CharacterData

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This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. Its been available across browsers since July 2015.

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The CharacterData abstract interface represents a Node object that contains characters. This is an abstract interface, meaning there aren't any objects of type CharacterData: it is implemented by other interfaces like Text, Comment, CDATASection, or ProcessingInstruction, which aren't abstract.

EventTarget Node CharacterData

Instance properties

This interface also inherits properties from its parents, Node and EventTarget.

CharacterData.data: A string representing the textual data contained in this object.
CharacterData.length Read only: Returns a number representing the size of the string contained in the object.
CharacterData.nextElementSibling Read only: Returns the first Element that follows this node, and is a sibling.
CharacterData.previousElementSibling Read only: Returns the first Element that precedes this node, and is a sibling.

Instance methods

This interface also inherits methods from its parents, Node and EventTarget.

CharacterData.after(): Inserts a set of Node objects or strings in the children list of the CharacterData's parent, just after the CharacterData object.
CharacterData.appendData(): Appends the given string to the CharacterData.data string; when this method returns, data contains the concatenated string.
CharacterData.before(): Inserts a set of Node objects or strings in the children list of the CharacterData's parent, just before the CharacterData object.
CharacterData.deleteData(): Removes the specified amount of characters, starting at the specified offset, from the CharacterData.data string; when this method returns, data contains the shortened string.
CharacterData.insertData(): Inserts the specified characters, at the specified offset, in the CharacterData.data string; when this method returns, data contains the modified string.
CharacterData.remove(): Removes the object from its parent children list.
CharacterData.replaceData(): Replaces the specified amount of characters, starting at the specified offset, with the specified string; when this method returns, data contains the modified string.
CharacterData.replaceWith(): Replaces the characters in the children list of its parent with a set of Node objects or strings.
CharacterData.substringData(): Returns a string containing the part of CharacterData.data of the specified length and starting at the specified offset.

Specifications

Specification
DOM # interface-characterdata

Browser compatibility

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This page was last modified on Feb 19, 2023 by MDN contributors.

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