Class Element
Page Summary
The Element object represents an XML Element node and provides methods for manipulating its content, attributes, and relationships within an XML document.
You can add, remove, and retrieve content (including child elements and other nodes) from an Element using methods like addContent, removeContent, getAllContent, getChildren, and getContent.
Attributes of an Element can be accessed, set, and removed using methods like getAttribute, getAttributes, setAttribute, and removeAttribute.
The name and text value of an Element can be retrieved and set using getName, getQualifiedName, getText, setText, and getValue.
Methods are available to check the parent and document of an Element, determine if it is the root element, and detach it from its parent.
A representation of an XMLElement node.
// Adds up the values listed in a sample XML document and adds a new element// with the total.letxml='<things>'+'<plates>12</plates>'+'<bowls>18</bowls>'+'<cups>25</cups>'+'</things>';constdocument=XmlService.parse(xml);constroot=document.getRootElement();constitems=root.getChildren();lettotal=0;for(leti=0;i <items.length;i++){total+=Number(items[i].getText());}consttotalElement=XmlService.createElement('total').setText(total);root.addContent(totalElement);xml=XmlService.getPrettyFormat().format(document);Logger.log(xml);
Methods
| Method | Return type | Brief description |
|---|---|---|
add | Element | Appends the given node as the last child of theElement node. |
add | Element | Inserts the given node at the given index among all nodes that are immediate children of theElement node. |
clone | Content[] | Creates unattached copies of all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node. |
detach() | Content | Detaches the node from its parentElement node. |
get | Content[] | Gets all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node. |
get | Attribute | Gets the attribute for thisElement node with the given name and no namespace. |
get | Attribute | Gets the attribute for thisElement node with the given name and namespace. |
get | Attribute[] | Gets all attributes for thisElement node, in the order they appear in the document. |
get | Element | Gets the firstElement node with the given name and no namespace that is an immediatechild of thisElement node. |
get | Element | Gets the firstElement node with the given name and namespace that is an immediatechild of thisElement node. |
get | String | Gets the text value of the node with the given name and no namespace, if the node is animmediate child of theElement node. |
get | String | Gets the text value of the node with the given name and namespace, if the node is an immediatechild of theElement node. |
get | Element[] | Gets allElement nodes that are immediate children of thisElement node, in theorder they appear in the document. |
get | Element[] | Gets allElement nodes with the given name and no namespace that are immediate childrenof thisElement node, in the order they appear in the document. |
get | Element[] | Gets allElement nodes with the given name and namespace that are immediate children ofthisElement node, in the order they appear in the document. |
get | Content | Gets the node at the given index among all nodes that are immediate children of the{@code Element} node. |
get | Integer | Gets the number of nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node. |
get | Content[] | Gets all nodes that are direct or indirect children of the {@code Element} node, in the order theyappear in the document. |
get | Document | Gets the XML document that contains the {@code Element} node. |
get | String | Gets the local name of theElement node. |
get | Namespace | Gets the namespace for theElement node. |
get | Namespace | Gets the namespace with the given prefix for theElement node. |
get | Element | Gets the node's parentElement node. |
get | String | Gets the local name and namespace prefix of theElement node, in the form[namespacePrefix]:[localName]. |
get | String | Gets the text value of theElement node. |
get | String | Gets the text value of all nodes that are direct or indirect children of the node, in the orderthey appear in the document. |
is | Boolean | Determines whether thisElement node is a direct or indirect parent of a givenElement node. |
is | Boolean | Determines whether theElement node is the document's root node. |
remove | Boolean | Removes the given attribute for thisElement node, if such an attribute exists. |
remove | Boolean | Removes the attribute for thisElement node with the given name and no namespace, ifsuch an attribute exists. |
remove | Boolean | Removes the attribute for thisElement node with the given name and namespace, if suchan attribute exists. |
remove | Content[] | Removes all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node. |
remove | Boolean | Removes the given node, if the node is an immediate child of the {@code Element} node. |
remove | Content | Removes the node at the given index among all nodes that are immediate children of the{@code Element} node. |
set | Element | Sets the given attribute for thisElement node. |
set | Element | Sets the attribute for thisElement node with the given name, value, and no namespace. |
set | Element | Sets the attribute for thisElement node with the given name, value, and namespace. |
set | Element | Sets the local name of theElement node. |
set | Element | Sets the namespace for theElement node. |
set | Element | Sets the text value of theElement node. |
Detailed documentation
addContent(content)
Appends the given node as the last child of theElement node. Thecontentargument can be aElement object or any node object that corresponds to a typelisted inContent.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
content | Content | the node to append |
Return
Element — theElement node, for chaining
addContent(index, content)
Inserts the given node at the given index among all nodes that are immediate children of theElement node. Thecontent argument can be aElement object or anynode object that corresponds to a type listed inContent.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
index | Integer | the index at which to insert the node among all nodes that are immediate children of theElement node |
content | Content | the node to insert |
Return
Element — theElement node, for chaining
cloneContent()
Creates unattached copies of all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node.
Return
Content[] — an array of unattached copies of all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node
detach()
getAllContent()
Gets all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node.
Return
Content[] — an array of all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node
getAttribute(name)
Gets the attribute for thisElement node with the given name and no namespace. If thereis no such attribute, this method returnsnull.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the attribute |
Return
Attribute — the attribute, ornull if there is no attribute with the given name and no namespace
getAttribute(name, namespace)
Gets the attribute for thisElement node with the given name and namespace. If there isno such node, this method returnsnull.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the attribute |
namespace | Namespace | the namespace of the attribute |
Return
Attribute — the attribute, ornull if there is no attribute with the given name and namespace
getAttributes()
Gets all attributes for thisElement node, in the order they appear in the document.
Return
Attribute[] — an array of all attributes for thisElement node
getChild(name)
Gets the firstElement node with the given name and no namespace that is an immediatechild of thisElement node. If there is no such node, this method returnsnull.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the childElement node |
Return
Element — theElement node, ornull if there is no immediate childElement node with the given name and no namespace
getChild(name, namespace)
Gets the firstElement node with the given name and namespace that is an immediatechild of thisElement node. If there is no such node, this method returnsnull.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the childElement node |
namespace | Namespace | the namespace of the childElement node |
Return
Element — theElement node, ornull if there is no immediate childElement node with the given name and namespace
getChildText(name)
Gets the text value of the node with the given name and no namespace, if the node is animmediate child of theElement node. If there is no such node, this method returnsnull.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the child node |
Return
String — the text value of the child node, ornull if there is no immediate child node with the given name and no namespace
getChildText(name, namespace)
Gets the text value of the node with the given name and namespace, if the node is an immediatechild of theElement node. If there is no such node, this method returnsnull.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the child node |
namespace | Namespace | the namespace of the child node |
Return
String — the text value of the child node, ornull if there is no immediate child node with the given name and namespace
getChildren()
Gets allElement nodes that are immediate children of thisElement node, in theorder they appear in the document.
Return
Element[] — an array of allElement nodes that are immediate children of thisElement node
getChildren(name)
Gets allElement nodes with the given name and no namespace that are immediate childrenof thisElement node, in the order they appear in the document.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the childElement nodes |
Return
Element[] — an array of allElement nodes with the given name and no namespace that are immediate children of thisElement node
getChildren(name, namespace)
Gets allElement nodes with the given name and namespace that are immediate children ofthisElement node, in the order they appear in the document.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the childElement nodes |
namespace | Namespace | the namespace of the childElement nodes |
Return
Element[] — an array of allElement nodes with the given name and namespace that are immediate children of thisElement node
getContent(index)
Gets the node at the given index among all nodes that are immediate children of the{@code Element} node. If there is no node at the given index, this method returnsnull.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
index | Integer | the index for the node among all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node |
Return
Content — the node, ornull if there is no node at the given index
getContentSize()
Gets the number of nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node.
Return
Integer — the number of nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node
getDescendants()
Gets all nodes that are direct or indirect children of the {@code Element} node, in the order theyappear in the document.
Return
Content[] — an array of all nodes that are direct or indirect children of the {@code Element} node
getDocument()
Gets the XML document that contains the {@code Element} node.
Return
Document — the document that contains the {@code Element} node
getName()
Gets the local name of theElement node. If the node has a namespace prefix, useget orget.get toget the prefix.
Return
String — the local name of theElement node
getNamespace()
getNamespace(prefix)
Gets the namespace with the given prefix for theElement node.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
prefix | String | the prefix for the namespace |
Return
Namespace — the namespace with the given prefix for theElement node
getParentElement()
getQualifiedName()
Gets the local name and namespace prefix of theElement node, in the form[namespacePrefix]:[localName]. If the node does not have a namespace prefix, useget.
Return
String — the local name and namespace prefix of theElement node, in the form[namespacePrefix]:[localName]
getText()
Gets the text value of theElement node.
Return
String — the text value of theElement node
getValue()
Gets the text value of all nodes that are direct or indirect children of the node, in the orderthey appear in the document.
Return
String — the text value of all nodes that are direct or indirect children of the node
isAncestorOf(other)
Determines whether thisElement node is a direct or indirect parent of a givenElement node.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
other | Element | the otherElement node |
Return
Boolean —true if thisElement node is a direct or indirect parent of the givenElement node;false if not
isRootElement()
Determines whether theElement node is the document's root node.
Return
Boolean —true if theElement node is the document's root node;false if not
removeAttribute(attribute)
Removes the given attribute for thisElement node, if such an attribute exists.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
attribute | Attribute | the attribute |
Return
Boolean —true if the attribute existed and was removed;false if not
removeAttribute(attributeName)
Removes the attribute for thisElement node with the given name and no namespace, ifsuch an attribute exists.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
attribute | String | the name of the attribute |
Return
Boolean —true if the attribute existed and was removed;false if not
removeAttribute(attributeName, namespace)
Removes the attribute for thisElement node with the given name and namespace, if suchan attribute exists.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
attribute | String | the name of the attribute |
namespace | Namespace | the namespace of the attribute |
Return
Boolean —true if the attribute existed and was removed;false if not
removeContent()
Removes all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node.
Return
Content[] — an array of all nodes that were immediate children of the {@code Element} node before they were removed
removeContent(content)
Removes the given node, if the node is an immediate child of the {@code Element} node. Thecontent argument can be aElement object or any node object that corresponds to atype listed inContent.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
content | Content | the node to remove |
Return
Boolean —true if the node was an immediate child and was removed;false if not
removeContent(index)
Removes the node at the given index among all nodes that are immediate children of the{@code Element} node. If there is no node at the given index, this method returnsnull.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
index | Integer | the index for the node among all nodes that are immediate children of the {@code Element} node |
Return
Content — the node that was removed, ornull if there is no node at the given index
setAttribute(attribute)
setAttribute(name, value)
Sets the attribute for thisElement node with the given name, value, and no namespace.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the name of the attribute to set |
value | String | the value of the attribute to set |
Return
Element — theElement node, for chaining
setAttribute(name, value, namespace)
setName(name)
Sets the local name of theElement node. To set a namespace prefix for the node, useset in conjunction withXml.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | String | the local name to set |
Return
Element — theElement node, for chaining
setNamespace(namespace)
setText(text)
Sets the text value of theElement node. If the node already contains a text value orany child nodes, this method overwrites the old content. To append or insert content instead,useadd oradd.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
text | String | the text to set |
Return
Element — theElement node, for chaining
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Last updated 2025-12-11 UTC.