How Can I Efficiently Remove Elements by ID in JavaScript?

Removal of Elements by ID in JavaScript: A Convenient Alternative

In JavaScript, the standard method for removing an element requires traversing up to its parent node:

var element = document.getElementById("element-id");
element.parentNode.removeChild(element);

This approach necessitates an extra step to access the parent, which can be inefficient. This article explores an alternative that simplifies element removal by adding a remove method to the Element prototype.

By extending the Element and NodeList prototypes, you can introduce the remove method to all HTML elements and collections:

Element.prototype.remove = function() {
    this.parentElement.removeChild(this);
}
NodeList.prototype.remove = HTMLCollection.prototype.remove = function() {
    for(var i = this.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
        if(this[i] && this[i].parentElement) {
            this[i].parentElement.removeChild(this[i]);
        }
    }
}

With this addition, you can now remove elements directly:

document.getElementById("my-element").remove();

Or for multiple elements:

document.getElementsByClassName("my-elements").remove();

Note: This solution is not supported by IE 7 and below.

Update (2019): Node.js has introduced the node.remove() function, making element removal even simpler:

document.getElementById("my-element").remove();

Or for collections:

[...document.getElementsByClassName("my-elements")].map(n => n && n.remove());

This updated approach is widely supported by modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

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