Show Datum - Error message in console

Question

I have the following div in HTML:

<div id = "datum">contents here</div>

In JavaScript I have the following code to display the date:

var myDate= new Date();
document.getElementById('datum').innerHTML = myDate;

I get the following error in my console:

TypeError: document.getElementById(...) is null script.js:5:5

I have already tried to put the code above the div tag, since JavaScript reads from top to bottom, but it is still the same issue.

Thank you in advance.

Does document.getElementById('datum') actually produce any results in your page? Can you type it in console and post what comes back? — shmow, Jul 04 '17 at 12:22
No relation with java, Java and Javascript are completly differente languages — azro, Jul 04 '17 at 12:22
ReferenceError: document is not defined at Object. at Module._compile (module.js:409:26) at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:416:10) at Module.load (module.js:343:32) at Function.Module._load (module.js:300:12) at Function.Module.runMain (module.js:441:10) at startup (node.js:139:18) at node.js:968:3 — , Jul 04 '17 at 12:24
"*I … put the code above the div tag*" so the div doesn't exist when the code runs, so `document.getElementById('datum')` returns `null`, hence the error saying it's null. — RobG, Jul 05 '17 at 00:48

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Jul 04 '17 at 16:51

1

Your code may not be getting executed after the DOM loads. Try the following:

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
    var myDate= new Date();
    document.getElementById('datum').innerHTML = myDate;
});

edited Jul 04 '17 at 16:51

User 328 6227

answered Jul 04 '17 at 12:24

Puneet

1 Answers1