Example
Insert a new <li> element before the first child element of an <ul> element:
var newItem = document.createElement("LI"); // Create a <li> node
var textnode = document.createTextNode("Water"); // Create a text node
newItem.appendChild(textnode); // Append the text to <li>
var list =
document.getElementById("myList"); // Get the
<ul> element to insert a new node
list.insertBefore(newItem,
list.childNodes[0]); // Insert <li> before the first child of
<ul>
Before inserting:
- Coffee
- Tea
After inserting:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
Try it Yourself »
More "Try it Yourself" examples below.
Definition and Usage
The insertBefore() method inserts a node as a child, right before an existing child, which you specify.
Tip: If you want to create a new list item, with text, remember to create the text as a Text node which you append to the <li> element, then insert <li> to the list.
You can also use the insertBefore method to insert/move an existing element (See "More Examples").
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the method.
| Method | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| insertBefore() | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Syntax
node.insertBefore(newnode,existingnode)
Parameter Values
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| newnode | Node object | Required. The node object you want to insert |
| existingnode | Node object | Optional. The child node you want to insert the new node before. When not specified, the insertBefore method will insert the newnode at the end |
Technical Details
| Return Value: | A Node Object, representing the inserted node |
|---|---|
| DOM Version | Core Level 1 Node Object |
More Examples
Example
Move a <li> element from one list to another:
var node = document.getElementById("myList2").lastChild;
var
list = document.getElementById("myList1");
list.insertBefore(node, list.childNodes[0]);
Before inserting:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Water
- Milk
After insertBefore:
- Milk
- Coffee
- Tea
- Water
Try it Yourself »