Deprecated since HTML5
This feature has been removed from the Web standards. Though some browsers may still support it, it is in the process of being dropped. Avoid using it and update existing code if possible; see the compatibility table at the bottom of this page to guide your decision. Be aware that this feature may cease to work at any time.
anchors returns a list of all of the anchors in the document.
Syntax
nodeList = document.anchors;
Example
if ( document.anchors.length >= 5 ) {
dump("dump found too many anchors");
window.location = "https://www.google.com";
}
The following is an example that auto populates a Table of Contents div with every anchor on the page:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<title>Test</title>
<script>
function init() {
var toc = document.getElementById("toc");
var i, li, newAnchor;
for (i = 0; i < document.anchors.length; i++) {
li = document.createElement("li");
newAnchor = document.createElement('a');
newAnchor.href = "#" + document.anchors[i].name;
newAnchor.innerHTML = document.anchors[i].text;
li.appendChild(newAnchor);
toc.appendChild(li);
}
}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="init()">
<h1>Title</h1>
<h2><a name="contents">Contents</a></h2>
<ul id="toc"></ul>
<h2><a name="plants">Plants</a></h2>
<ol>
<li>Apples</li>
<li>Oranges</li>
<li>Pears</li>
</ol>
<h2><a name="veggies">Veggies</a></h2>
<ol>
<li>Carrots</li>
<li>Celery</li>
<li>Beats</li>
</ol>
</body>
</html>
Notes
For reasons of backwards compatibility, the returned set of anchors only contains those anchors created with the name attribute, not those created with the id attribute.
Specifications
| Specification | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| WHATWG HTML Living Standard The definition of 'Document.anchors' in that specification. |
Living Standard | Obsoleted. |
| Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 HTML Specification The definition of 'Document.anchors' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Initial definition. |