HEAD Element | head Object

Provides an unordered collection of information about the document.

Members Table

The following table lists the members exposed by the head object.

Attributes/Properties

Attribute	Property	Description
aria-activedescendant	ariaActivedescendant	Gets or sets the currently active child element.
aria-busy	ariaBusy	Gets or sets a value indicating whether a live region is finished updating.
aria-checked	ariaChecked	Sets or retrieves the checked state of this element.
aria-controls	ariaControls	Gets or sets the list of elements that are controlled by the current element.
aria-describedby	ariaDescribedby	Gets or sets a list of elements that describe the current object.
aria-disabled	ariaDisabled	Sets or retrieves the disabled state of this element.
aria-expanded	ariaExpanded	Sets or retrieves the expanded state of this element.
aria-flowto	ariaFlowto	Gets or sets the recommended reading order of content.
aria-haspopup	ariaHaspopup	Sets or retrieves a value indicating whether this element may display a pop-up window.
aria-hidden	ariaHidden	Sets or retrieves the hidden state of this element.
aria-invalid	ariaInvalid	Sets or retrieves the error state of this element.
aria-labelledby	ariaLabelledby	Gets or sets a list of elements that provide a label for the current object.
aria-level	ariaLevel	Sets or retrieves the level of this element.
aria-live	ariaLive	Gets or sets how assistive technology should announce updates to live regions.
aria-multiselectable	ariaMultiselectable	Sets or retrieves the multiple-selection state of this element.
aria-owns	ariaOwns	Gets or sets a list of child objects, including elements that are not direct descendants of the current object.
aria-posinset	ariaPosinset	Sets or retrieves the current position of an item within a set.
aria-pressed	ariaPressed	Sets or retrieves the pressed state of a button that can be toggled.
aria-readonly	ariaReadonly	Sets or retrieves the read-only state of this element.
aria-relevant	ariaRelevant	Gets or sets which changes to a live region are relevant.
aria-required	ariaRequired	Sets or retrieves the form-completion requirement of this element.
aria-secret	ariaSecret	Sets or retrieves the secret state of this element.
aria-selected	ariaSelected	Sets or retrieves the selection state of this element.
aria-setsize	ariaSetsize	Sets or retrieves the set size of this element.
aria-valuemax	ariaValuemax	Gets or sets the maximum value that a user can provide.
aria-valuemin	ariaValuemin	Gets or sets the minimum value that a user can provide.
aria-valuenow	ariaValuenow	Gets or sets the current value of the element.
	attributes	Retrieves a collection of attributes of the object.
	canHaveChildren	Gets a value indicating whether the object can contain child objects.
canHaveHTML	canHaveHTML	Gets the value indicating whether the object can contain rich HTML markup.
	childElementCount	Retrieves the number of immediate child nodes of the current element or a zero if the element does not contain any child nodes. childElementCount does not return all child nodes, only child nodes that are nodeType =1, or element nodes.
CLASS	className	Sets or retrieves the class of the object.
	constructor	Returns a reference to the constructor of an object.
	firstChild	Gets a reference to the first child in the childNodes collection of the object.
	firstElementChild	Retrieves a reference to the first child element, or null if there are no child elements.
ID	id	Sets or retrieves the string identifying the object.
	innerHTML	Gets or sets the HTML between the start and end tags of the object.
	innerText	Sets or retrieves the text between the start and end tags of the object.
	isContentEditable	Gets the value that indicates whether the user can edit the contents of the object.
	isDisabled	Gets the value that indicates whether the user can interact with the object.
	isMultiLine	Retrieves the value indicating whether the content of the object contains one or more lines.
	isTextEdit	Retrieves whether a TextRange object can be created using the object.
LANG	lang	Sets or retrieves the language to use.
LANGUAGE	language	Sets or retrieves the language in which the current script is written.
	lastChild	Gets a reference to the last child in the childNodes collection of an object.
	lastElementChild	Retrieves a reference to the last child element or null if there are no child elements.
	nextElementSibling	Retrieves a reference to the sibling element that immediately follows or null if the element does not have any sibling elements that follow it.
	nextSibling	Retrieves a reference to the next child of the parent for the object.
	nodeName	Gets the name of a particular type of node.
	nodeType	Retrieves the type of the requested node.
	nodeValue	Gets or sets the value of a node.
	offsetHeight	Retrieves the height of the object relative to the layout or coordinate parent, as specified by the offsetParent property.
	offsetParent	Retrieves a reference to the container object that defines the offsetTop and offsetLeft properties of the object.
	offsetWidth	Retrieves the width of the object relative to the layout or coordinate parent, as specified by the offsetParent property.
	outerHTML	Sets or retrieves the object and its content in HTML.
	outerText	Sets or retrieves the text of the object.
	ownerDocument	Retrieves the document object associated with the node.
	parentElement	Retrieves the parent object in the object hierarchy.
	parentNode	Retrieves the parent object in the document hierarchy.
	parentTextEdit	Retrieves the container object in the document hierarchy that can be used to create a TextRange containing the original object.
	previousElementSibling	Retrieves a reference to the immediately preceding sibling element or null if the element does not have any preceding siblings.
	previousSibling	Gets a reference to the previous child of the parent for the object.
PROFILE	profile	Gets or sets one or more Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) in which the object properties and legal values for those properties are defined.
	readyState	Retrieves the current state of the object.
	recordNumber	Retrieves the ordinal record from the data set that generated the object.
role	role	Sets or retrieves the role for this element.
	scopeName	Gets the namespace defined for the element.
	scrollHeight	Retrieves the scrolling height of the object.
	scrollLeft	Sets or retrieves the distance between the left edge of the object and the leftmost portion of the content currently visible in the window.
	scrollTop	Sets or retrieves the distance between the top of the object and the topmost portion of the content currently visible in the window.
	scrollWidth	Retrieves the scrolling width of the object.
	sourceIndex	Retrieves the ordinal position of the object, in source order, as the object appears in the document's all collection.
	tagName	Retrieves the tag name of the object.
	tagUrn	Sets or gets the Uniform Resource Name (URN) specified in the namespace declaration.
TITLE	title	Sets or retrieves advisory information (a ToolTip) for the object.
	uniqueID	Retrieves an autogenerated, unique identifier for the object.
	uniqueNumber	Retrieves the element's unique number.

Behaviors

Behavior	Description
clientCaps	Obsolete. Provides information about features supported by Internet Explorer, as well as a way for installing browser components on demand.
download	Downloads a file and notifies a specified callback function when the download is complete.
homePage	Contains information about a user's homepage.

Collections

Collection	Description
all	Returns a reference to the collection of elements contained by the object.
attributes	Retrieves the collection of attributes belonging to the object.
behaviorUrns	Returns a collection of Uniform Resource Name (URN) strings identifying the behaviors attached to the element.
childNodes	Retrieves a collection of HTML Elements and TextNode objects that are direct descendants of the specified object.
children	Retrieves a collection of DHTML Objects that are direct descendants of the object.

Events

Event	Event Property	Description
abort	onabort	Fires when the user aborts the download.
	onafterupdate	Fires on a databound object after successfully updating the associated data in the data source object.
	onbeforecopy	Fires on the source object before the selection is copied to the system clipboard.
	onbeforeupdate	Fires on a databound object before updating the associated data in the data source object.
	oncellchange	Fires when data changes in the data provider.
change	onchange	Fires when the contents of the object or selection have changed.
	oncopy	Fires on the source element when the user copies the object or selection, adding it to the system clipboard.
	ondataavailable	Fires periodically as data arrives from data source objects that asynchronously transmit their data.
	ondatasetchanged	Fires when the data set exposed by a data source object changes.
	ondatasetcomplete	Fires to indicate that all data is available from the data source object.
error	onerror	Fires when an error occurs during object loading.
	onerrorupdate	Fires on a databound object when an error occurs while updating the associated data in the data source object.
	onfilterchange	Fires when a visual filter changes state or completes a transition.
input	oninput	Occurs when the text content of an element is changed through the user interface.
	onlayoutcomplete	Fires when the print or print preview layout process finishes filling the current LayoutRect object with content from the source document.
load	onload	Fires immediately after the client loads the object.
readystatechange	onreadystatechange	Fires when the state of the object has changed.
	onreset	Fires when the user resets a form.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms536959(v=vs.85).aspx	onresize	Fires when the size of the object is about to change.
	onrowenter	Fires to indicate that the current row has changed in the data source and new data values are available on the object.
	onrowexit	Fires just before the data source control changes the current row in the object.
	onrowsdelete	Fires when rows are about to be deleted from the recordset.
	onrowsinserted	Fires just after new rows are inserted in the current recordset.
select	onselect	Fires when the current selection changes.

Methods

Method	Description
addBehavior	Attaches a behavior to the element.
appendChild	Appends an element as a child to the object.
applyElement	Makes the element either a child or parent of another element.
attachEvent	Binds the specified function to an event, so that the function gets called whenever the event fires on the object.
clearAttributes	Removes all attributes and values from the object.
click	Simulates a click by causing the onclick event to fire.
cloneNode	Copies a reference to the object from the document hierarchy.
componentFromPoint	Returns the component located at the specified coordinates via certain events.
contains	Checks whether the given element is contained within the object.
detachEvent	Unbinds the specified function from the event, so that the function stops receiving notifications when the event fires.
doScroll	Simulates a click on a scroll bar component.
dragDrop	Initiates a drag event.
fireEvent	Fires a specified event on the object.
getAdjacentText	Returns the adjacent text string.
getAttribute	Retrieves the value of the specified attribute.
getAttributeNode	Retrieves an attribute object referenced by the attribute.name property.
getAttributeNodeNS	Gets an attribute object that matches the specified namespace and name.
getAttributeNS	Gets the value of the specified attribute within the specified namespace.
getElementsByClassName	Gets a collection of objects that are based on the value of the CLASS attribute.
getElementsByTagName	Retrieves a collection of objects based on the specified element name.
getElementsByTagNameNS	Gets a collection of objects that are based on the specified element names within a specified namespace.
hasAttribute	Determines whether an attribute with the specified name exists.
hasAttributeNS	Determines whether an attribute that has the specified namespace and name exists.
hasAttributes	Determines whether one or more attributes exist for the object.
hasChildNodes	Returns a value that indicates whether the object has children.
insertAdjacentElement	Inserts an element at the specified location.
insertAdjacentHTML	Inserts the given HTML text into the element at the location.
insertAdjacentText	Inserts the given text into the element at the specified location.
insertBefore	Inserts an element into the document hierarchy as a child node of a parent object.
mergeAttributes	Copies all read/write attributes to the specified element.
msMatchesSelector	Determines whether an object matches the specified selector.
normalize	Merges adjacent Document Object Model (DOM) objects to produce a normalized document object model.
removeAttribute	Removes an attribute from an object.
removeAttributeNode	Removes an attribute object from the object.
removeAttributeNS	Removes the specified attribute from the object.
removeBehavior	Detaches a behavior from the element.
removeChild	Removes a child node from the object.
removeNode	Removes the object from the document hierarchy.
replaceAdjacentText	Replaces the text adjacent to the element.
replaceChild	Replaces an existing child element with a new child element.
replaceNode	Replaces the object with another element.
setActive	Sets the object as active without setting focus to the object.
setAttribute	Sets the value of the specified attribute.
setAttributeNode	Sets an attribute object node as part of the object.
setAttributeNodeNS	Sets an attribute object as part of the object.
setAttributeNS	Sets the value of the specified attribute within the specified namespace.
setCapture	Sets the mouse capture to the object that belongs to the current document.
swapNode	Exchanges the location of two objects in the document hierarchy.

Prototypes

Object	Description
HTMLHeadElement Constructor	Defines the properties and methods inherited by objects in the HTMLHeadElement Constructor prototype chain.

Styles

Style attribute	Style property	Description
-ms-background-position-x	backgroundPositionX	Gets or sets the x-coordinate of the backgroundPosition property.
-ms-background-position-y	backgroundPositionY	Gets or sets the y-coordinate of the backgroundPosition property.
-ms-behavior	behavior	Gets or sets the location of the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) behavior.
-ms-layout-grid	layoutGrid	Sets or retrieves the composite document grid properties that specify the layout of text characters.
-ms-layout-grid-mode	layoutGridMode	Gets or sets whether the text layout grid uses two dimensions.
	pixelBottom	Sets or retrieves the bottom position of the object.
	pixelHeight	Sets or retrieves the height of the object.
	pixelLeft	Sets or retrieves the left position of the object.
	pixelRight	Sets or retrieves the right position of the object.
	pixelTop	Sets or retrieves the top position of the object.
	pixelWidth	Sets or retrieves the width of the object.
	posBottom	Sets or retrieves the bottom position of the object in the units specified by the bottom attribute.
	posHeight	Sets or retrieves the height of the object in the units specified by the height attribute.
	posLeft	Sets or retrieves the left position of the object in the units specified by the left attribute.
	posRight	Sets or retrieves the right position of the object in the units specified by the right attribute.
	posTop	Sets or retrieves the top position of the object in the units specified by the top attribute.
	posWidth	Sets or retrieves the width of the object in the units specified by the width attribute.
-ms-text-autospace	textAutospace	Gets or sets the autospacing and narrow space width adjustment of text.
-ms-text-underline-position	textUnderlinePosition	Gets or sets the position of the underline decoration that is set through the textDecoration property of the object.
-ms-zoom	zoom	Gets or sets the magnification scale of the object.

Remarks

The head element provides information that does not affect the rendering of the document but could be of use to the application. The following tags are valid in this element:

• BASE
• BASEFONT
• BGSOUND
• LINK
• META
• nextID
• SCRIPT
• STYLE
• TITLE

Internet Explorer 8 and later. The value of the profile attribute depends on the current document compatibility mode.

This element is not rendered.

This element requires a closing tag.

Example

This example uses the HEAD element to create a document title.

Copy

<HEAD>
<TITLE>A Simple Document</TITLE>
</HEAD>

Standards Information

This object is defined in HTML 3.2.