Research-documentation Week 2 - The Document Object Model

Definition of the DOM

We use JavaScript to communicate with the DOM to manipulate the HTML page and make changes to it. It is platform and language neutral, so it does not matter what browser or script you are writing with. It is standardized by the W3C.

DOM Specifications

There are 4 main specifications for the DOM. The first one defines the basic structure of the DOM and set of methods and/or properties for using and modifying it. Level 2 builds on the first level by adding ways to support events, style sheets like CSS, and different namespaces. Level 3 adds many new modules to DOM API like support for XML schemas and X path. Level 4 gives the API new features like the ability to make and change shadow DOM, and improved XML handling and event models.

DOM Implementation in Browsers

The DOM represent the webpage and allows other programs to change its structure and content. It represents the web page using things called nodes which describe the webpages elements, objects, and attributes.

Summary of Documentation

The DOM, or Document Object Model, is a programming interface for web documents. It describes the structure of an HTML or XML document. It does this by using a tree-like structure, where each branch in the tree signifies an element, attributes, and nodes in the document. The DOM contains properties and methods. The DOM provides us with a way to interact with and manipulate the content and structure of a web page dynamically, through scripting languages like JavaScript . Using the DOM, we can add, delete, or modify elements on a page, respond to user actions such as mouse clicks and keystrokes. The DOM is an essential component of modern web development and understanding how it works is critical for building dynamic and responsive web applications. We need to understand that CSS, HTML, and JavaScript all work together to make a good web page.