Document: elementFromPoint() method

{{APIRef("DOM")}}

The elementFromPoint() method, available on the {{domxref("Document")}} object, returns the topmost {{domxref("Element")}} at the specified coordinates (relative to the viewport).

If the element at the specified point belongs to another document (for example, the document of an {{HTMLElement("iframe")}}), that document's parent element is returned (the <iframe> itself). If the element at the given point is anonymous or XBL generated content, such as a textbox's scroll bars, then the first non-anonymous ancestor element (for example, the textbox) is returned.

Elements with {{cssxref("pointer-events")}} set to none will be ignored, and the element below it will be returned.

If the method is run on another document (like an <iframe>'s subdocument), the coordinates are relative to the document where the method is being called.

If the specified point is outside the visible bounds of the document or either coordinate is negative, the result is null.

If you need to find the specific position inside the element, use {{domxref("Document.caretPositionFromPoint()")}}.

Syntax

elementFromPoint(x, y)

Parameters

• x
  • : The horizontal coordinate of a point, relative to the left edge of the current {{Glossary("viewport")}}.
• y
  • : The vertical coordinate of a point, relative to the top edge of the current viewport.

Return value

The topmost {{domxref("Element")}} object located at the specified coordinates.

Examples

This example creates two buttons which let you set the current color of the paragraph element located under the coordinates (2, 2).

HTML

<p id="para1">Some text here</p>
<button>Blue</button>
<button>Red</button>

The HTML provides the paragraph whose color will be affected, as well as two buttons: one to change the color to blue, and another to change the color to red.

JavaScript

function changeColor(newColor) {
  const elem = document.elementFromPoint(2, 2);
  elem.style.color = newColor;
}

document.querySelectorAll("button").forEach((button) => {
  button.addEventListener("click", (event) => {
    changeColor(event.target.textContent.toLowerCase());
  });
});

The changeColor() method obtains the element located at the specified point, then sets that element's current foreground {{cssxref("color")}} property to the color specified by the newColor parameter.

Result

{{EmbedLiveSample('Examples', 400, 120)}}

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

See also

• {{domxref("Document.elementsFromPoint()")}}