Object.prototype in JavaScript

Question

I have some JavaScript code that defines a function getElementsByAttribute as follows:

Object.prototype.getElementsByAttribute = function(attr)          


        

Answer 1

Adding things to Object.prototype is a really bad idea. It will be added to every object, and that will cause unintended behavior, I guarantee it.

Simply define your function and decorate it onto whatever objects you need dynamically.

Answer 2

IE DOM elements aren't normal Javascript objects and do not inherit prototypes as you would expect.

http://perfectionkills.com/whats-wrong-with-extending-the-dom/