Document Object Model

Document Object Model (DOM)
Example of DOM hierarchy in an HTML document
AbbreviationDOM
First publishedOctober 1, 1998 (1998-10-01)
Latest versionDOM4[1]
November 19, 2015 (2015-11-19)
OrganizationWorld Wide Web Consortium, WHATWG
Base standardsWHATWG DOM Living Standard
W3C DOM4

The Document Object Model (DOM) is a cross-platform and language-independent interface that treats an HTML or XML document as a tree structure wherein each node is an object representing a part of the document. The DOM represents a document with a logical tree. Each branch of the tree ends in a node, and each node contains objects. DOM methods allow programmatic access to the tree; with them one can change the structure, style or content of a document.[2] Nodes can have event handlers (also known as event listeners) attached to them. Once an event is triggered, the event handlers get executed.[3]

The principal standardization of the DOM was handled by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which last developed a recommendation in 2004. WHATWG took over the development of the standard, publishing it as a living document. The W3C now publishes stable snapshots of the WHATWG standard.

In HTML DOM (Document Object Model), every element is a node:[4]

  • A document is a document node.
  • All HTML elements are element nodes.
  • All HTML attributes are attribute nodes.
  • Text inserted into HTML elements are text nodes.
  • Comments are comment nodes.
  1. ^ All versioning refers to W3C DOM only.
  2. ^ "Document Object Model (DOM): definition, structure and example". IONOS Digitalguide. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  3. ^ "Document Object Model (DOM)". W3C. Retrieved 2012-01-12. The Document Object Model is a platform- and language-neutral interface that will allow programs and scripts to dynamically access and update the content, structure and style of documents.
  4. ^ "JavaScript HTML DOM".