target Event Property
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target Event Property

❮ DOM Events ❮ Event Object

Example

Get the element that triggered a specific event:

alert(event.target);
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More "Try it Yourself" examples below.

Definition and Usage

The target event property returns the element that triggered the event.

The target property gets the element on which the event originally occurred, opposed to the currentTarget property, which always refers to the element whose event listener triggered the event.

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the property.

Property
target Yes 9.0 Yes Yes Yes

Syntax

event.target

Technical Details

Return Value: A reference to the object on which the event originally occured
DOM Version: DOM Level 2 Events

More Examples

Example

Using the event.target property together with the element.tagName property to find out which element triggered a specified event:

var x = event.target.tagName;
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❮ DOM Events ❮ Event Object