Why is using \'element.innerHTML = ...\' discouraged in web development?

Repercussions of Using "element.innerHTML = ..."

The practice of appending content using "element.innerHTML = ..." is generally discouraged in web development.

Consequences:

Every time "innerHTML" is modified, the HTML is parsed, a DOM (Document Object Model) is constructed, and the updated elements are inserted into the document. This process can be time-consuming, especially when the "innerHTML" contains a large amount of elements.

For instance, if the "innerHTML" of an element contains complex structures like divs, tables, and images, calling ".innerHTML = ..." forces the browser to re-parse all these elements. This can disrupt references to existing DOM elements and cause unforeseen issues.

Alternatives:

Instead of using "element.innerHTML = ...", it is more efficient to utilize the "appendChild" method:

var newElement = document.createElement('div');
newElement.innerHTML = '<div>Hello World!</div>';
elm.appendChild(newElement);

This method creates a new element, initializes its "innerHTML," and appends it to the target element. By doing this, the existing contents of the target element are preserved without the need for re-parsing.

Optimization Note:

It's worth mentioning that certain browsers may implement optimizations to minimize the impact of using the " =" operator. However, relying on browser optimizations is not recommended as it may vary across browsers and browser versions.

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