What is DOM?
DOM stands for Document Object Model, which is a programming interface for web documents. It represents the structure of an HTML or XML document as a tree of objects. Each object corresponds to a different part of the document, such as elements, attributes, and text content.
How does DOM work?
When a web page is loaded in a browser, the browser creates a DOM representation of the page. This allows JavaScript to manipulate the structure, style, and content of the page dynamically. Developers can use DOM methods and properties to access and modify elements on the page.
Examples of DOM
- Accessing an element by its ID: document.getElementById(‘myElement’)
- Changing the text content of an element: document.getElementById(‘myElement’).textContent = ‘Hello, world!’
- Adding a new element to the page: var newElement = document.createElement(‘div’)
Case Studies
Many websites use DOM manipulation to enhance user experiences. For example, online shopping sites may use DOM to dynamically update product listings based on user selections. Social media platforms utilize DOM to display real-time notifications and updates without refreshing the entire page.
Statistics on DOM
A study by BuiltWith found that over 96% of the top 10,000 websites use JavaScript, which often involves DOM manipulation. This highlights the importance of understanding and implementing DOM concepts for web development.
