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The DOM represents the objects on a page and their properties in a way that is independent of browsers, applications, platforms, vendors, programming languages, and markup languages. It provides methods for creating and deleting elements, for traversing the document tree of elements, and for getting and setting the values of element properties.

The W3C DOM has the power to represent and manipulate both HTML and XML files. It is divided into several levels:

• DOM0 refers to the very basic browser DOM features that were supported by both Navigator 3 and IE3. This is an informal term. The specification doesn't define the features of DOM0 explicitly; instead, DOM0 defined by reference to those two implementations.
• Document Object Model, level 1 (DOM1) is the first generation of the DOM. It has two parts:
• DOM1 Core is the heart of the DOM, a set of crucial functions for creating, deleting, and changing elements and their attributes. The methods of the DOM1 Core work for both XML and HTML, making them the foundation for next-generation web applications.
• DOM1 HTML is a set of DOM convenience features that are specific to HTML.
• Document Object Model, level 2 (DOM2) is the second generation of the DOM. It adds many more advanced features. For example, the DOM2 CSS Interface makes CSS properties dynamically settable from JavaScript through the W3C DOM so you can reformat, hide, show, and animate content dynamically. DOM2 Events enables JavaScript to intercept and handle events like mouse clicks, mouseovers, mousedowns, etc. so you can create interactive applications.

Note: Accept no substitutes. Ask for the W3C DOM by name! Some companies talk about their "great DOM support" and "great DOM features" without admitting that what they're really talking about is their own proprietary DOM that locks you into their browser and maybe their favorite platform as well. When someone starts telling you a feature of "the DOM," ask them "Is this a feature of the W3C DOM, or is it a proprietary browser DOM feature that will break on other browsers, platforms, and devices?"

The W3C DOM will be the foundation for the next generation of powerful web applications that will run across platforms and devices, so it's worth learning. This developer area is to help you master the W3C DOM as quickly as possible.

To make this developer area as open as possible and to take advantage of all the great DOM information that's available on the web already, we're using the power of the Netscape Open Directory, which is the world's largest human-edited directory. Many of the links on this page are links into the Netscape Open Directory's JavaScript for the W3C DOM category. This means that if you know of a good DOM resource you'd like to see indexed here, you can submit the URL for consideration. Better yet, you can apply to join the Netscape Open Directory as a co-editor of the DOM JavaScript category and help create the best index of DOM JavaScript resources on the Internet!

News

• The first preview release of Netscape 6 has been released with industry-leading support for the W3C DOM and other web standards! Take the Netscape Standards Challenge and see how the standards support of Netscape Gecko and Netscape 6 (which is based on Mozilla) crushes the competition!
  
  
• Where should I post my question? If you have a question about how to use the DOM when building web content and web applications, post it in the developer newsgroup netscape.public.dev.dom newsgroup.
  
  
• Updated for Netscape 6 and IE5: JavaScript Client Sniffer
  Get your code ready for the latest browsers! The first step is to make sure your JavaScript client detection code won't break. Get bulletproof, reusable sample code and learn to avoid common mistakes.
  
  
• Read the White Paper on Netscape Gecko Technologies and see how the W3C DOM fits into Netscape Gecko's free, open source, cross-platform, cross-device platform for building next generation web browsers, web devices, and web applications!
  
  
• Learn why industry leaders like IBM, Intel, NetObjects, Nokia, Liberate, Red Hat, and Sun have adopted Netscape Gecko to power a new generation of standards-compliant applications, browsers, set top boxes, and browsing appliances.

The W3C DOM, Netscape, and You

Netscape is a member of the W3C's DOM Working Group. Netscape representatives have been involved since the beginning in defining each version of the DOM specification and continue to work today to help define future improvements.

Netscape is proud to be unleashing the potential of the W3C DOM by delivering the best DOM support yet in the free, open source Netscape Gecko browser engine, the open source Mozilla browser, and Netscape's own branded browser Netscape 6. Do you care about standards support? Do you want to help make the support of Netscape Gecko, Mozilla, and Netscape 6 even better? Get involved at mozilla.org--you don't need to be a C++ engineer! If you know any of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and/or the DOM, you can join the BugAThon and help simplify bug reports down to simple-as-possible test cases so that QA and engineering can spend more time crushing bugs and validating fixes and less time analyzing new bug reports!

If you would like technical support or other assistance for post-release Netscape products (not beta releases), please visit the support area. During the Netscape 6 beta period, please post your questions about the DOM in the developer newsgroup netscape.public.dev.dom newsgroup. Email comments and suggestions about the contents of this developer area to domtech@netscape.com.