HTMLElement

The HTMLElement interface represents any HTML element. Some elements directly implement this interface, while others implement it via an interface that inherits it.

Properties

Inherits properties from its parent, Element, and implements those from DocumentAndElementEventHandlers, ElementCSSInlineStyle, GlobalEventHandlers, HTMLOrForeignElement and TouchEventHandlers.

HTMLElement.accessKey: Is a DOMString representing the access key assigned to the element.
HTMLElement.accessKeyLabel Read only: Returns a DOMString containing the element's assigned access key.
HTMLElement.contentEditable: Is a DOMString, where a value of true means the element is editable and a value of false means it isn't.
HTMLElement.isContentEditable Read only: Returns a Boolean that indicates whether or not the content of the element can be edited.
HTMLElement.contextMenu: Is a HTMLMenuElement representing the contextual menu associated with the element. It may be null.
HTMLOrForeignElement.dataset Read only: Returns a DOMStringMap with which script can read and write the element's custom data attributes (data-*) .
HTMLElement.dir: Is a DOMString, reflecting the dir global attribute, representing the directionality of the element. Possible values are "ltr", "rtl", and "auto".
HTMLElement.draggable: Is a Boolean indicating if the element can be dragged.
HTMLElement.enterkeyhint: Is a DOMString defining what action label (or icon) to present for the enter key on virtual keyboards.
HTMLElement.hidden: Is a Boolean indicating if the element is hidden or not.
HTMLElement.inert: Is a Boolean indicating whether the user agent must act as though the given node is absent for the purposes of user interaction events, in-page text searches ("find in page"), and text selection.
HTMLElement.innerText: Represents the "rendered" text content of a node and its descendants. As a getter, it approximates the text the user would get if they highlighted the contents of the element with the cursor and then copied it to the clipboard.
HTMLElement.itemScope: Is a Boolean representing the item scope.
HTMLElement.itemType Read only: Returns a DOMSettableTokenList…
HTMLElement.itemId: Is a DOMString representing the item ID.
HTMLElement.itemRef Read only: Returns a DOMSettableTokenList…
HTMLElement.itemProp Read only: Returns a DOMSettableTokenList…
HTMLElement.itemValue: Returns a Object representing the item value.
HTMLElement.lang: Is a DOMString representing the language of an element's attributes, text, and element contents.
HTMLElement.noModule: Is a Boolean indicating whether an import script can be executed in user agents that support module scripts.
HTMLOrForeignElement.nonce: Returns the cryptographic number used once that is used by Content Security Policy to determine whether a given fetch will be allowed to proceed.
HTMLElement.offsetHeight Read only: Returns a double containing the height of an element, relative to the layout.
HTMLElement.offsetLeft Read only: Returns a double, the distance from this element's left border to its offsetParent's left border.
HTMLElement.offsetParent Read only: Returns a Element that is the element from which all offset calculations are currently computed.
HTMLElement.offsetTop Read only: Returns a double, the distance from this element's top border to its offsetParent's top border.
HTMLElement.offsetWidth Read only: Returns a double containing the width of an element, relative to the layout.
HTMLElement.properties Read only: Returns a HTMLPropertiesCollection…
HTMLElement.spellcheck: Is a Boolean that controls spell-checking. It is present on all HTML elements, though it doesn't have an effect on all of them.
ElementCSSInlineStyle.style: Is a CSSStyleDeclaration, an object representing the declarations of an element's style attributes.
HTMLOrForeignElement.tabIndex: Is a long representing the position of the element in the tabbing order.
HTMLElement.title: Is a DOMString containing the text that appears in a popup box when mouse is over the element.
HTMLElement.translate: Is a Boolean representing the translation.

Most event handler properties, of the form onXYZ, are defined on the DocumentAndElementEventHandlers, GlobalEventHandlers or TouchEventHandlers interfaces and implemented by HTMLElement. In addition, the following handlers are specific to HTMLElement.

HTMLElement.oncopy: Returns the event handling code for the copy event (bug 280959).
HTMLElement.oncut: Returns the event handling code for the cut event (bug 280959).
HTMLElement.onpaste: Returns the event handling code for the paste event (bug 280959).
TouchEventHandlers.ontouchstart: Returns the event handling code for the touchstart event.
TouchEventHandlers.ontouchend: Returns the event handling code for the touchend event.
TouchEventHandlers.ontouchmove: Returns the event handling code for the touchmove event.
TouchEventHandlers.ontouchenter: Returns the event handling code for the touchenter event.
TouchEventHandlers.ontouchleave: Returns the event handling code for the touchleave event.
TouchEventHandlers.ontouchcancel: Returns the event handling code for the touchcancel event.

Methods

Inherits methods from its parent, Element, and implements those from DocumentAndElementEventHandlers, ElementCSSInlineStyle, GlobalEventHandlers, HTMLOrForeignElement and TouchEventHandlers.

HTMLElement.attachInternals(): Attaches an ElementInternals instance to the custom element.
HTMLOrForeignElement.blur(): Removes keyboard focus from the currently focused element.
HTMLElement.click(): Sends a mouse click event to the element.
HTMLOrForeignElement.focus(): Makes the element the current keyboard focus.
HTMLElement.forceSpellCheck(): Runs the spell checker on the element's contents.

Events

Listen to these events using addEventListener() or by assigning an event listener to the oneventname property of this interface.

invalid: Fired when an element does not satisfy its constraints during constraint validation.
Also available via the oninvalid property.

Animation events

animationcancel: Fired when an animation unexpectedly aborts.
Also available via the onanimationcancel property.
animationend: Fired when an animation has completed normally.
Also available via the onanimationend property.
animationiteration: Fired when an animation iteration has completed.
Also available via the onanimationiteration property.
animationstart: Fired when an animation starts.
Also available via the onanimationstart property.

Input events

beforeinput: Fired when the value of an <input>, <select>, or <textarea> element is about to be modified.
input: Fired when the value of an <input>, <select>, or <textarea> element has been changed.
Also available via the oninput property.
change: Fired when the value of an <input>, <select>, or <textarea> element has been changed and committed by the user. Unlike the input event, the change event is not necessarily fired for each alteration to an element's value.

Pointer events

gotpointercapture: Fired when an element captures a pointer using setPointerCapture().
Also available via the ongotpointercapture property.
lostpointercapture: Fired when a captured pointer is released.
Also available via the onlostpointercapture property.
pointercancel: Fired when a pointer event is canceled.
Also available via the onpointercancel property.
pointerdown: Fired when a pointer becomes active.
Also available via the onpointerdown property.
pointerenter: Fired when a pointer is moved into the hit test boundaries of an element or one of its descendants.
Also available via the onpointerenter property.
pointerleave: Fired when a pointer is moved out of the hit test boundaries of an element.
Also available via the onpointerleave property.
pointermove: Fired when a pointer changes coordinates.
Also available via the onpointermove property.
pointerout: Fired when a pointer is moved out of the hit test boundaries of an element (among other reasons).
Also available via the onpointerout property.
pointerover: Fired when a pointer is moved into an element's hit test boundaries.
Also available via the onpointerover property.
pointerup: Fired when a pointer is no longer active.
Also available via the onpointerup property.

Transition events

transitioncancel: Fired when a CSS transition is canceled.
Also available via the ontransitioncancel property.
transitionend: Fired when a CSS transition has completed.
Also available via the ontransitionend property.
transitionrun: Fired when a CSS transition is first created.
Also available via the ontransitionrun property.
transitionstart: Fired when a CSS transition has actually started.
Also available via the ontransitionstart property.

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
CSS Object Model (CSSOM) View Module The definition of 'HTMLElement' in that specification.	Working Draft	Added the following properties: `offsetParent`, `offsetTop`, `offsetLeft`, `offsetWidth`, and `offsetHeight`.
HTML Living Standard The definition of 'HTMLElement' in that specification.	Living Standard	Added the following properties: `translate`, `itemScope`, `itemType`, `itemId`, `itemRef`, `itemProp`, `properties`, and `itemValue`. Added the following method: `forceSpellcheck()`. Moved the `onXYZ` attributes to the `GlobalEventHandlers` interface and added an inheritance from it.
HTML5 The definition of 'HTMLElement' in that specification.	Recommendation	Added the following properties: `dataset`, `hidden`, `tabIndex`, `accessKey`, `accessKeyLabel`, `draggable`, `dropzone`, `contentEditable`, `isContentEditable`, `contextMenu`, `spellcheck`, `commandType`, `commandLabel`, `commandIcon`, `commandHidden`, `commandDisabled`, `commandChecked`, `style`, and all the `onXYZ` properties. Moved the `id` and `className` properties to the `Element` interface.
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 HTML Specification The definition of 'HTMLElement' in that specification.	Obsolete	No change from Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 HTML Specification
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 Specification The definition of 'HTMLElement' in that specification.	Obsolete	Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

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2020	2021	2022