body

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Summary

The body element (<body>) represents the main content of the document.

Overview Table

DOM Interface	HTMLBodyElement

HTML information

Closing Tag	not required
CSS Display	block

You can access the <body> element from script through the document object.

The window object for the <body> element can host event handlers for the onblur, onfocus, onload, or onunload events.

HTML Event Handler Content Attributes

Event	Description
`onafterprint`	User printed current document.
`onbeforeprint`	User requested printing of current document.
`onbeforeunload`	Document is about to be unloaded.
`onblur`	Document lost focus.
`onerror`	Document failed to load properly.
`onfocus`	Document received focus.
`onhashchange`	Fragment identifier part of the document’s current address changed.
`onload`	Document finished loading.
`onmessage`	Document received a message.
`onoffline`	Network connections failed.
`ononline`	Network connections returned.
`onpopstate`	User navigated session history.
`onredo`	User went forward in undo transaction history.
`onresize`	Document view was resized.
`onstorage`	Storage area changed.
`onundo`	User went backward in undo transaction history.
`onunload`	Document is going away.

The following attributes are obsolete, and must not be used by authors: alink, bgcolor, link, marginbottom, marginheight, marginleft, marginright, margintop, marginwidth, text, vlink.

Examples

View live exampleThe <body> element follows the <head> element and is contained by the <html> element.

HTML

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>The HTML Document</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>The HTML content</p>
</body>
</html>

This example exposes the <body> element in javascript.

JavaScript

var oBody = document.body;

Members

The <body> object has these types of members:

Events
Methods
Properties

Events

The <body> object has these events.

Event	Description
`onabort`	Fires when the user aborts the download.
`onactivate`	Fires when the object is set as the `active element`.
`onafterprint`	Fires on the object immediately after its associated document prints or previews for printing.
`onafterupdate`	Fires on a databound object after successfully updating the associated data in the data source object.
`onbeforeactivate`	Fires immediately before the object is set as the `active element`.
`onbeforecopy`	Fires on the source object before the selection is copied to the system clipboard.
`onbeforecut`	Fires on the source object before the selection is deleted from the document.
`onbeforedeactivate`	Fires immediately before the `activeElement` is changed from the current object to another object in the parent document.
`onbeforeeditfocus`	Fires before an object contained in an editable element enters a UI Activation state or when an editable container object is control selection.
`onbeforepaste`	Fires on the target object before the selection is pasted from the system clipboard to the document.
`onbeforeprint`	Fires on the object before its associated document prints or previews for printing.
`onbeforeunload`	Fires prior to a document being unloaded.
`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.
`onchange`	Fires when the contents of the object or selection have changed.
`onclick`	Fires when the user clicks the left mouse button on the object.
`oncontextmenu`	Fires when the user clicks the right mouse button in the client area, opening the context menu.
`oncontrolselect`	Fires when the user is about to make a control selection of the object.
`oncut`	Fires on the source element when the object or selection is removed from the document and added 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.
`ondblclick`	Fires when the user double-clicks the object.
`ondeactivate`	Fires when the `activeElement` is changed from the current object to another object in the parent document.
`ondrag`	Fires on the source object continuously during a drag operation.
`ondragend`	Fires on the source object when the user releases the mouse at the close of a drag operation.
`ondragenter`	Fires on the target element when the user drags the object to a valid drop target.
`ondragleave`	Fires on the target object when the user moves the mouse out of a valid drop target during a drag operation.
`ondragover`	Fires on the target element continuously while the user drags the object over a valid drop target.
`ondragstart`	Fires on the source object when the user starts to drag a text selection or selected object.
`ondrop`	Fires on the target object when the mouse button is released during a drag-and-drop operation.
`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.
`onfocusin`	Fires for an element just prior to setting focus on that element.
`onfocusout`	Fires for the current element with focus immediately after moving focus to another element.
`onhashchange`	Raised when there are changes to the portion of a URL that follows the number sign (#). This event is not supported for Metro style apps using JavaScript.
`oninput`	Occurs when the text content of an element is changed through the user interface.
`onkeydown`	Fires when the user presses a key.
`onkeypress`	Fires when the user presses an alphanumeric key.
`onkeyup`	Fires when the user releases a key.
`onlayoutcomplete`	Fires when the print or print preview layout process finishes filling the current LayoutRect object with content from the source document.
`onload`	Fires immediately after the client loads the object.
`onlosecapture`	Fires when the object loses the mouse capture.
`onmousedown`	Fires when the user clicks the object with either mouse button.
`onmouseenter`	Fires when the user moves the mouse pointer into the object.
`onmouseleave`	Fires when the user moves the mouse pointer outside the boundaries of the object.
`onmousemove`	Fires when the user moves the mouse over the object.
`onmouseout`	Fires when the user moves the mouse pointer outside the boundaries of the object.
`onmouseover`	Fires when the user moves the mouse pointer into the object.
`onmouseup`	Fires when the user releases a mouse button while the mouse is over the object.
`onmousewheel`	Fires when the wheel button is rotated.
`onmove`	Fires when the object moves.
`onmoveend`	Fires when the object stops moving.
`onmovestart`	Fires when the object starts to move.
`onoffline`	Raised when Internet Explorer is working offline. This event is not supported for Metro style apps using JavaScript.
`ononline`	Raised when Internet Explorer is working online. This event is not supported for Metro style apps using JavaScript.
`onpaste`	Fires on the target object when the user pastes data, transferring the data from the system clipboard to the document.
`onpropertychange`	Fires when a property changes on the object.
`onreadystatechange`	Fires when the state of the object has changed.
`onreset`	Fires when the user resets a form.
`onresize`	Fires when the size of the object is about to change.
`onresizeend`	Fires when the user finishes changing the dimensions of the object in a control selection.
`onresizestart`	Fires when the user begins to change the dimensions of the object in a control selection.
`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.
`onscroll`	Fires when the user repositions the scroll box in the scroll bar on the object.
`onselect`	Fires when the current selection changes.
`onselectstart`	Fires when the object is being selected.
`onunload`	Fires immediately before the object is unloaded.

Methods

The <body> object has these methods.

Method	Description
`addBehavior`	Attaches a behavior to the element. This method is not supported for Metro style apps using JavaScript.
`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.
`blur`	Causes the element to lose focus and fires the `onblur` event.
`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.
`createControlRange`	Creates a `controlRange` collection of nontext elements.
`createTextRange`	Creates a `TextRange` object for the element.
`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.
`focus`	Causes the element to receive the focus and executes the code specified by the `onfocus` event.
`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.
`getBoundingClientRect`	Retrieves an object that specifies the bounds of a collection of `TextRectangle` objects.
`getClientRects`	Retrieves a collection of rectangles that describes the layout of the contents of an object or range within the client. Each rectangle describes a single line.
`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 DOM objects to produce a normalized document object model.
`querySelector`	Retrieves the first DOM element node from descendants of the starting element node that match any selector within the supplied selector string.
`querySelectorAll`	Retrieves all DOM element nodes from descendants of the starting element node that match any selector within the supplied selector strings.
`releaseCapture`	Removes mouse capture from the object in the current document.
`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.

Properties

The <body> object has these properties.

Property	Description
`accessKey`	Sets or retrieves the access key for the object.
`aLink`	Sets or gets the color of all active links in the element.
`ATOMICSELECTION`	Specifies whether the element and its contents must be selected as a whole, indivisible unit.
`attributes`	Retrieves a collection of attributes of the object.
`background`	Sets or retrieves the background picture tiled behind the text and graphics on the page.
`bgColor`	Deprecated. Sets or retrieves the background color behind the object.
`bgProperties`	Sets or gets the properties of the background picture.
`blockDirection`	Gets a string value that indicates whether the content in the block element flows from left to right, or from right to left.
`body`	Gets an interface pointer to the document `body` object.
`bottomMargin`	Sets or gets the bottom margin of the entire body of the document.
`canHaveChildren`	Gets a value indicating whether the object can contain child objects.
`canHaveHTML`	Retrieves 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.
`className`	Sets or retrieves the class of the object.
`clientHeight`	Retrieves the height of the object including padding, but not including margin, border, or scroll bar.
`clientLeft`	Retrieves the distance between the `offsetLeft` property and the true left side of the client area.
`clientTop`	Retrieves the distance between the `offsetTop` property and the true top of the client area.
`clientWidth`	Retrieves the width of the object including padding, but not including margin, border, or scroll bar.
`constructor`	Returns a reference to the constructor of an object.
`contentEditable`	Sets or retrieves the string that indicates whether the user can edit the content of the object.
`dir`	Sets or retrieves the reading order of the object.
`disabled`	Sets or gets the value that indicates whether the user can interact with the 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.
`hideFocus`	Sets or gets the value that indicates whether the object visibly shows that it has focus.
`id`	Sets or retrieves the string identifying the object.
`innerHTML`	Sets or retrieves 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`	Sets or retrieves the language to use.
`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.
`leftMargin`	Sets or gets the left margin for the entire body of the document, which overrides the default margin.
`link`	Sets or gets the color of the document links for the object.
`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.
`noWrap`	Sets or retrieves whether the browser automatically performs wordwrap.
`offsetHeight`	Retrieves the height of the object relative to the layout or coordinate parent, as specified by the `offsetParent` property.
`offsetLeft`	Retrieves the calculated left position 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.
`offsetTop`	Retrieves the calculated top position of the object relative to the layout or coordinate parent, as specified by the `offsetParent` property.
`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.
`readyState`	Retrieves the current state of the object.
`recordNumber`	Retrieves the ordinal record from the data set that generated the object.
`rightMargin`	Sets or gets the right margin for the entire body of the document.
`role`	Sets or retrieves the role for this element.
`scopeName`	Gets the namespace defined for the element. This property is not supported for Metro style apps using JavaScript.
`scroll`	Sets or gets a value that indicates whether the scroll bars are turned on or off.
`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.
`STYLE`	Sets an inline style for the element.
`tabIndex`	Sets or retrieves the index that defines the tab order for the object.
`tagName`	Retrieves the tag name of the object.
`tagUrn`	Sets or gets the URN specified in the namespace declaration. This property is not supported for Metro style apps using JavaScript.
`text`	Sets or gets the text (foreground) color for the document body.
`title`	Sets or retrieves advisory information (a ToolTip) for the object.
`topMargin`	Sets or gets the margin for the top of the document.
`uniqueID`	Retrieves an autogenerated, unique identifier for the object.
`uniqueNumber`	Retrieves the element's unique number.
`vLink`	Sets or gets the color of links in the object that have already been visited.

Related specifications

Specification	Status	Related Changes
HTML5	W3C Working Draft
HTML 4.01	W3C Recommendation

Compatibility

Desktop

Feature	Chrome	Firefox (Gecko)	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari
Basic Support	1.0	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)

Mobile

Feature	Android	BlackBerry	Chrome for mobile	Firefox Mobile (Gecko)	IE Mobile	Opera Mobile	Opera Mini	Safari Mobile
Basic Support	1.0	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)	Supported (when?)

Compatibility notes

Browser	Version	Note
Internet Explorer (Windows)	8+	The value of the `background` attribute depends on the current document compatibility mode.
Internet Explorer (Windows)	6	When you use the `!DOCTYPE` declaration to specify standards-compliant mode, this object no longer represents the entire surface onto which a document's contents can be rendered. The object can obtain its size from its content, or you can set its size explicitly like a `div` object.
Internet Explorer (Windows)	6+	As of Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, when you use the `!DOCTYPE` declaration to specify standards-compliant mode, the `<body>` object can obtain its size from its content, or you can set its size explicitly—like a `div` object, for example. In standards-compliant mode, the `<html>` element represents the entire surface onto which a document's contents can be rendered. When the `!DOCTYPE` declaration does not specify standards-compliant mode, and with earlier versions of Windows Internet Explorer, the `<body>` object represents the entire surface onto which a document's contents can be rendered. The size of the `<body>` object cannot be changed and is equal to the size of the window. Margins you set on this object are rendered inside the border and scrollbars of the object.

Search

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How to Use

body

Summary

Overview Table

HTML information

HTML Event Handler Content Attributes

Examples

Members

Events

Methods

Properties

Related specifications

Compatibility

Desktop

Mobile

Compatibility notes

See also

Related articles

Document Structure