Node.parentElement

The Node.parentElement read-only property returns the DOM node's parent Element, or null if the node either has no parent, or its parent isn't a DOM Element.

Syntax

parentElement = node.parentElement

parentElement is the parent element of the current node. This is always a DOM Element object, or null.

JExample

if (node.parentElement) {
    node.parentElement.style.color = "red";
}

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

On some browsers, the parentElement property is only defined on nodes that are themselves an Element. In particular, it is not defined on text nodes.

Specification

• DOM Level 4: Node.parentElementWD

See also

• Node.parentNode