Document Object Model

The Document Object Model (DOM) is a <a href="/facts/Cross-platform/16zqdvNR">cross-platform</a> and <a href="/facts/Language-independent_specification/cLfKVJcx">language-independent</a> interface that treats an <a href="/facts/HTML/sSc3fT78">HTML</a> or <a href="/facts/XML/clNgUfWk">XML</a> document as a <a href="/facts/Tree_structure/R2vT5UIu">tree structure</a> wherein each <a href="/facts/Node_(computer_science)/eYlvVE0z">node</a> is an <a href="/facts/Object_(computer_science)/eX99dtAw">object</a> representing a part of the document. The DOM represents a document with a logical tree. Each branch of the tree ends in a node, and each node contains objects. DOM methods allow programmatic access to the tree; with them one can change the structure, style or content of a document. Nodes can have <a href="/facts/Event_handler/0YdM6AoB">event handlers</a> (also known as event listeners) attached to them. Once an event is triggered, the event handlers get executed.
The principal standardization of the DOM was handled by the <a href="/facts/World_Wide_Web_Consortium/lGWmhF6M">World Wide Web Consortium</a> (W3C), which last developed a recommendation in 2004. <a href="/facts/WHATWG/WoyKwRJR">WHATWG</a> took over the development of the standard, publishing it as a <a href="/facts/Living_document/jowUhryg">living document</a>. The W3C now publishes stable snapshots of the WHATWG standard.
In HTML DOM (Document Object Model), every element is a node:

<ul><li>A document is a document node.</li>
<li>All HTML elements are element nodes.</li>
<li>All HTML attributes are attribute nodes.</li>
<li>Text inserted into HTML elements are text nodes.</li>
<li>Comments are comment nodes.</li></ul>

Document Object Model open-in-new

Document Object Model