NodeList
objects are collections of nodes, usually returned by properties such as Node.childNodes
and methods such as document.querySelectorAll()
.
Although NodeList
is not an Array
, it is possible to iterate over it with forEach()
. It can also be converted to a real Array
using Array.from()
.
However, some older browsers have not implemented NodeList.forEach()
nor Array.from()
. This can be circumvented by using Array.prototype.forEach()
— see this document's Example.
Live vs. Static NodeLists
Although they are both considered NodeList
s, there are 2 varieties of NodeList: live and static.
Live NodeLists
In some cases, the NodeList
is live, which means that changes in the DOM automatically update the collection.
For example, Node.childNodes
is live:
const parent = document.getElementById('parent'); let child_nodes = parent.childNodes; console.log(child_nodes.length); // let's assume "2" parent.appendChild(document.createElement('div')); console.log(child_nodes.length); // outputs "3"
Static NodeLists
In other cases, the NodeList
is static, where any changes in the DOM does not affect the content of the collection. The ubiquitous document.querySelectorAll()
method returns a static NodeList
.
It's good to keep this distinction in mind when you choose how to iterate over the items in the NodeList
, and whether you should cache the list's length
.
Properties
NodeList.length
- The number of nodes in the
NodeList
.
Methods
NodeList.item()
- Returns an item in the list by its index, or
null
if the index is out-of-bounds. - An alternative to accessing
nodeList[i]
(which instead returnsundefined
wheni
is out-of-bounds). This is mostly useful for non-JavaScript DOM implementations. NodeList.entries()
- Returns an
iterator
, allowing code to go through all key/value pairs contained in the collection. (In this case, the keys are numbers starting from0
and the values are nodes.) NodeList.forEach()
- Executes a provided function once per
NodeList
element, passing the element as an argument to the function. NodeList.keys()
- Returns an
iterator
, allowing code to go through all the keys of the key/value pairs contained in the collection. (In this case, the keys are numbers starting from0
.) NodeList.values()
- Returns an
iterator
allowing code to go through all values (nodes) of the key/value pairs contained in the collection.
Example
It's possible to loop over the items in a NodeList
using a for loop:
for (let i = 0; i < myNodeList.length; i++) { let item = myNodeList[i]; }
Don't use for...in
to enumerate the items in NodeList
s, since they will also enumerate its length
and item
properties and cause errors if your script assumes it only has to deal with element
objects. Also, for..in
is not guaranteed to visit the properties in any particular order.
for...of
loops will loop over NodeList
objects correctly:
const list = document.querySelectorAll('input[type=checkbox]'); for (let checkbox of list) { checkbox.checked = true; }
Recent browsers also support iterator methods (forEach()
) as well as entries()
, values()
, and keys()
.
There is also an Internet Explorer-compatible way to use Array.prototype.forEach
for iteration:
const list = document.querySelectorAll('input[type=checkbox]'); Array.prototype.forEach.call(list, function (checkbox) { checkbox.checked = true; });
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
DOM The definition of 'NodeList' in that specification. |
Living Standard | |
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 3 Core Specification The definition of 'NodeList' in that specification. |
Obsolete | |
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 Core Specification The definition of 'NodeList' in that specification. |
Obsolete | |
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 Specification The definition of 'NodeList' in that specification. |
Obsolete | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NodeList | Chrome Full support 1 | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 1 | IE Full support 8 | Opera Full support 8 | Safari Full support 3 | WebView Android Full support 1 | Chrome Android Full support 18 | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android Full support 10.1 | Safari iOS Full support 1 | Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0 |
entries | Chrome Full support 51 | Edge Full support 16 | Firefox Full support 50 | IE No support No | Opera Full support 38 | Safari Full support 10 | WebView Android Full support 51 | Chrome Android Full support 51 | Firefox Android Full support 50 | Opera Android ? | Safari iOS Full support 10 | Samsung Internet Android Full support 5.0 |
forEach | Chrome Full support 51 | Edge Full support 16 | Firefox Full support 50 | IE No support No | Opera Full support 38 | Safari Full support 10 | WebView Android Full support 51 | Chrome Android Full support 51 | Firefox Android Full support 50 | Opera Android Full support 41 | Safari iOS Full support 10 | Samsung Internet Android Full support 5.0 |
item | Chrome Full support 1 | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support Yes | IE ? | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support Yes | Opera Android Full support Yes | Safari iOS Full support Yes | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
keys | Chrome Full support 51 | Edge Full support 16 | Firefox Full support 50 | IE No support No | Opera Full support 38 | Safari Full support 10 | WebView Android Full support 51 | Chrome Android Full support 51 | Firefox Android Full support 50 | Opera Android ? | Safari iOS Full support 10 | Samsung Internet Android Full support 5.0 |
length | Chrome Full support 1 | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support Yes | IE ? | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support Yes | Opera Android Full support Yes | Safari iOS Full support Yes | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
values | Chrome Full support 51 | Edge Full support 16 | Firefox Full support 50 | IE No support No | Opera Full support 38 | Safari Full support 10 | WebView Android Full support 51 | Chrome Android Full support 51 | Firefox Android Full support 50 | Opera Android ? | Safari iOS Full support 10 | Samsung Internet Android Full support 5.0 |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support
- No support
- No support
- Compatibility unknown
- Compatibility unknown