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Selection: empty() method

The Selection.empty() method removes all ranges from the selection, leaving the anchorNode and focusNode properties equal to null and nothing selected. When this method is called, a selectionchange event is fired at the document.

Note: This method is an alias for the Selection.removeAllRanges() method.

Syntax

empty()

Parameters

None.

Return value

None (undefined).

Examples

This example displays a message when something is selected on the page or not. It does this by listening to the selectionchange event on the document. There also is a button that clears any selection by calling Selection.empty(). When this happens, the selection is changed and the message is updated.

html

<p>
  Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse laoreet
  urna eget sapien venenatis, eget facilisis diam mattis.
</p>
<button>Clear selection</button>
<pre id="log"></pre>

const log = document.getElementById("log");

// The selection object is a singleton associated with the document
const selection = document.getSelection();

// Logs if there is a selection or not
function newSelectionHandler() {
  if (selection.rangeCount !== 0) {
    log.textContent = "Some text is selected.";
  } else {
    log.textContent = "No selection on this document.";
  }
}

document.addEventListener("selectionchange", () => {
  newSelectionHandler();
});

newSelectionHandler();

// The button cancel all selection ranges
const button = document.querySelector("button");
button.addEventListener("click", () => {
  selection.empty();
});

Specifications

Specification
Selection API # dom-selection-removeallranges

Browser compatibility