January 16, 2001 - The Document Fragment Node

Yehuda Shiran January 16, 2001
The Document Fragment Node
Tips: January 2001

Yehuda Shiran, Ph.D.
Doc JavaScript

Netscape 6 supports the DOM's createDocumentFragment() method. This method creates a new node, like the createNode() method:

fragObj = document.createDocumentFragment();
The type of the fragment node is 11. Click this button in Netscape 6, and see for yourself. Click in Internet Explorer and observe the error message:

One way to distinguish between a fragment node and regular node is that it does not have a parent (parentNode is null.) Examine its parent:

Still, it belongs to the document. Examine its owner document:

Finally, examine its name:

In order to add the fragment node to the DOM tree, you must explicitly call one of the node insert methods—insertBefore, replaceChild, or appendChild. Learn more about the DOM in Columns 40, The DOM, Part I: Analysis, through Column 47, A DOM-Based Snakes Game, Part II.