Editing Module:Buffer/doc (section)

====Element-Buffer object====
{{luaself|pre=Element-|\|args=sep, i , j}}

Sharing the same metatable as with regular Buffer objects, Element-Buffers concatenate the same way when [[#Buffer object|called]] to produce a string analogous to the [[JavaScript]] DOM [http://www.w3schools.com/jsref/prop_html_innerhtml.asp "innerHTML"] property. In other words, when strung, it is generally the contents of the Buffer-HTML object without the "outerHTML" or tag.

There are exceptions to this "innerHTML" behavior. For instance, as appended to another object via {{luaref|mw.html:node}}, an Element-Buffer and its Buffer-HTML are interchangeable (though appending the former via {{luaself|:_}} only includes the inner result).

Also, using the concatenation operator {{code|lang=lua|..}} on an Element-Buffer includes its tag in a manner depending on if it is selfClosing:
*For most tags, the conjoined string is placed inside the tag, e.g. {{code|lang=lua|Buffer:_inHTML'p' 'inner text' .. 1}} returns {{code|lang=lua|'<p>inner text1</p>'}}.
*For selfClosers, the {{code|lang=lua|..}} op redirects to its Buffer-HTML, e.g. insert [[#Element-Buffer:_add|{{code|lang=lua|1=:_add{selfClosing=true} }}]] in the above example before {{code|lang=lua|.. 1}} to produce {{code|lang=lua|'<p />1'}}.
:{{see|#Modified .. operator}}

You may use most Buffer object functions normally, however if there is a [[#HTML version|Buffer-HTML version]], it instead behaves as though chained on the [[#Buffer-HTML|outer HTML object]].<ref group="note">While Buffer-HTML objects may use [[#global functions]], there is no separate Buffer-HTML version. In other words, the self-action of a global function on an Element-Buffer is <u>not</u> redirected.</ref> You may also chain any mw.html object function. Unless otherwise indicated, such returns a [[#wrapper|wrapper]] method that merely redirects the self-action to the outside Buffer-HTML.<ref group="note">{{luaref|mw.html:allDone}} is doubly wrapped for Element-Buffers, with the other wrapper setting a Buffer parent reference as described at {{luaself|:_inHTML}}. Furthermore, {{luaself|pre=Element-|:tag}} and {{luaself|pre=Element-|:done}} do not call their mw.html namesakes at all, as detailed in their respective sections.</ref>

As a final note, Element-Buffers are in permanent [[#raw|raw mode]] since it is expected that some mw.html method (e.g. :tag and :node) may or will append non-string elements.