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JavaScript jQuery Basics (2014) Creating a Mobile Drop Down Menu Perform: Part 2

JAKZ AIZZAT
JAKZ AIZZAT
7,813 Points
Posted by JAKZ AIZZAT
JAKZ AIZZAT
7,813 Points

select or option?

Why do you use $select.val() to get the value option at the same time we set the value to the option likes this $option.val($(this).attr('href'))

2 Answers

Jacques Vincilione
Jacques Vincilione
17,292 Points
Jacques Vincilione
Jacques Vincilione
17,292 Points

The value of a "Select" (drop-down) is the currently chosen option, but to add options to the drop-down, you would add the option to the select, not just a standalone option.

            <select id="mySelect">
               <option value="something">Something</option> <!-- The value of the selected option is the value of the select. -->
            </select>
            <script type="text/javascript">
                   var selectedValue = $("#mySelect").val(); //this gives you the value of the select.
            </script>

Hope that's not too confusing...

Adam Moore
Adam Moore
21,956 Points
Adam Moore
Adam Moore
21,956 Points

I believe that when the parentheses are blank, jQuery assumes that we are not passing in a value, so it returns one. However, when something is set inside the parentheses, the reverse is true: jQuery sees we are passing in a value for the element, and changes the value of the element.

Dave McFarland
Dave McFarland
Treehouse Teacher
Dave McFarland
Dave McFarland
Treehouse Teacher

This is correct. Many of jQuery's methods are both "getters" and "setters" -- that is, the method can both get a value or set a value. For example, the .html() method either retrieves the HTML from the selection or puts HTML into the selection:

$('body').html('<h1>Hello</h1>'); // sets the HTML in the obdy of the page to <h1>Hello</h1>
alert($('body').html()); // pops up an alert with the HTML inside the body tags