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HTML DOM replaceChild() Method

Element Object Reference Element Object

Example

Replace a text node in a <li> element in a list with a new text node:

// Create a new text node called "Water"
var textnode = document.createTextNode("Water");

// Get the first child node of an <ul> element
var item = document.getElementById("myList").childNodes[0];

// Replace the first child node of <ul> with the newly created text node
item.replaceChild(textnode, item.childNodes[0]);

// Note: This example replaces only the Text node "Coffee" with a Text node "Water"

Before removing:

  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Milk

After removing:

  • Water
  • Tea
  • Milk
Try it Yourself »

More "Try it Yourself" examples below.


Definition and Usage

The replaceChild() method replaces a child node with a new node.

The new node could be an existing node in the document, or you can create a new node.

Tip: Use the removeChild() method to remove a child node from an element.


Browser Support

Method
replaceChild() Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Syntax

node.replaceChild(newnode,oldnode)

Parameter Values

Parameter Type Description
newnode Node object Required. The node object you want to insert
oldnode Node object Required. The node object you want to remove

Technical Details

Return Value: A Node object, representing the replaced node
DOM Version Core Level 1 Node Object

Examples

More Examples

Example

Replace a <li> element in a list with a new <li> element:

// Create a new <li> element
var elmnt = document.createElement("li");

// Create a new text node called "Water"
var textnode = document.createTextNode("Water");

// Append the text node to <li>
elmnt.appendChild(textnode);

// Get the <ul> element with id="myList"
var item = document.getElementById("myList");

// Replace the first child node (<li> with index 0) in <ul> with the newly created <li> element
item.replaceChild(elmnt, item.childNodes[0]);

// Note: This example replaces the entire <li> element

Before removing:

  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Milk

After removing:

  • Water
  • Tea
  • Milk
Try it Yourself »

Element Object Reference Element Object