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JavaScript jQuery Basics Understanding jQuery Events and DOM Traversal Adding New Elements to the DOM

Graham Huelscher
Graham Huelscher
7,003 Points

Is the $ sign required when creating a new element

Just wondering if the "$" sign is required when creating a new html element with jquery. I tried:

const $button = ('<button>Reveal Spoiler</button>');

and it seems to be working fine as well. Just wanted some clarification before moving forward because the video made it seem like it was required.

Additionally, the following quiz seems to omit it when asked to fill in the blank to create a new element.

"Use the appropriate jQuery method to create and insert a NEW element into the DOM.

$('.my-element')._________('<p>This is a new paragraph element</p>');"

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
230,274 Points

Without the $ sign (and then you also don't need the parentheses), your variable contains a string instead of an element. You didn't notice the difference because the only thing you use it for is to pass it to a function which can take either an element or a string as an argument.

It would make a difference if you needed to perform some element-related function on it, such as styling it with ".css()".