Adding onClick function with Javascript doesn't go through

Question

So I am trying to add an onClick attribute to a button created with Javascript. Obviously I am using Javascript to add it, however it won't go through because when I inspect the element on the web page it doesn't show an onClick attribute there. This is the code I have to create the button

var buttonExponent = document.createElement('button');
buttonExponent.innerHTML = '^';
buttonExponent.onclick = function(){appendExpr(this.className);};   <---This is my problem
buttonExponent.className = 'button operator ' + expression.id + ' top';
buttonExponent.style.marginTop = '0px';
buttonExponent.style.marginLeft = '-6px';
container.appendChild(buttonExponent);

The rest of the functions work fine and everything, however the onClick attribute simply won't get added on. I have tried doing it multiple ways, but none of them work

EDIT: Figured I should add what the output is on the webpage, the element has this HTML

<button class="button operator expr1 top" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-left: -6px;">^</button>

When it should be looking like this

<button onClick="appendExpr(this.className);" class="button operator expr1 top" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-left: -6px;">^</button>

Answer 1

Modifying the element.onclick DOM property doesn't modify the element's onclick attribute. They are two separate pieces of data, confusingly.

To set the attribute, use element.setAttribute('onclick','code here').