What is the Difference Between `children` and `childNodes` in JavaScript DOM Manipulation?

Understanding the Distinction between 'children' and 'childNodes' in JavaScript

When working with DOM manipulation, two key properties often encounter are 'children' and 'childNodes.' Both properties provide access to the child nodes of an element, but they have subtle differences that warrant exploration.

'children' Property

The '.children' property is exclusive to elements. It pertains to an Element node and retrieves only its child elements. All the nodes returned by '.children' are instances of the Element interface.

'childNodes' Property

In contrast, the '.childNodes' property is found in all nodes, including elements, text, and comments. It returns all child nodes of a given node, regardless of their type.

When to Use Each Property

While selecting which property to use may seem straightforward, there are a few considerations:

• Manipulating Elements: If your code deals primarily with manipulating elements, '.children' is the ideal choice as it provides a filter that only include element nodes.
• Handling All Nodes: For scenarios where you need to process all child nodes, including text and comment nodes, '.childNodes' is the appropriate property.
• Accessing Text Content: If you require direct access to text content, '.textContent' or '.nodeValue' are more appropriate properties to use, depending on whether you need the text of all descendants or just the current node.

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