What is the Root Element of the HTML DOM?
The root element of the Document Object Model (DOM) is the <html>
element. It represents the root of the HTML document tree and encapsulates all other elements within the document. The DOM tree is a hierarchical representation of the structure of an HTML document, with the <html>
element serving as the highest level or starting point.
Key Points:
- Root Element: The
<html>
element is the top-level element in the DOM hierarchy, representing the entire HTML document. - Encapsulation: All other elements within the HTML document are descendants of the
<html>
element and are encapsulated within it. - Parent Element: While the
<html>
element is the root of the DOM tree, it serves as the parent element for the<head>
and<body>
elements, which encapsulate metadata and document content, respectively. - DOM Manipulation: Developers can manipulate the DOM tree programmatically using JavaScript to access, modify, or add elements dynamically.
Features:
- Basic Structure: The HTML document begins with the
<html>
element, followed by the<head>
and<body>
elements, which contain metadata and document content, respectively. - Hierarchical Representation: The DOM tree represents the hierarchical structure of the HTML document, with the
<html>
element at the root and child elements nested within it. - Accessing the Root Element: Developers can access the root element of the DOM using JavaScript methods such as
document.documentElement
or by querying for the<html>
element directly. - DOM Manipulation: The root element and its descendants can be manipulated using JavaScript to dynamically update the content, structure, or styling of the HTML document.