DOM – What it is and how it works

In order to work globally following a standardized organization and allow websites to follow a set of common rules , the W3C ( World Wide Web Consortium ) develops specifications, recommendations and tools regarding web development. One of these defined standards is the DOM , which defines the elements of a website, how to access them, etc.    

Next we will see what DOM is, how it works and what it offers web developers . 

  

 

Índice

  1. What is DOM and what is it for?
  2. DOM operation and structure
  3. What DOM offers

What is DOM and what is it for?

 

DOM ( Document Object Model ), meaning document object model, is a hierarchical structure of several objects that have a dependency on each other . It is a standard created by the W3C that defines those objects that make up a website, how they should be named and what their relationship is.   

  1. DOM is independent of any programming language, being a programming interface (API) that supports the basis for HTML and XML development. With DOM, the logical structure of these web documents is created and how they are edited and accessed.  

Throughout history DOM has evolved, finding different versions:

  • DOM level 1, in 1998.

  • DOM level 2, in 2000.

  • DOM level 3, in 2004.

  • DOM level 4, currently in development.

The DOM structure is closely related to the JavaScript programming language, which follows its hierarchical order to access and modify web pages, eCommerce or landing pages , dynamically .    

DOM operation and structure

The structure of the elements that make up a web page are structured using a tree-shaped diagram in the DOM . This hierarchical relationship makes each lower node directly dependent on a higher node. This organization allows web browsers to switch between nodes when a user navigates through the different URLs that make up a website. 

From the main node, called Document , the rest of the nodes emerge, forming the tree-shaped structure of a website. The top and bottom nodes are known as parent and child and the same level nodes as siblings. There are 12 different types of nodes, five used in HTML and seven more used by XML.   

What DOM offers

DOM facilitates the programming and development of web pages, offering a standard for web developers to follow. The main advantages it offers are:

  • Being able to control the structure:  With DOM, web developers and programmers can precisely control the structure of HTML or XML documents , performing actions such as adding, modifying or deleting. 

  • Promotes web positioning :   Following the DOM standard allows you to optimize a web page so that it is more efficient and its loading speed is much faster , that is, the browser will take less time to show its content to the user. Google rewards pages that enhance the user experience and load much faster with better positions in its ranking, so considering DOM in web development improves SEO positioning .    

  • Independent environment:  DOM offers a standard web programming interface that can be used in different applications and environments without the need for a dependency on other files , such as libraries.   

DOM is important so that web developers can work under a standard system that allows them to create and edit the different components that make up a web page. With the use of DOM, a web page will function more efficiently, helping its web positioning and offering a better browsing experience to the user .