a new character is received in the context of a text composition session controlled by a text composition system such as an input method editor.

blur

Fired when an element has lost focus. Also available via the onblur property.

focus

Fired when an element has gained focus. Also available via the onfocus property

focusin

Fired when an element is about to gain focus.

focusout

Fired when an element is about to lose focus.

fullscreenchange

Sent to an Element when it transitions into or out of fullscreen mode.

fullscreenerror

Sent to an Element if an error occurs while attempting to switch it into or out of fullscreen mode.

keydown

Fired when a key is pressed. Also available via the onkeydown property.

keypress

Fired when a key that produces a character value is pressed down. Also available via the onkeypress property.

keyup

Fired when a key is released. Also available via the onkeyup property.

auxclick

Fired when a non-primary pointing device button (e.g., any mouse button other than the left button) has been pressed and released on an element. Also available via the onauxclick property.

click

Fired when a pointing device button (e.g., a mouse's primary button) is pressed and released on a single element. Also available via the onclick property.

contextmenu

Fired when the user attempts to open a context menu. Also available via the oncontextmenu property.

dblclick

Fired when a pointing device button (e.g., a mouse's primary button) is clicked twice on a single element. Also available via the ondblclick property.

DOMActivate

Occurs when an element is activated, for instance, through a mouse click or a keypress.

mousedown

Fired when a pointing device button is pressed on an element. Also available via the onmousedown property.

mouseenter

Fired when a pointing device (usually a mouse) is moved over the element that has the listener attached. Also available via the onmouseenter property.

mouseleave

Fired when the pointer of a pointing device (usually a mouse) is moved out of an element that has the listener attached to it. Also available via the onmouseleave property.

mousemove

Fired when a pointing device (usually a mouse) is moved while over an element. Also available via the onmousemove property.

mouseout

Fired when a pointing device (usually a mouse) is moved off the element to which the listener is attached or off one of its children. Also available via the onmouseout property.

mouseover

Fired when a pointing device is moved onto the element to which the listener is attached or onto one of its children. Also available via the onmouseover property.

mouseup

Fired when a pointing device button is released on an element. Also available via the onmouseup property.

webkitmouseforcechanged

Fired each time the amount of pressure changes on the trackpadtouchscreen.

webkitmouseforcedown

Fired after the mousedown event as soon as sufficient pressure has been applied to qualify as a "force click".

webkitmouseforcewillbegin

Fired before the mousedown event.

webkitmouseforceup

Fired after the webkitmouseforcedown event as soon as the pressure has been reduced sufficiently to end the "force click".

touchcancel

Fired when one or more touch points have been disrupted in an implementation-specific manner (for example, too many touch points are created). Also available via the ontouchcancel property.

touchend

Fired when one or more touch points are removed from the touch surface. Also available via the ontouchend property

touchmove

Fired when one or more touch points are moved along the touch surface. Also available via the ontouchmove property

touchstart

Fired when one or more touch points are placed on the touch surface. Also available via the ontouchstart property