Document.documentElement returns the Element that is the root element of the document (for example, the <html> element for HTML documents).
Syntax
var element = document.documentElement;
Example
var rootElement = document.documentElement;
var firstTier = rootElement.childNodes;
// firstTier is the NodeList of the direct children of the root element
for (var i = 0; i < firstTier.length; i++) {
// do something with each direct kid of the root element
// as firstTier[i]
}
Notes
HTML documents typically contain a single child node, <html>, perhaps with a DOCTYPE declaration before it. XML documents often contain multiple child nodes: the root element, the DOCTYPE declaration, and processing instructions.
That's why you should use document.documentElement rather than document.firstChild to get the root element.
Specifications
Document Tags and Contributors
Tags:
Contributors to this page:
MiLeung,
teoli,
kosvrouvas,
Sheppy,
Scimonster,
joern.zaefferer,
kscarfone,
nehasharma,
ethertank,
fadak,
Mgjbot,
Shoot,
BenoitL,
Nickolay,
George3,
Ptak82,
Np,
Dria,
JesseW
Last updated by:
MiLeung,