What is the DOM (Document Object Model) ?
Last Updated :
02 Feb, 2024
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The DOM, or Document Object Model, is a programming interface for web documents. It represents the structure of a document as a tree of objects, where each object corresponds to a part of the document, such as elements, attributes, and text. The DOM provides a way for programs to manipulate the structure, style, and content of web documents dynamically.
Key points about the DOM:
- Tree Structure: The DOM represents an HTML or XML document as a tree structure, with each node in the tree corresponding to an object in the document.
- Objects: Each element, attribute, and piece of text in the document is represented by a specific object in the DOM. These objects can be manipulated using programming languages like JavaScript.
- Dynamic Interaction: The DOM enables dynamic interaction with web pages. JavaScript can be used to access, modify, and update the content and structure of a document in real-time, allowing for interactive and responsive user interfaces.
- Platform-Neutral: The DOM is platform-neutral, meaning that it provides a standardized way to access and manipulate document content regardless of the underlying operating system or browser.
- Event Handling: The DOM allows the registration of event handlers, enabling developers to respond to user actions (such as clicks or key presses) and update the document accordingly.