DOM Manipulation

Key Concepts

• Document Object Model (DOM)
• Selecting Elements
• Modifying Elements
• Event Handling

Document Object Model (DOM)

The DOM is a programming interface for HTML and XML documents. It represents the structure of a document as a tree of objects. Each object corresponds to a part of the document, such as an element, attribute, or text node.

Selecting Elements

Selecting elements in the DOM allows you to interact with them. Common methods for selecting elements include getElementById, getElementsByClassName, getElementsByTagName, and querySelector.

Example:

This is a demo paragraph.

Modifying Elements

Once an element is selected, you can modify its content, attributes, and styles. Common methods for modifying elements include innerHTML, setAttribute, and style.

Example:

This paragraph will be modified.

Event Handling

Event handling allows you to respond to user interactions, such as clicks, key presses, and mouse movements. Common event handlers include onclick, onmouseover, and onkeydown.

Example:

Analogies

Think of the DOM as a family tree where each member (element) has a specific role and relationship. Selecting elements is like picking a family member, modifying elements is like changing their appearance or behavior, and event handling is like reacting to their actions.

Conclusion

Understanding DOM manipulation is essential for creating interactive web applications. By mastering the selection, modification, and event handling of elements, you can create dynamic and responsive user interfaces.