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JavaScript

Posted by Greg Schudel
Greg Schudel
4,090 Points

Calling the elements in order

Why do you have to call the parent first AND THEN call the child in the element? This is what I mean

let myList = document.querySelector('ul'); // call the parent

let firstListItem = document.querySelector('#first'); // call the child

myList.removeChild(firstListItem); // remove the child

can't you just use two lines of code and make it more "salty"? Can't it be like this?

let firstListItem = document.querySelector('#first');

firstListItem.removeChild(li);

1 Answer

asd asdf
PLUS
asd asdf
Courses Plus Student 298 Points
asd asdf
asd asdf
Courses Plus Student 298 Points

You can never directly remove an item, you always need to navigate to it's parent and then delete it, it's just how JavaScript works. That's why it's .removeChild() and not remove

Greg Schudel
Greg Schudel
4,090 Points

Okay? Then how do add a node that differs from the parent element?

const ulRemoveTest = document.querySelector('ul');

const removeLiTest = document.querySelector('p');

ulRemoveTest.removeChild('???????'); // what goes in here? ul:last-child?
Ben Payne
Ben Payne
1,464 Points

You'd have to select the child element you want to delete then pass that in. The reason you have to do it this way is because the DOM is just an tree data structure. Just like a real tree you couldn't remove the branch you were sitting on.

Hopefully that helps.

-Ben