JavaScript / jQuery DOM Selectors

DOM Selectors allow developers to target and manipulate specific elements in an HTML document. JavaScript provides built-in DOM methods for selection, while jQuery simplifies these operations with its concise syntax.

JavaScript DOM Selectors

Common Methods:

• getElementById: Selects an element by its id.

let element = document.getElementById('myId');

• getElementsByClassName: Returns a live collection of elements with the specified class.

let elements = document.getElementsByClassName('myClass');

• getElementsByTagName: Returns all elements with a specific tag name.

let elements = document.getElementsByTagName('p');

• querySelector: Selects the first element that matches a CSS selector.

let element = document.querySelector('.myClass');

• querySelectorAll: Selects all elements that match a CSS selector.

let elements = document.querySelectorAll('.myClass');

jQuery DOM Selectors

jQuery simplifies DOM manipulation with a unified $() function for selecting elements.

Examples:

1. Select by ID: $('#myId');
2. Select by Class: $('.myClass');
3. Select by Tag Name: $('p');
4. Select Multiple Elements: $('p, .myClass');
5. Filter Elements: $('div').filter('.myClass');
6. Attribute Selectors: $('input[type="text"]');

Key Differences

Choosing Between JavaScript and jQuery

• Use JavaScript for performance-critical applications or when working in environments without jQuery.
• Use jQuery if you require ease of use, cross-browser compatibility, and simplified chaining for complex operations.

For more tutorials, visit The Coding College.