Range.compareNode()

Non-standard
This feature is non-standard and is not on a standards track. Do not use it on production sites facing the Web: it will not work for every user. There may also be large incompatibilities between implementations and the behavior may change in the future.

Obsolete since Gecko 1.9 (Firefox 3)
This feature is obsolete. Although it may still work in some browsers, its use is discouraged since it could be removed at any time. Try to avoid using it.

The Range.compareNode() returns a constant indicating the position of the Node.

The possible values are:

NODE_BEFORE (0): Node starts before the Range
NODE_AFTER (1): Node ends after the Range
NODE_BEFORE_AND_AFTER (2): Node starts before and ends after the Range
NODE_INSIDE (3): Node starts after and ends before the Range, i.e. the Node is completely selected by the Range.

Warning: This method has been removed from Gecko 1.9 (Firefox 3) and will not exist in future versions of Firefox, which was the only browser implementing it; you should switch to Range.compareBoundaryPoints() as soon as possible.

The following function can be used as replacement:

function rangeCompareNode(range, node) {
  var nodeRange = node.ownerDocument.createRange();
  try {
    nodeRange.selectNode(node);
  }
  catch (e) {
    nodeRange.selectNodeContents(node);
  }
  var nodeIsBefore = range.compareBoundaryPoints(Range.START_TO_START, nodeRange) == 1;
  var nodeIsAfter = range.compareBoundaryPoints(Range.END_TO_END, nodeRange) == -1;

  if (nodeIsBefore && !nodeIsAfter)
    return 0;
  if (!nodeIsBefore && nodeIsAfter)
    return 1;
  if (nodeIsBefore && nodeIsAfter)
    return 2;

  return 3;
}

Syntax

returnValue = range.compareNode( referenceNode );

Parameters

referenceNode: The Node to compare with the Range.

Example

range = document.createRange();
range.selectNode(document.getElementsByTagName("div").item(0));
returnValue = range.compareNode(document.getElementsByTagName("p").item(0));

Notes

This method is obsolete; you should use the W3C DOM Range.compareBoundaryPoints() method.

Specifications

This method is not standard and therefore not part of any specification.

Browser compatibility

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`compareNode` ExperimentalDeprecatedNon-standard	Chrome No support No	Edge No support No	Firefox No support No	IE No support No	Opera No support No	Safari No support No	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android No support No	Firefox Android No support No	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS No support No	Samsung Internet Android No support No

Legend

No support: No support
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.: Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.: Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.: Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.