A data-* attribute on a <nav> tag attaches additional data to the navigation element.
To create a custom attribute, replace * with a lowercase string, such as data-id, data-status, or data-location.
A custom data-navigation-type attribute on a <nav> element.
The attribute value is not visible, but it is readable by JavaScript.
<nav data-navigation-type="website main navigation">
<a href="javascript:alert('Going to Introduction')">Introduction</a> <br />
<a href="javascript:alert('Going to What Is HTML')">What is HTML</a> <br />
<a href="javascript:alert('Going to HTML Syntax')">HTML Syntax</a> <br />
<a href="javascript:alert('Going to HTML Elements')">HTML Elements</a>
</nav>
The data-* attribute adds custom information to a <nav> element.
The * part is replaced with a lowercase string, such as data-id, data-cost, or data-location.
An <nav> element can have any number of data-* attributes, each with their own name.
Using data-* attributes reduces the need for requests to the server.
Note: The data-* attribute is not visible and does not change the appearance of the nav.
<nav data-*="value">
Note: The * can be any string, such as data-id, data-cost, data-supplier, etc.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| value | A string value. Can be numeric, alphanumeric, JSON, etc. |
A custom data-nav-type attribute on a <nav> tag.
Clicking the button will display the navigation type value.
<nav id="mynav" data-nav-type="Main navigation">
<a href="javascript:alert('Going to Introduction')">Introduction</a> <br />
<a href="javascript:alert('Going to What Is HTML')">What is HTML</a> <br />
<a href="javascript:alert('Going to HTML Syntax')">HTML Syntax</a> <br />
<a href="javascript:alert('Going to HTML Elements')">HTML Elements</a>
</nav>
<br/>
<button onclick="show();">Show data</button>
<script>
let show = () => {
let element = document.getElementById("mynav");
alert("Navigation type = " + element.getAttribute('data-nav-type'));
}
</script>
The <nav> tag has a custom data-navigation-type attribute.
The data-navigation-type attribute stores the type or purpose of the navigation.
Clicks are handled by the onclick event.
Onclick invokes a JavaScript function that extracts and displays the <nav> type.
Note: Notice how the type displays immediately without server call.
Here is when data-* support started for each browser:
 Chrome
|
6.0 | Sep 2010 |
 Firefox
|
4.0 | Mar 2011 |
 IE/Edge
|
9.0 | Mar 2011 |
 Opera
|
11.0 | Dec 2010 |
 Safari
|
5.0 | Jun 2010 |
Back to <nav>
