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dataType property (attribute, Element)

Browser support:

Sets or returns the data type for the current element or attribute.

This property has an effect on the nodeTypedValue property, it sets or retrieves the value of a node in the data type defined by the dataType property.

Syntax:

object.dataType;

You can find the related objects in the Supported by objects section below.

This property is read/write.

Possible values:

String that sets or returns the data type, or null if the data type is not declared, or invalid.

Default: this property has no default value.

Example HTML code 1:

This example illustrates the use of the dataType property:

Code

ajax.js

<head>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="ajax.js"></script>
    
    <script type="text/javascript">
        function TestDataTypesAndValues () {
                // create an XML document
            var xmlDoc = CreateXMLDocumentObject ("root");  // defined in ajax.js
            if (!xmlDoc) {
                return null;
            }

            var root = xmlDoc.documentElement;

                // add two elements to the document with different data types
            var sizeNode = xmlDoc.createElement ("size");
            sizeNode.dataType = "int";
            sizeNode.nodeTypedValue = 120;
            root.appendChild (sizeNode);

            var colorNode = xmlDoc.createElement ("color");
            colorNode.dataType = "string";
            colorNode.nodeTypedValue = "red";
            root.appendChild (colorNode);

                // get the data type and value of the elements
            var sizeNode = root.getElementsByTagName ("size")[0];
            alert ("The data type and value of the size element:\n" + 
                    sizeNode.dataType + ", " + sizeNode.nodeTypedValue);

            var colorNode = root.getElementsByTagName ("color")[0];
            alert ("The data type and value of the color element:\n" + 
                    colorNode.dataType + ", " + colorNode.nodeTypedValue);

                // display the source of the XML
            alert ("The source of the XML:\n" + root.xml);
        }
    </script>
</head>
<body>
    <button onclick="TestDataTypesAndValues ();">Test data types and values</button>
</body>


function CreateHTTPRequestObject () {
        // although IE supports the XMLHttpRequest object, but it does not work on local files.
    var forceActiveX = (window.ActiveXObject && location.protocol === "file:");
    if (window.XMLHttpRequest && !forceActiveX) {
        return new XMLHttpRequest();
    }
    else {
        try {
            return new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
        } catch(e) {}
    }
    alert ("Your browser doesn't support XML handling!");
    return null;
}

function CreateMSXMLDocumentObject () {
    if (typeof (ActiveXObject) != "undefined") {
        var progIDs = [
                        "Msxml2.DOMDocument.6.0", 
                        "Msxml2.DOMDocument.5.0", 
                        "Msxml2.DOMDocument.4.0", 
                        "Msxml2.DOMDocument.3.0", 
                        "MSXML2.DOMDocument", 
                        "MSXML.DOMDocument"
                      ];
        for (var i = 0; i < progIDs.length; i++) {
            try { 
                return new ActiveXObject(progIDs[i]); 
            } catch(e) {};
        }
    }
    return null;
}

function CreateXMLDocumentObject (rootName) {
    if (!rootName) {
        rootName = "";
    }
    var xmlDoc = CreateMSXMLDocumentObject ();
    if (xmlDoc) {
        if (rootName) {
            var rootNode = xmlDoc.createElement (rootName);
            xmlDoc.appendChild (rootNode);
        }
    }
    else {
        if (document.implementation.createDocument) {
            xmlDoc = document.implementation.createDocument ("", rootName, null);
        }
    }
    
    return xmlDoc;
}

function ParseHTTPResponse (httpRequest) {
    var xmlDoc = httpRequest.responseXML;

            // if responseXML is not valid, try to create the XML document from the responseText property
    if (!xmlDoc || !xmlDoc.documentElement) {
        if (window.DOMParser) {
            var parser = new DOMParser();
            try {
                xmlDoc = parser.parseFromString (httpRequest.responseText, "text/xml");
            } catch (e) {
                alert ("XML parsing error");
                return null;
            };
        }
        else {
            xmlDoc = CreateMSXMLDocumentObject ();
            if (!xmlDoc) {
                return null;
            }
            xmlDoc.loadXML (httpRequest.responseText);

        }
    }

            // if there was an error while parsing the XML document
    var errorMsg = null;
    if (xmlDoc.parseError && xmlDoc.parseError.errorCode != 0) {
        errorMsg = "XML Parsing Error: " + xmlDoc.parseError.reason
                  + " at line " + xmlDoc.parseError.line
                  + " at position " + xmlDoc.parseError.linepos;
    }
    else {
        if (xmlDoc.documentElement) {
            if (xmlDoc.documentElement.nodeName == "parsererror") {
                errorMsg = xmlDoc.documentElement.childNodes[0].nodeValue;
            }
        }
    }
    if (errorMsg) {
        alert (errorMsg);
        return null;
    }

        // ok, the XML document is valid
    return xmlDoc;
}

    // returns whether the HTTP request was successful
function IsRequestSuccessful (httpRequest) {
        // IE: sometimes 1223 instead of 204
    var success = (httpRequest.status == 0 || 
        (httpRequest.status >= 200 && httpRequest.status < 300) || 
        httpRequest.status == 304 || httpRequest.status == 1223);
    
    return success;
}