HTML DOM - Modify HTML content



Through the HTML DOM, JavaScript can access every element in the HTML document.


Changing HTML Content

The easiest way to change the content of an element is to use the innerHTML property.

The following example changes the HTML content of the <p> element:

Example

<html><!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<p id="p1">Hello World!</p>

<script>
document.getElementById("p1").innerHTML="New text!";
</script>

<p>The paragraph above was changed by a script.</p>

</body>
</html>

Run Example»

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Change HTML styles

Through the HTML DOM, you can access the style object of the HTML object.

The following example changes the HTML style of a paragraph:

Example

<html><!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<p id="p1">Hello world!</p>
<p id="p2">Hello world!</p>

<script>
document.getElementById("p2").style.color="blue";
document.getElementById("p2").style.fontFamily="Arial";
document.getElementById("p2").style.fontSize="larger";
</script>

</body>
</html>

Run Example»

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Using Events

The HTML DOM allows you to execute code when events occur.

When "something happens" to an HTML element, the browser generates an event:

  • Click on the element

  • Loading page

  • Changing input fields

You can learn more about events in the next chapter.

The following two examples change the background color of the <body> element when the button is clicked:

Example

<html><!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<input type="button"
onclick="document.body.style.backgroundColor='lavender';"
value="Change background color">

</body>
</html>

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In this example, the same code is executed by the function:

Example

<html><!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<script>
function ChangeBackground()
{
document.body.style.backgroundColor="lavender";
}
</script>

<input type="button" onclick="ChangeBackground()" value="Change background color" />

</body>
</html>

Run Instance»

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The example below appears when the button is clicked When changing the text of the <p> element:

Instance

<html><!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<p id="p1">Hello world!</p>

<script>
function ChangeText()
{
document.getElementById("p1").innerHTML="New text!";
}
</script>

<input type="button" onclick="ChangeText()" value="Change text" />

</body>
</html>

Run Instance»

Click "Run Instance" Button to view online examples