Node.isEqualNode()

The Node.isEqualNode() method tests whether two nodes are equal. Two nodes are equal when they have the same type, defining characteristics (for elements, this would be their ID, number of children, and so forth), its attributes match, and so on. The specific set of data points that must match varies depending on the types of the nodes.

Syntax

var isEqualNode = node.isEqualNode(otherNode);
  • otherNode: The node to compare equality with.

Example

In this example, we create three <div> blocks. The first and third have the same contents and attributes, while the second is different. Then we run some JavaScript to compare the nodes using isEqualNode() and output the results.

HTML

<div>This is the first element.</div>
<div>This is the second element.</div>
<div>This is the first element.</div>
<p id="output"></div>

JavaScript

let output = document.getElementById("output");
let divList  = document.getElementsByTagName("div");
output.innerHTML += "div 0 equals div 0: " + divList[0].isEqualNode(divList[0]) + "<br/>";
output.innerHTML += "div 0 equals div 1: " + divList[0].isEqualNode(divList[1]) + "<br/>";
output.innerHTML += "div 0 equals div 2: " + divList[0].isEqualNode(divList[2]) + "<br/>";

Results

Specifications

Specification Status Comment
DOM
The definition of 'Node.isEqualNode' in that specification.
Living Standard  

Browser compatibility

Feature Chrome Edge Firefox (Gecko) Internet Explorer Opera Safari
Basic support (Yes) (Yes) 3.0 (1.9) 9.0 (Yes) (Yes)
Feature Android Edge Firefox Mobile (Gecko) IE Mobile Opera Mobile Safari Mobile
Basic support (Yes) (Yes) (Yes) ? ? (Yes)

See also

Document Tags and Contributors

 Last updated by: abbycar,