Cross browser solution for checking if a Javascript object is an html element

Question

The following code work in FF but not IE8:

var j = "test";
alert(j instanceof HTMLElement);

I don't think IE uses the HTMLElement object. Is there a safe way to do this check in IE? Perhaps there is a YUI solution?

possible duplicate of Javascript isDOM -- How do you check if a Javascript Object is a DOM Object? — Roatin Marth
– Roatin Marth, Commented Apr 21, 2011 at 18:11
@Roatin nope, an element can be in the DOM without being an HTML element. — stevebot
– stevebot, Commented Apr 21, 2011 at 18:17

David Mårtensson · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-17 09:21:07Z

9

I use to check the nodeType property, it should be 1 for all HTML element objects.

I used it in my crossbrowser library before I switched to jQuery.

text has a nodeType of 3 and any custom objects probably won't have a nodeType property at all.

edited Aug 17, 2011 at 9:21

answered Apr 21, 2011 at 18:05

David Mårtensson

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3 Comments

stevebot Over a year ago

help.dottoro.com/ljkadgoo.php I think you got it backwards? Text is type 3, and Element is type 1?

npup Over a year ago

Someone needs to correct this answer, it is backwards :) text node: 3, element node: 1, comment node: 8, etc etc. See developer.mozilla.org/en/nodeType

David Mårtensson Over a year ago

Fixed the numbers, sorry for getting them backwards and not noticing the first comment notice emails :/

Christian · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-21 19:23:10Z

2

If you look at the jQuery source code (not the minified one ffs!), you'll see they make use of nodeType a lot.

answered Apr 21, 2011 at 19:23

Christian

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