javascript - text nodeValue containing HTML entity -

i'm creating real time html editor loads after dom has been rendered, , builds source looping through nodes. i've noticed when try read nodevalue of text node containing html entity, rendered unicode value of entity.

how can read rendered text node, , keep html entity code? (using vanilla js)

example:

<div id="test">copyright &copy;</div> <script> var test = document.getelementbyid('test'); console.log(test.childnodes[0].nodevalue); // expected: copyright &copy; // actual: copyright © </script> 

unfortunately can't. text interface inherits characterdata, , both interfaces provide domstrings return value, contains unicode characters.

furthermore, html5 parsing algorithm removes entity entirely. defined in several sections of 8.2.4 tokenization.

• 8.2.4.1 data state: describes ampersand puts parser character reference in data state
• 8.2.4.2 character reference in data state describes tokens followed ampersand should consumed. if works fine, return unicode character tokens, not entity!
• 8.2.4.69 tokenizing character references describes how 1 interprets &...; (basically things , if ok, look in table).

so time parser has finished entity gone , has been replaced unicode symbols. not surprising, since can put symbol © right html code if want.

however, can still undo transformation: need take copy of table, , check character in document whether has entry in it:

var entitytable = {   169: "&copy;" }  function reentity(character){   var index = character.charcodeat(0), name;    if( index < 127) // ignore ascii symbols     return character;    if( entitytable[index] ) {     name = entitytable[index];   } else {     name = "#"+index;   }   return "&"+name+";" } 

this quite cumbersome task, due parser's behaviour have it. (don't forget check whether has done that).