getAttribute

Summary

Returns the value of the content attribute.

Syntax

var attributeValue = element.getAttribute(name);

Parameters

name

Data-type: String

The name of the attribute.

Return Value

Returns an object of type StringString

The value of the attribute, or null if it does not exist.

Examples

The following example shows the difference between a URL attribute which is using a content attribute (value from getAttribute) and a DOM attribute (property).

<!doctype html>
<head>
  <title>Content/DOM Attribute Example</title>
  <script>
    function GetAttr(){
     //Retrieve an element value from the content attribute and DOM attribute.
     var o = document.getElementById("msdn");

     var sContentAttr = o.getAttribute("href");
     var sDomAttr = o.href;

     var sOutput = ("Content attribute value: " + sContentAttr +
              "<br/>DOM attribute value: " + sDomAttr);
     document.getElementById("output").innerHTML = sOutput;
    }
  </script>
</head>
<body onload="GetAttr()">
   <a id="msdn" href="en-us/default.aspx">Microsoft Developer Network</a>
   <div id="output">Output appears here.</div>
</body>

View live example

Usage

 Use this method to get the value of a content attribute of an element.

Related specifications

Document Object Model (DOM) Level 3 Core: Recommendation
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 Core: Recommendation
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1: Recommendation
DOM: Living Standard

Attributions

Microsoft Developer Network: [Windows Internet Explorer API reference Article]