Benchmark: setAttribute vs. classList

HTML Preparation code:

<div id="foo"></div>

Tests:

classList add
var element = document.getElementById("foo"); var i = 1000; while (i--) { element.classList.add("bar"); }
classList toggle
var element = document.getElementById("foo"); var i = 1000; while (i--) { element.classList.toggle("bar"); }
setAttribute
var element = document.getElementById("foo"); var i = 1000; while (i--) { element.setAttribute('active', true); }

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
classList add
classList toggle
setAttribute

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

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Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated one year ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

Let's break down what's being tested in the provided benchmark.

The benchmark compares three approaches to modify an HTML element's class list:

1. `classList.add()` (adding a class)
2. `classList.toggle()` (toggling a class)
3. `setAttribute('active', true)` (setting a custom attribute)

**Options compared:**

* The three methods for modifying the `classList` property.
* These methods are used to add or remove classes from an HTML element.

**Pros and Cons of each approach:**

1. **`classList.add()`**:
	* Pros: This method is native to modern browsers, efficient, and easy to read.
	* Cons: Some older browsers may not support this method, which can lead to compatibility issues.
2. **`classList.toggle()`**:
	* Pros: Similar to `classList.add()`, but also allows for removing classes by passing the class name with no argument (e.g., `element.classList.toggle('bar')`). This method is also efficient and easy to read.
	* Cons: The main difference between this and `classList.add()` is that it toggles the presence of a class, which can be misleading if not used carefully.
3. **`setAttribute('active', true)`**:
	* Pros: This method uses a standard attribute approach, which might be familiar to developers who come from other programming backgrounds (e.g., setting a property on an object).
	* Cons: This method is less efficient and more verbose than `classList.add()` or `classList.toggle()`, making it less suitable for performance-critical code.

**Library and purpose:**

There is no explicit library mentioned in the benchmark definition. However, it's worth noting that `classList` is a part of the HTML5 DOM API, which has been widely adopted by modern browsers.

**Special JS feature or syntax:**

None are explicitly mentioned in this benchmark.

**Other considerations:**

When choosing between these methods, consider factors like:

* Browser support: If you need to support older browsers, `setAttribute()` might be a better choice.
* Performance: For performance-critical code, `classList.add()` and `classList.toggle()` are likely to be faster due to their native implementation.
* Code readability: Choose the method that best fits your coding style and team conventions.

**Alternatives:**

If you need to support even older browsers or have specific requirements not covered by this benchmark, consider using other methods:

* For adding classes on Internet Explorer (IE): Use `element.className += 'bar';`.
* For removing classes on IE: Use `element.className = element.className.replace(' bar', '');` (note the space at the end of the class name).
* For setting custom attributes on older browsers: Use `element.setAttribute('custom-attribute', 'value');`.

Keep in mind that these alternatives might have different performance characteristics and may not be as efficient as the methods tested in this benchmark.

Related benchmarks:

setAttribute vs. classList (version: 0)

Comparing performance of: classList add vs classList toggle vs setAttribute

Created: 6 years ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

classList add

classList toggle

setAttribute

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

No previous run results

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated one year ago):