JavaScript getAttribute not working

Question

var objects = document.getElementsByTagName('object');
for (var i=0, n=objects.length;i<n;i++) {
    objects[i].style.display='none';
    var swfurl;
    var j=0;
    while (objects[i].childNodes[j]) {
    if (objects[i].childNodes[j].getAttribute('name') == 'movie') {
            /* DO SOMETHING */ 
    }
    j++;
}
    var newelem = document.createElement('div');
    newelem.id = '678297901246983476'+i;
    objects[i].parentNode.insertBefore(newelem, objects[i]);
    new Gordon.Movie(swfurl, {id: '678297901246983476'+i, width: 500, height: 400});
}

It says that getAttribute is not a function of childNodes[j]. What's wrong? I don't see the point.

Answer 1

Remember that childNodes includes text nodes (and comment nodes, if any, and processing instructions if any, etc.). Be sure to check the nodeType before trying to use methods that only Elements have.

Update: Here in 2018, you could use children instead, which only includes Element children. It's supported by all modern browsers, and by IE8-IE11. (There are some quirks in older IE, see the link for a polyfill to smooth them over.)