JAVASCRIPT Tutorial

DOM Best Practices

Practical Steps:

  • Use getElementById over querySelector: getElementById is faster as it uses an optimized lookup.
  • Use textContent or innerText: Prefer these over innerHTML to improve performance and security.
  • Avoid unnecessary DOM manipulations: Cache DOM elements and update them only when necessary.
  • Minimize flows and repairs: Avoid frequently updating the DOM, use requestAnimationFrame or MutationObserver.

Example:

// Efficient DOM manipulation
const div = document.getElementById("my-div");
div.textContent = "Updated content";

// Slow and inefficient
document.querySelector("div").innerHTML = "Slow and inefficient content";

Guidelines for Accessibility and Ease of Use:

  • Ensure elements have appropriate semantic markup (e.g., headings, paragraphs).
  • Add clear labels and captions to form elements.
  • Use high-contrast colors and accessible fonts.
  • Provide keyboard navigation and screen reader support.