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HTML5 Canvas

The <canvas> element is used to draw graphics, on the fly, on a web page.

Your browser does not support the <canvas> element.

What is Canvas?

The HTML5 <canvas> element is used to draw graphics, on the fly, via scripting (usually JavaScript).

The <canvas> element is only a container for graphics, you must use a script to actually draw the graphics.

A canvas is a drawable region defined in HTML code with height and width attributes.

Canvas has several methods for drawing paths, boxes, circles, characters, and adding images.

Browser Support

Internet Explorer Firefox Opera Google Chrome Safari

Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, and Safari support the <canvas> element.

Note: Internet Explorer 8 and earlier versions, do not support the <canvas> element.

Create a Canvas

A canvas is specified with the <canvas> element.

Specify the id, width, and height of the <canvas> element:

<canvas id="myCanvas" width="200" height="100"></canvas>

Draw With JavaScript

The <canvas> element has no drawing abilities of its own.

All drawing must be done inside a JavaScript:

<script type="text/javascript">
var c=document.getElementById("myCanvas");
var ctx=c.getContext("2d");
ctx.fillStyle="#FF0000";
ctx.fillRect(0,0,150,75);
</script>

Try it yourself »

JavaScript uses the id to find the <canvas> element:

var c=document.getElementById("myCanvas");

Then, create a context object:

var ctx=c.getContext("2d");

The getContext("2d") object is a built-in HTML5 object, with many methods to draw paths, boxes, circles, characters, images and more.

The next two lines draws a red rectangle:

ctx.fillStyle="#FF0000";
ctx.fillRect(0,0,150,75);

The fillStyle attribute makes it red, and the fillRect attribute specifies the shape, position, and size.

Understanding Coordinates

The fillRect property above had the parameters (0,0,150,75).

This means: Draw a 150x75 rectangle on the canvas, starting at the top left corner (0,0).

The canvas' X and Y coordinates are used to position drawings on the canvas.

Mouse over the rectangle below to see the coordinates:

X
Y

More Canvas Examples

Below are more examples of drawing on the <canvas> element:

Example - Line

Draw a line by specifying where to start, and where to stop:

Your browser does not support the <canvas> element.

Try it yourself »

Example - Circle

Draw a circle by specifying the size, color, and position:

Your browser does not support the <canvas> element.

Try it yourself »

Example - Gradient

Draw a gradient background with the colors you specify:

Your browser does not support the <canvas> element.

Try it yourself »

Example - Image

Put an image on the canvas:


Try it yourself »

HTML5 <canvas> Tag

Tag Description
<canvas> Used to draw graphics, on the fly, via scripting (usually JavaScript)

Complete Canvas 2d Reference

For a complete reference of all the attributes and methods that can be used with the canvas object, go to our complete canvas 2d reference.


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