Selection API

The Selection API enables developers to access and manipulate the portion of a document selected by the user.

The Window.getSelection() and Document.getSelection() methods return a Selection object representing the portion of the document selected by the user. A Selection object provides methods to:

• access the currently selected nodes
• modify the current selection, expanding or collapsing it or selecting an entirely different part of the document
• delete parts of the current selection from the DOM.

The Selection API also provides two events, both firing on Document:

• the selectstart event is fired when the user starts to make a new selection
• the selectionchange event is fired when the current selection changes.

Interfaces

Selection

An interface which represents the part of the document selected by the user or the current position of the caret.

Document.getSelection()

A method returning a Selection object representing the current selection or current position of the caret.

Window.getSelection()

A method returning a Selection object representing the current selection or current position of the caret.

Document.selectionchange

An event which is fired when the current selection is changed.

Node.selectstart

An event which is fired when a user starts a new selection.

Specifications