Need Help with simple jQuery

I really wish they would lay it out better. I have never even attempted to use jquery before and I haven't been able to correctly answer a single code challenge. I kept having to look up the answer to move on.

Here you go, it was driving me nuts too, it's like the deeper we go the less is laid out in the videos as they pertain to the challenge. I guess it's good because it forces you to apply it but as beginners it's tough.

$(".error").show();
$("a").before('<span>This is a link: </span>').click(function(){});

I haven't done this challenge, but a click listener looks like this:

$("a").click(function() {

});

You could chain it to your existing link, like so:

$("a").before("This is a link: ").click(function() {

});

Actually James, I started at Code Academy learning HTML, CSS and JavaScript before I came to this site. Code academy is a free site for learning code and it's an ideal place to start. They were the ones that recommended Treehouse after I completed those courses for more hands on learning. The learning videos for HTML, CSS and JavaScript are excellent here since you actually type the code as the video plays. When it's time to take the test, you simply review at the code you've already done and follow the same syntax.

I was disappointed to say the least when I found that the interaction for jQuery is nothing like that. You get a minute watching basic selectors fly past the screen at 100 miles an hour and then you are expected to remember the syntax for review and a quiz. It just makes no sense. I have not passed one test without having to look it up at another source.

The users in this post are right. If we are paying for this service, it should be a one-stop shop and shouldn't have to go to other sources just to get a BASIC understanding of the code. Also the Introduction to Programming course was the opposite, albeit just as frustrating, experience. After having learned the basics at Code Academy, it went through such a dismal pace I was falling asleep. One course is way too slow, the other moves way too fast. A little more balance is called for here, not a reference to learn code elsewhere!

You are not alone guys, it's not you, it's the site!

Danielle Phipps - Maybe work through the Intro to Programming and JavaScript Foundations courses before you try out Build an Interactive Website course.

You may also want to check out the JQuery & JavaScript courses over of Codecademy first.

@Ian Thank you! This was driving me nuts. I actually pasted the challenge question in Google and found this link, lol. Coming straight to the forum next time!

This is introduction to Jquery right? ...soooo where's the introduction??

I think this is a rather good approach, I don't mean to say this to cause any controversy. However, one should have a sound foundation in HTML and CSS before starting js or jq. In regards to the JQ course, it's seemingly designed to build on the knowledge one should have obtained by doing the previous videos or if you are taking this as a stand alone, a sound foundation in HTML and CSS is very important. He does not need to explain the details because at this point you have a good grasp of the type of logic used in HTML and CSS and hopefully some JS. It would not help us if he held our hand through the explanations because much of the logic used has already been taught. It is difficult, but learning to ask questions and look up answers will dramatically improve your ability to write code. We should be struggling with nearly every problem, typing in what we think is the answer then typing in variations of the possible answer by using our own logic. If this fails then one should research and come back, reading is critically important to the process of learning, he can't tell us everything.

$("a").before("<span>This is a link: </span>").click(function) { }); This is the answer if anybody needs it, try to think about what exactly this is doing. Also, the {} () ; placement is a pain and always something that is troubling for me, be very mindful of what it means when you add these in and where you add them in. I hope this helps people, I don't mean any negative remarks, I just think he wants us to use our knowledge base as well as our tools to solve these problems.

Well this is the most recent post here but I have to re-say it. This is NOT a basics course. I went searching online to find a real basic jquery tutorial and it was a FREE article that explained jquery using a webpage that had 2 elements of TEXT. They showed very basic concepts of what jquery does. JavaScript is also shown to provide a comparison of how many lines of code you do not have to do. After taking JavaScript there should be way more in depth analysis of the code you DO understand (JavaScript) VS the code you are trying to LEARN (jquery). And treehouse has great little animation segments(thanks Dave from javascript!) that explain what is going on...but in this course you get one little cartoon at the very beginning followed by nothing but videos of the teacher plowing through code like it's his actual work and it needs to get handed in ASAP.
I took all the pre reqs for this on my track and I am completely utterly lost every step of the way. I am just blowing through this and i'll probably come back to it when i've taken a real basics course as this is most certainly an intermediate lesson!!!!

You get what you pay for people. I am happy I don't have to pay $400 to sit in a class and i have to say OVERALL i am very happy with treehouse and what they are providing for $25 a month. Hopefully this criticism might bring about a REAL introduction to BASIC jquery and rename this course INTERMEDIATE jquery.