HTML DOM removeChild() Method
Element ObjectExample
Remove the first <li> element from a list:
var list = document.getElementById("myList"); // Get
the <ul> element with id="myList"
list.removeChild(list.childNodes[0]);
// Remove <ul>'s first child node (index 0)
Before removing:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Milk
After removing:
- Tea
- Milk
Try it Yourself »
More "Try it Yourself" examples below.
Definition and Usage
The removeChild() method removes a specified child node of the specified element.
Returns the removed node as a Node object, or null if the node does not exist.
Note: The removed child node is no longer part of the DOM. However, with the reference returned by this method, it is possible to insert the removed child to an element at a later time (See "More Examples").
Tip: Use the appendChild() or insertBefore() method to insert the removed node into the same document. To insert it to another document, use the document.adoptNode() or document.importNode() method.
Browser Support
| Method | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| removeChild() | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Syntax
node.removeChild(node)
Parameter Values
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| node | Node object | Required. The node object you want to remove |
Technical Details
| Return Value: | A Node object, representing the removed node, or null if the node does not exist |
|---|---|
| DOM Version | Core Level 1 Node Object |
More Examples
Example
Find out if a list has any child nodes. If so, remove its first child node (index 0):
// Get the <ul> element with id="myList"
var list =
document.getElementById("myList");
// If the <ul> element has any
child nodes, remove its first child node
if (list.hasChildNodes()) {
list.removeChild(list.childNodes[0]);
}
Before removing:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Milk
Before removing:
- Tea
- Milk
Try it Yourself »
Example
Remove all child nodes of a list:
// Get the <ul> element with id="myList"
var list = document.getElementById("myList");
// As long as <ul> has a child node, remove it
while
(list.hasChildNodes()) {
list.removeChild(list.firstChild);
}
Before removing:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Milk
After removing:
Try it Yourself »
Example
Remove a <li> element with id="myLI" from its parent element (without specifying its parent node):
var item = document.getElementById("myLI");
item.parentNode.removeChild(item);
Before removing:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Milk
After removing:
- Coffee
- Milk
Try it Yourself »
Example
Remove a <li> element from its parent, and insert it again:
var item = document.getElementById("myLI");
function removeLi() {
item.parentNode.removeChild(item);
}
function appendLi() {
var list = document.getElementById("myList");
list.appendChild(item);
}
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Example
Remove a <span> element from its parent and insert it to an <h1> element in another document:
var child = document.getElementById("mySpan");
function removeLi() {
child.parentNode.removeChild(child);
}
function myFunction() {
var frame = document.getElementsByTagName("IFRAME")[0]
var h = frame.contentWindow.document.getElementsByTagName("H1")[0];
var x = document.adoptNode(child);
h.appendChild(x);
}
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