JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition

Name

HTMLDocument.write( ): append HTML text to an open document — DOM Level 0

Synopsis

void write(Stringtext);

Arguments

text

The HTML text to be appended to the document.

Description

This method appends the specified HTML text to the document. According to the DOM standard, this method takes a single string argument. According to common practice, however, the write( ) method may be passed any number of arguments. These arguments are converted to strings and appended, in order, to the document.

Document.write( ) is normally used in one of two ways. First, it can be invoked on the current document within a <script> tag or within a function that is executed while the document is being parsed. In this case, the write( ) method writes its HTML output as if that output appeared literally in the file at the location of the code that invoked the method.

Second, you can use Document.write( ) to dynamically generate new documents in a window, frame, or iframe other than the one in which the calling script is running. If the target document is open, write( ) appends to that document. If the document is not open, write( ) discards the existing document and opens a new (empty) one to which it appends its arguments.

Once a document is open, Document.write( ) can append any amount of output to the end of the document. When a new document has been completely generated by this technique, the document must be closed by calling Document.close( ). Note that although the call to open( ) is optional, the call ...