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JavaScript jQuery Basics (2014) Creating a Mobile Drop Down Menu Perform: Part 1

Gregor Šebela
Gregor Šebela
11,236 Points
Posted by Gregor Šebela
Gregor Šebela
11,236 Points

Can attr() be used instead of val()?

In the code we have a line $option.val($anchor.attr("href")); which is assigning 'href' to a 'value' attribure.

Can this line be replaced with the line $option.attr("value", $anchor.attr("href"));

I get the same result. Therefore, I assume they are equal. Am I missing something?

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,732 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,732 Points

The val function is essentially a shorthand for attr("value", ... as you observed. Although it may be worth noting that API documentation describes it this way: "The .val() method is primarily used to get the values of form elements such as input, select and textarea." It also says "At present, using .val() on <textarea> elements strips carriage return characters from the browser-reported value." which is not mentioned in the documentation for attr. So that behavior might be different.

But I have also used it extensively as a shorthand with no issues so far.