NodeList.item()

Summary

Returns a node from a NodeList by index. This method doesn't throw exceptions as long as you provide arguments; a value of null is returned if the index is out of range and a TypeError is thrown if no argument is provided.

Syntax

nodeItem = nodeList.item(index) 
  • nodeList is a NodeList. This is usually obtained from another DOM property or method, such as childNodes.
  • index is the index of the node to be fetched. The index is zero-based.
  • nodeItem is the indexth node in the nodeList returned by the item method.

JavaScript has a special simpler syntax for obtaining an item from a NodeList by index:

nodeItem = nodeList[index]

Example

var tables = document.getElementsByTagName("table"); 
var firstTable = tables.item(1); // or simply tables[1] - returns the second table in the DOM

Specification

DOM Level 1 Core: NodeList.item()

DOM Level 2 Core: NodeList.item()

Document Tags and Contributors

 Last updated by: jswisher,