The Node.previousSibling read-only property returns the
node immediately preceding the specified one in its parent's
childNodes list, or null if the specified
node is the first in that list.
Syntax
previousNode = node.previousSibling;
Example
<img id="b0">
<img id="b1">
<img id="b2">console.log(document.getElementById("b1").previousSibling); // <img id="b0">
console.log(document.getElementById("b2").previousSibling.id); // "b1"
Notes
Gecko-based browsers insert text nodes into a document to represent whitespace in the
source markup. Therefore a node obtained, for example, using Node.firstChild
or Node.previousSibling
may refer to a whitespace text node rather than the actual element the author intended
to get.
See Whitespace in the DOM and W3C DOM 3 FAQ: Why are some Text nodes empty? for more information.
To navigate the opposite way through the child nodes list use Node.nextSibling.
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| DOM The definition of 'Node.previousSibling' in that specification. |
Living Standard | No change |
| Document Object Model (DOM) Level 3 Core Specification The definition of 'Node.previousSibling' in that specification. |
Obsolete | No change |
| Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 Core Specification The definition of 'Node.previousSibling' in that specification. |
Obsolete | No change |
| Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 Specification The definition of 'Node.previousSibling' in that specification. |
Obsolete | Initial definition |
Browser compatibility
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