Accessing and manipulating elements in the DOM

Last Updated: 25th April, 2024

When a web page is loaded in a browser, the DOM is created, which is a hierarchical structure of HTML elements. Each element in the DOM has properties and methods that can be accessed and manipulated using JavaScript.

Accessing elements in the DOM

Accessing elements in the DOM means finding and retrieving HTML elements from the hierarchical structure of the DOM using JavaScript. There are various methods available to access elements, such as getElementById(), getElementsByClassName(), getElementsByTagName(), querySelector(), and querySelectorAll(). These methods return a reference to the selected elements, which can then be manipulated using JavaScript.

Let's take a look at some of the most common ones.

Document Object Methods

The Document object represents the entire web page, and provides several methods for accessing elements in the DOM tree. Some of the most commonly used methods include:

getElementById()

This method is used to access a single element on the web page that has a specific ID. It returns the element as an object that can then be manipulated. To use this method, simply call it and pass in the ID of the element you want to access:

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getElementsByClassName()

This method is used to access a group of elements that all share a specific class. It returns an array-like object that contains all of the elements with the specified class. To use this method, call it and pass in the name of the class:

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getElementsByTagName()

This method is used to access a group of elements that all share the same HTML tag. It returns an array-like object that contains all of the elements with the specified tag. To use this method, call it and pass in the name of the tag:

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Query Selector Methods

The DOM also provides several query selector methods that allow you to select elements using CSS-style selectors. Some of the most commonly used methods include:

querySelector()

This method is used to access a single element on the web page that matches a specific CSS selector. It returns the first element that matches the selector as an object. To use this method, call it and pass in the CSS selector:

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querySelectorAll()

This method is used to access a group of elements that all match a specific CSS selector. It returns an array-like object that contains all of the elements that match the selector. To use this method, call it and pass in the CSS selector:

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Once you have accessed an element in the DOM, you can then manipulate it using various properties and methods. For example, you can change the text content of an element using the innerHTML property:

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You can also add or remove classes from an element using the classList property:

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Manipulating elements in the DOM

Manipulating elements in the DOM means changing the properties or attributes of an HTML element using JavaScript. Some examples of manipulating elements in the DOM include changing the text content of an element, modifying the attributes of an element such as its class or ID, adding or removing child elements, changing the position or size of an element on the page, and many more.

Manipulating elements in the DOM allows developers to dynamically change the appearance and behavior of a web page based on user interaction or other events. For example, a button on a web page might change color when it is clicked, or a dropdown menu might appear when the user hovers over a particular element.

Modifying Element Properties

Once we have accessed an element, we can modify its properties using JavaScript. Some common properties that we may want to modify include:

• innerHTML: This property allows us to modify the content within an element.
• src: This property allows us to modify the source of an image element.
• value: This property allows us to modify the value of a form element.

For example, to change the text within an element with the ID "myElement", we would use the following code:

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Adding and Removing Elements

We can also add and remove elements from the DOM using JavaScript. To add a new element, we first need to create it using the createElement() method, and then append it to an existing element using the appendChild() method. To remove an element, we can use the removeChild() method.

For example, to add a new paragraph element to an existing div element with the ID "myDiv", we would use the following code:

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To remove the same paragraph element, we would use the following code:

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Manipulating Element Styles

Finally, we can manipulate element styles using JavaScript. We can modify an element's style properties using the style property, and we can add or remove classes using the classList property.

For example, to change the color of an element with the ID "myElement", we would use the following code:

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To add a class to the same element, we would use the following code:

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Conclusion

In conclusion, accessing and manipulating elements in the DOM is a fundamental aspect of web development using JavaScript. By using methods such as getElementById(), getElementsByClassName(), getElementsByTagName(), querySelector(), and querySelectorAll(), developers can access and retrieve specific elements within the hierarchical structure of the DOM. Once elements are accessed, they can be manipulated using various properties and methods to dynamically change the appearance and behavior of a web page based on user interaction or other events. By understanding how to access and manipulate elements in the DOM, developers can create dynamic, interactive web pages that enhance the user experience.