HTMLSpanElement

HTMLSpanElement is a DOM interface that represents the HTML <span> element. It is a specific type of HTMLElement, which means it inherits all properties and methods from Element and Node. HTMLSpanElement does not add new properties or methods of its own; it serves as a semantic and programmatic handle for a generic inline container.

The <span> element is an inline container used to group inline content or to mark a portion of text for styling or scripting. By default, a span does not introduce line breaks or alter layout beyond what CSS specifies. Its presentation is entirely determined by CSS rules applied to the element, such as class, id, or inline styles. Spans can contain phrasing content, including text and other inline elements.

Common operations with HTMLSpanElement involve manipulating attributes and content through the standard HTMLElement interface. You can set id, className, style, innerHTML, innerText, and dataset properties, among others. The element participates in normal DOM events and can be targeted with event listeners via addEventListener.

In practice, developers use HTMLSpanElement to apply styles to a specific inline segment, to provide hooks for JavaScript interactions, or to dynamically update the content of a small portion of the document. Access is typically through document.createElement('span') or DOM querying methods, with the result cast or inferred as HTMLSpanElement in typed environments.

See also: the HTML <span> tag, and general references on the DOM Element and HTMLElement interfaces.