Web/API/NodeIterator/whatToShow

The NodeIterator.whatToShow read-only property represents an unsigned integer representing a bitmask signifying what types of nodes should be returned by the NodeIterator.

Syntax

var nodeTypes = nodeIterator.whatToShow;

The values that can be combined to form the bitmask are:

Constant	Numerical value	Description
`NodeFilter.SHOW_ALL`	`-1` (that is the max value of `unsigned long`)	Shows all nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_ATTRIBUTE` '	`2`	Shows attribute `Attr` nodes. This is meaningful only when creating a `NodeIterator` or `TreeWalker` with an `Attr` node as its root; in this case, it means that the attribute node will appear in the first position of the iteration or traversal. Since attributes are never children of other nodes, they do not appear when traversing over the document tree.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_CDATA_SECTION` '	`8`	Shows `CDATASection` nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_COMMENT`	`128`	Shows `Comment` nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_DOCUMENT`	`256`	Shows `Document` nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_DOCUMENT_FRAGMENT`	`1024`	Shows `DocumentFragment` nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_DOCUMENT_TYPE`	`512`	Shows `DocumentType` nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_ELEMENT`	`1`	Shows `Element` nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_ENTITY` '	`32`	Shows `Entity` nodes. This is meaningful only when creating a `NodeIterator` or `TreeWalker` with an `Entity` node as its root; in this case, it means that the `Entity` node will appear in the first position of the traversal. Since entities are not part of the document tree, they do not appear when traversing over the document tree.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_ENTITY_REFERENCE` '	`16`	Shows `EntityReference` nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_NOTATION` '	`2048`	Shows `Notation` nodes. This is meaningful only when creating a `NodeIterator` or `TreeWalker` with a `Notation` node as its root; in this case, it means that the `Notation` node will appear in the first position of the traversal. Since entities are not part of the document tree, they do not appear when traversing over the document tree.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_PROCESSING_INSTRUCTION`	`64`	Shows `ProcessingInstruction` nodes.
`NodeFilter.SHOW_TEXT`	`4`	Shows `Text` nodes.

Example

var nodeIterator = document.createNodeIterator(
    document.body,
    NodeFilter.SHOW_ELEMENT + NodeFilter.SHOW_COMMENT + NodeFilter.SHOW_TEXT,
    { acceptNode: function(node) { return NodeFilter.FILTER_ACCEPT; } },
    false
);
if( (nodeIterator.whatToShow == NodeFilter.SHOW_ALL) ||
    (nodeIterator.whatToShow % (NodeFilter.SHOW_COMMENT*2)) >= NodeFilter.SHOW_COMMENT) {
    // nodeIterator will show comments
}

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
DOMThe definition of 'NodeIterator.whatToShow' in that specification.	Living Standard	No change from Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 Traversal and Range Specification.
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 Traversal and Range SpecificationThe definition of 'NodeIterator.whatToShow' in that specification.	Obsolete	Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`whatToShow`	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 3.5	IE Full support 9	Opera Full support 9	Safari Full support 3	WebView Android Full support Yes	Chrome Android Full support Yes	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 10.1	Safari iOS Full support 3	Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes

Legend

Full support: Full support