HTML DOM item() Method
Example
Get the HTML content of the first <p> element (index 0) inside the document:
var nodelist = document.getElementsByTagName("P").item(0).innerHTML;
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More "Try it Yourself" examples below.
Definition and Usage
The item() method returns a node at the specified index in a NodeList object.
The nodes are sorted as they appear in the source code, and the index starts at 0.
A Node object's collection of child nodes is an example of a NodeList object.
Note: There are two ways to access a node at the specified index in a node list:
This syntax:
document.body.childNodes.item(0); // The first child node of <body>Try it
Will produce the same result as this syntax:
document.body.childNodes[0]; // The first child node of <body>Try it
You can use whatever method you like, however, the most common method is [index].
Tip: Use the length property to return the number of nodes in a NodeList object.
Browser Support
| Method | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| item() | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Syntax
nodelist.item(index)
or simply:
nodelist[index]
Parameter Values
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| index | Number | Required. The index of the node you want to return, in the node list. Note: The index starts at 0 |
Technical Details
| Return Value: | A Node object, representing the node at the specified index. Note: Returns null if the index number is out of range |
|---|---|
| DOM Version | Core Level 1 Nodelist Object |
More Examples
Example
Get the HTML content of the first <p> element (index 0) inside a <div> element:
var div = document.getElementById("myDIV");
var nodelist = div.getElementsByTagName("P")[0].innerHTML;
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Example
Change the HTML content of the first <p> element (index 0) inside a <div> element:
var div = document.getElementById("myDIV");
div.getElementsByTagName("P")[0].innerHTML = "Paragraph changed";
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Example
Loop through all elements with class="child" in a <div> element, and change their background color:
var div = document.getElementById("myDIV");
var nodelist = div.getElementsByClassName("child");
var i;
for (i = 0; i < nodelist.length; i++) {
nodelist[i].style.backgroundColor = "red";
}
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Related Pages
HTML DOM Reference: nodelist.length Property
HTML DOM Reference: element.childNodes Property
HTML DOM Reference: element.getElementsByClassName() Method
HTML DOM Reference: element.getElementsByTagName() Method
HTML DOM Reference: element.querySelectorAll() Method
HTML DOM Reference: document.getElementsByClassName() Method
HTML DOM Reference: document.getElementsByName() Method
HTML DOM Reference: document.getElementsByTagName() Method
HTML DOM Reference: document.querySelectorAll() Method
