Getting the most out of jQuery selectors

I overheard this comment from a developer that I work with just the other day: "If you cannot select it, you cannot work with it". It sounds like one of those classic Far Eastern philosophical sayings that you could apply to everyday life, but I know in this case that she was speaking of the selectors in the very popular jQuery Javascript library.

jQuery's selectors are where you typically first come into contact with the library. Those of you who have worked with CSS extensively will find jQuery's selectors to be very familiar because jQuery makes extensive use of CSS's syntax for selectors. Others who are less familiar with CSS development will undoubtedly learn something new about both jQuery and CSS selectors.

In this article I will show you jQuery's selector syntax, how to optimise jQuery selectors and how to apply more advanced selector combinations to your markup elements. Let's get the journey started with jQuery selector basics.

Learning the basics

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

TOPICS