jquery select option by text with code examples 2

As a language, JavaScript has undoubtedly changed the course of web development. However, there are times when we want to do more with the language than we currently are. This is where jQuery kicks in.

jQuery has been around for over a decade and has managed to establish itself as a powerful tool for web development. One of the many things it does very well is allowing developers to manipulate the DOM, without necessarily having to write as much code as they would using pure JavaScript. One of the ways in which jQuery does this is by making it easy to select options in a select box by their text value.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how to select options by text using jQuery. We'll provide some code examples, along with a brief explanation of how each works.

Option: 1 Using the :contains Selector

jQuery’s :contains selector is one of the easiest ways to select an option based on its text value. Here’s how it works:

$('select option:contains("option text")')

In the code above, the :contains selector targets the select (which we'll assume has an ID of 'my-select'), returning all the option elements that contain the text “option text”.

Here’s a practical example:

<select id="my-select">
    <option value="1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="2">Option 2</option>
    <option value="3">Option 3</option>
    <option value="4">Option 4</option>
    <option value="5">Option 5</option>
</select>

Now, let's assume we want to select option 3. Here’s the code we’d write:

$('#my-select option:contains("Option 3")').prop('selected', true);

Option: 2 Using the filter() Method

A second way to select options by text value is to use the filter() method. Here’s how it works:

$('select option').filter(function () {
    return $(this).text() === 'option text';
});

With this code, the filter() method selects all option elements within the select box, and then tests each one to see if its text value matches “option text”.

Here's a practical example of this method in use:

<select id="my-select">
    <option value="1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="2">Option 2</option>
    <option value="3">Option 3</option>
    <option value="4">Option 4</option>
    <option value="5">Option 5</option>
</select>

Assuming we want to select option 4, we'd use this code:

$('#my-select option').filter(function() {
    return $(this).text() === 'Option 4';
}).prop('selected', true);

Option: 3 Using the :contains Selector and filter() Method Together

A third way to select options by text value is to use the :contains selector with the filter() method. Here's how it works:

$('select option:contains("option text")').filter(function () {
    return $(this).text() === 'option text';
});

With this code, we use the :contains selector to get all the options that contain our text value. We then use the filter() method to select the specific option we want.

Here's an example:

<select id="my-select">
    <option value="1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="2">Option 2</option>
    <option value="3">Option 3</option>
    <option value="4">Option 4</option>
    <option value="5">Option 5</option>
</select>

Suppose we want to select option 5, we'd use this code:

$('#my-select option:contains("Option 5")').filter(function () {
    return $(this).text() === 'Option 5';
}).prop('selected', true);

Conclusion

Selecting options based on their text value is a simple yet crucial feature in web development. Whether you’re building a simple form or an advanced application, jQuery makes it easy to select options based on their text value.

In this article, we've looked at three methods you can use to select options based on their text value. The first method uses the :contains selector to get all the options that contain our text value, while the second method uses the filter() method to select the specific option we want. The third method uses the :contains selector and filter() method together.

We hope this article has helped you understand how to select options based on their text value using jQuery. Have fun coding!

Option: 1 Using the :contains Selector

The :contains selector is a powerful tool that allows developers to select elements based on the text content within them. The syntax for using this selector is straightforward: simply append it to the end of a jQuery selector and enclose the text you’re searching for in double quotes.

In the context of selecting options based on their text value, the :contains selector allows us to select all options within a select element that contain a specific text string. For example, if we have a select element with the following options:

<select>
    <option value="1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="2">Option 2</option>
    <option value="3">Example Option 3</option>
</select>

We can select the third option using the :contains selector like so:

$('select option:contains("Example Option 3")')

Once we’ve selected the desired option, we can then manipulate it as needed using jQuery commands.

Option: 2 Using the filter() Method

The filter() method is another powerful tool that allows developers to select elements based on a set of specified criteria. The syntax for using this method involves chaining it to a jQuery selector and passing it a function that defines the criteria for selecting elements.

In the context of selecting options by text value, we can use the filter() method to select all options within a select element and then filter them based on their text content. Here’s an example:

$('select option').filter(function() {
    return $(this).text() === 'Example Option 3';
})

This code selects all options within a select element and then filters them based on whether their text content is equal to “Example Option 3”. Once the desired option has been selected, we can then manipulate it as needed using jQuery commands.

Option: 3 Using the :contains Selector and filter() Method Together

The final approach we discussed involves using both the :contains selector and filter() method together to select options based on their text content. This approach offers the best of both worlds: the efficiency of the :contains selector and the flexibility of the filter() method.

Here’s an example of how this approach can be used:

$('select option:contains("Example Option 3")').filter(function() {
    return $(this).text() === 'Example Option 3';
})

In this code, the :contains selector is used to select all options within a select element that contain the text string “Example Option 3”. The filter() method is then used to filter these results based on whether their text content is equal to “Example Option 3”. Once the desired option has been selected, we can then manipulate it as needed using jQuery commands.

Conclusion

Selecting options based on their text value is a crucial task in web development, and jQuery makes it straightforward to accomplish. In this article, we’ve explored three different approaches for selecting options by text value, explaining the syntax and functionality of each method.

By leveraging the power of selector and method chaining, developers can save time and effort while building dynamic and responsive web applications. Whether you’re working with a simple HTML form or a complex web application, selecting options by text content is a task that’s easily accomplished with jQuery.

Popular questions

1. What is the advantage of using jQuery to select options based on their text content?
   Answer: Using jQuery to select options based on their text content saves time and effort as opposed to writing pure JavaScript. jQuery makes it easier to manipulate the DOM and select elements based on various criteria.

2. How does the :contains selector work in selecting options by text content?
   Answer: The :contains selector targets all options within a select element that contain a specific text string. It can be appended to the end of a jQuery selector and the desired text string can be enclosed in double quotes.

3. How does the filter() method work in selecting options by text content?
   Answer: The filter() method allows developers to select elements based on a set of specified criteria. In the context of selecting options by text content, this method selects all options within a select element and filters them based on their text content using a function that defines the filtering criteria.

4. What is the syntax for using the :contains selector and the filter() method together?
   Answer: To use both the :contains selector and the filter() method together to select options based on their text content, developers can chain them together, with the :contains selector selecting all options that contain a text string and the filter() method filtering the results further based on a provided function that defines the filtering criteria.

5. What is the advantage of using the :contains selector and filter() method together to select options by text content?
   Answer: Using the :contains selector and filter() method together offers the best of both worlds, combining the efficiency of the :contains selector with the flexibility of the filter() method. This approach allows developers to quickly select all options that contain a specific text string, and then filter the results until they arrive at the precise option they need.

Tag

Selection