I have a few places in my code that are very similar to this snippet:
tag_iter = hold_tags_el.firstChild;
do {
if (tag_iter === null) {
hold_tags_el.appendChild(paragraph_el);
break;
}
if (par_el.innerHTML < tag_iter.innerHTML) {
hold_tags_el.insertBefore(paragraph_el, tag_iter);
break;
}
if (tag_iter === hold_tags_el.lastChild) {
NS.insertAfter(tag_iter, paragraph_el);
break;
}
tag_iter = tag_iter.nextSibling;
} while (tag_iter !== null);
This can be abstracted to:
tag_iter = ref_el.firstChild;
do {
// loop logic
tag_iter = tag_iter.nextSibling;
} while (tag_iter !== null);
In a function form this would look like:
The Call:
eachChild(par_el, function (tag_iter, par_el) {
// loop logic
});
The Definition:
NS.eachChild = function (par_el, func, context) {
var iter_el = par_el.firstChild,
result;
do {
result = func.call(context, iter_el, par_el);
if (result) {
break;
}
iter_el = iter_el.nextSibling;
} while (iter_el !== null);
}
Is there a library that implements this pattern / idiom?
What improvements can be made to eachChild?
Are there any errors in eachChild?
Applying the idiom we have:
Snippet A
NS.eachChild(el, function(tag_iter, par_el){
// first
if (tag_iter === null) {
par_el.appendChild(paragraph_el);
return true;
}
// middle
if (par_el.innerHTML < tag_iter.innerHTML) {
par_el.insertBefore(paragraph_el, tag_iter);
return true;
}
// last
if (tag_iter === hold_tags_el.lastChild) {
par_el.appendChild(paragraph_el);
return true;
}
});
What improvements can be made?
Many. Your snippet with its do-while loop and the many breaks is overly complicated and hard to understand. It can be simplified to
var tag_iter = hold_tags_el.firstChild,
search = par_el.innerHTML;
while (tag_iter !== null && search >= tag_iter.innerHTML)
tag_iter = tag_iter.nextSibling;
hold_tags_el.insertBefore(paragraph_el, tag_iter);
Notice that insertBefore with null as second argument, insertAfter(lastChild) and appendChild do exactly the same thing.
With that simplification, you don't need that eachChild function any more. But maybe a little different one:
NS.findChild = function(parent, condition) {
var child = parent.firstChild;
for (var i=0; child!==null && condition(child, i); i++)
child = child.nextSibling;
return child;
};
// then simply:
var el = NS.findChild(hold_tags_el, function(tag_iter) {
return tag_iter.innerHTML < par_el.innerHTML;
});
hold_tags_el.insertBefore(paragraph_el, el);
Is there a library that implements this pattern / idiom?
I don't know any. But there are many libs with generic iterator methods (some of them with break functionality) that can easily be applied on childNodes collections.
Are there any errors in eachChild?
It calls the callback even when there is no firstChild (with null as argument). That's at least unconventional, if not wrong - not what you would expect from an iteration. If you think to need it, this should better be made a separate case (a separate callback); otherwise it requires an extra condition in the callback. However in the given usecase you do not need it, as that is a search - see the findChild function above - where eachChild is inappropriate.
What improvements can be made to eachChild?
Additionally to parEl maybe a counter argument might be nice - check the signature of the standard forEach Array method.
Was looking for "equivalent for some method in javascript" and "return just one value if is in array", but saw only the answers to the way in which to determine the type of variables or too many unnecessary.
I bypass all inputs in html and i want something like this:
$('#goodsFilter')
.find('input[type="number"]')
.some(function(i,el){
return (isNumber($(el).val())) ? 1 : 0;
});
But it throws an error:
"TypeError: 'undefined' is not a function" (eg. Safari 6.0.4).
UPD: Error comes from the last line, yeah, where });.
isNumber:
function isNumber(n) { return !isNaN(parseFloat(n)) && isFinite(n); }
This should check for the presence of each input information, and, if at least one of them is not empty, return 1, otherwise 0.
How can I replace it to work in most modern browsers?
UPD:
Problem was solved. I'm a little confused in choosing the answer. The code of #RobG implementation of .some() is more understandable for beginners (and I am) so I switched my vote.
For anyone else who comes to this thread, you can use some() on a jQuery object this way:
$.makeArray($(...)).some(function(x) { ... })
jQuery.makeArray() converts the jQuery object into an Array, so you can use some() on it.
As suggested by #alf-eaton, you could use:
$(…).toArray().some(function(node) { … })
Array.prototype.some returns true or false, so you can do:
.some(function(el){
return !isNaN(el.value);
}
You don't say where the error comes from, is it from the call to isNumber?
Edit
Ah, so your issue is with some.
If you want a jQuery some method, then it should at least mimic the built–in ECMAScript some, which takes two arguments: a callback function and an optional this argument.
The callback function should take three arguments: the value, the index (optional) and an optional value to use as the this argument. It should access the numeric members in ascending order and only visit members that actually exist.
So it should be something like (noting that jQuery.fn === jQuery.prototype):
jQuery.fn.some = function(fn, thisArg) {
var result;
for (var i=0, iLen = this.length; i<iLen; i++) {
if (this.hasOwnProperty(i)) {
if (typeof thisArg == 'undefined') {
result = fn(this[i], i, this);
} else {
result = fn.call(thisArg, this[i], i, this);
}
if (result) return true;
}
}
return false;
}
So if you want now you can do:
var result = $('#goodsFilter')
.find('input[type="number"]')
.some(function(el) {
return isNumber(el.value);
})? 1 : 0;
or you can do either of the following to coerce true to 1 and false to 0:
var result = Number($('#goodsFilter')
.find('input[type="number"]')
.some(function(el) {
return isNumber(el.value);
}));
or
var result = +($('#goodsFilter')
.find('input[type="number"]')
.some(function(el) {
return isNumber(el.value);
}));
The above is only lightly tested, the optional thisArg parameter might be redundant.
You could use the .filter method, and then check the length.
$('#goodsFilter')
.find('input[type="number"]')
.filter(function(i,el){ return isNumber($(el).val())); })
.length > 0
$(...).is(function) should work too. The jQuery API documentation states (emphasis mine):
Check the current matched set of elements against a selector, element, or jQuery object and return true if at least one of these elements matches the given arguments.
So using the example in the question, we would have something like:
var result = $('#goodsFilter')
.find('input[type="number"]')
.is(function(idx, el) {
return isNumber(el.value);
})? 1 : 0;
. . In the most basic version, you can just create a "some" function:
function eSome(arr, f) { var i = 0, n = arr.length;
for (;i<n;i++) { if (!i in arr) { continue }
if (f(i, arr[i])) { return true; }
} return false;
}
var list = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
var testFunction = function (i, e) { return e === 2; };
console.log(eSome(list, testFunction));
//returns true and the loop ran only for the necessary three times.
. . If you want to chain the .some call in a jQuery object, you can add it as a jQuery function as well, using something like this (now tested and fixed) example:
jQuery.fn.some = function (f) { var i = 0, n = this.length;
for (;i<n;i++) { if (!i in this) { continue }
if (f(i, this[i])) { return true; }
}
return false;
}
$('.a').some(function (i, el) { return ($(el).text() == 'weeee!'); });
. . As #RobG pointed out in the comments, the native Array.prototype.some implementation calls your callback with a different set of parameters. I'm following the OP's sample code, but you can mimic the ECMA implementation's parameter with if (f(this[i], i, this)) { return true; } inside the loop.
. . You can also shim it on Array.prototype.some, but I strongly advise against any direct modifications to the built-in prototypes.
Implementation in Vanilla Javascript( with arrow syntax)
function some(arr,callback){
for(let i=0;i<arr.length;i++){
if(callback(arr[i],i,arr)){
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
some use:
check if an array has an even number:
function hasEvenNum(arr){
return arr.some(value=>{
return value % 2 === 0;
});
}
Try to use [].prototype.call method, the first argument will be an Array-like value, the second one is a function that will be called on each element.
[].some.call($('#goodsFilter').find('input[type="number"]'), function (el) {
return isNumber($(el).val());
});
I am having the following plugin:
(function($) {
$.fn.myPlugin = function(options) {
var opt = $.extend({}, $.fn.myPlugin.defaults, options);
if (!opt.a) {
console.log('a is required!');
return false;
}
if (!opt.b) {
console.log('b is required!');
return false;
}
if (!opt.c) {
console.log('c is required!');
return false;
}
//Rest of the logic
}
$.fn.myPlugin.defaults = {
};
});
Now this plugin will be called from outside like this:
$('div.x').myPlugin({
a:'aa',
b:'bb',
c:'cc'
});
As you can see from the plugin I need a, b and c options from outside i.e they are compulsory. But there can 10-15 compulsory options and this code
if (!opt.a) {
console.log('a is required!');
return false;
}
if (!opt.b) {
console.log('b is required!');
return false;
}
if (!opt.c) {
console.log('c is required!');
return false;
}
can become lengthy and cumbersome. Is there any shorter or smarter way to write this? I was thinking of some common code.
If there are that many, you could put them in an array and check that way:
var required = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
var index, optname;
for (index = 0; index < required.length; ++index) {
optname = required[index];
if (!(optname in opt)) {
console.log(optname + " is required");
return false;
}
}
Note that I've gone for an if (!(optname in opt)) check there (rather than if (!opt[optname]) as you originally had), to allow for options that must be specified but for which 0, false, undefined, or other falsey values are valid. The in check sees whether the option is there without worrying about its value being truthy.
Slightly off-topic: You might choose to wait to fail until you've checked for all of the properties, as #Marcus points out in the comments. Also, you might consider throwing an exception rather than returning false, as someone failing to specify the options correctly should be an exceptional condition... But those are minor points.
$.each(['a','b','c'], function(key, val) {
if (!opt[val] !== void 0) console.log(val + " is require");
});
An $.each is just so much shorter/tidier.
It's the same thing as #T.J.Crowder's answer though.
P.S. void 0 === undefined
i have been using jquery for a while now but only thing i know about jquery is probably a dozen of functions that get my job done. but i want to understand how jquery evolved from simpl plain javascript i.e how
$("#xyz").val();
is converted to
document.getElementById('xyz').value;
i have searched for my answer on the web but most of the writers are happy to show how you can hook on to different DOM elements with jquery, selector details etc. but nothing can be found about how actually the transition was made. can anyone refer me to some tutorial where i can get my required material?
thanks
jQuery is not a compiler. jQuery does not get compiled into javascript.
.val is a method of an object. The jQuery object.
Specifically it is
function (value) {
if (!arguments.length) {
var elem = this[0];
if (elem) {
if (jQuery.nodeName(elem, "option")) {
// attributes.value is undefined in Blackberry 4.7 but
// uses .value. See #6932
var val = elem.attributes.value;
return !val || val.specified ? elem.value : elem.text;
}
// We need to handle select boxes special
if (jQuery.nodeName(elem, "select")) {
var index = elem.selectedIndex,
values = [],
options = elem.options,
one = elem.type === "select-one";
// Nothing was selected
if (index < 0) {
return null;
}
// Loop through all the selected options
for (var i = one ? index : 0, max = one ? index + 1 : options.length; i < max; i++) {
var option = options[i];
// Don't return options that are disabled or in a disabled optgroup
if (option.selected && (jQuery.support.optDisabled ? !option.disabled : option.getAttribute("disabled") === null) && (!option.parentNode.disabled || !jQuery.nodeName(option.parentNode, "optgroup"))) {
// Get the specific value for the option
value = jQuery(option).val();
// We don't need an array for one selects
if (one) {
return value;
}
// Multi-Selects return an array
values.push(value);
}
}
return values;
}
// Handle the case where in Webkit "" is returned instead of "on" if a value isn't specified
if (rradiocheck.test(elem.type) && !jQuery.support.checkOn) {
return elem.getAttribute("value") === null ? "on" : elem.value;
}
// Everything else, we just grab the value
return (elem.value || "").replace(rreturn, "");
}
return undefined;
}
var isFunction = jQuery.isFunction(value);
return this.each(function (i) {
var self = jQuery(this),
val = value;
if (this.nodeType !== 1) {
return;
}
if (isFunction) {
val = value.call(this, i, self.val());
}
// Treat null/undefined as ""; convert numbers to string
if (val == null) {
val = "";
} else if (typeof val === "number") {
val += "";
} else if (jQuery.isArray(val)) {
val = jQuery.map(val, function (value) {
return value == null ? "" : value + "";
});
}
if (jQuery.isArray(val) && rradiocheck.test(this.type)) {
this.checked = jQuery.inArray(self.val(), val) >= 0;
} else if (jQuery.nodeName(this, "select")) {
var values = jQuery.makeArray(val);
jQuery("option", this).each(function () {
this.selected = jQuery.inArray(jQuery(this).val(), values) >= 0;
});
if (!values.length) {
this.selectedIndex = -1;
}
} else {
this.value = val;
}
});
}
If we break the above wall down we can get
function (value) {
if (arguments.length === 0) {
return (this[0].value || "")
}
this.value = val;
return this;
}
Of course jQuery has a lot more code to deal with various edge cases and special things.
In essence jQuery takes a selector. finds the elements. Stores them internally then returns you an object.
This object has all kinds of methods that allow you to mutate the underlying dom objects stored internally. .val is one of them.
There are plenty of articles on how jQuery works (there are screencasts too).
jQuery, as you've noticed, is basically a bunch of methods operating on an array of elements. It is also intended to normalize browser differences under the hood.
Take the basic usage $("#xyz").val();
I can even tell you what jQuery is doing behind the scenes, but I don't think you really want to know. :)
var jQuery = function( selector, context ) {
// The jQuery object is actually just the init constructor 'enhanced'
return new jQuery.fn.init( selector, context );
},
// ...
jQuery.fn = jQuery.prototype = {
init: function( selector, context ) {
// ...
},
// ...
};
// Give the init function the jQuery prototype for later instantiation
jQuery.fn.init.prototype = jQuery.fn;
So basically $(selector) means newjQuery.fn.init(selector), it's just a shortcut for easier typing (and also to prevent the "bug" where fogetting new binds this to the global object, instead of the current instance).
Also, the so-called plug-ins added as jQuery.fn.ext are mapped to jQuery.fn.init.prototype as you can see in the last line, it's another shortcut. So when you call $(selector) everything that is added to jQuery.fn will also be on jQuery.fn.init.prototype and so the new instance will have those methods as $(selector).ext(...).
// as you use it today
jQuery.fn.plugin = function ( ... ) { ... }
$(selector).plugin( ... )
// as it would be without shortcuts
jQuery.fn.init.prototype.plugin = function ( ... ) { ... }
(new jQuery.fn.init(selector)).plugin( ... )
How can I check the existence of an element in jQuery?
The current code that I have is this:
if ($(selector).length > 0) {
// Do something
}
Is there a more elegant way to approach this? Perhaps a plugin or a function?
In JavaScript, everything is 'truthy' or 'falsy', and for numbers 0 means false, everything else true. So you could write:
if ($(selector).length)
You don't need that >0 part.
Yes!
jQuery.fn.exists = function(){ return this.length > 0; }
if ($(selector).exists()) {
// Do something
}
This is in response to: Herding Code podcast with Jeff Atwood
If you used
jQuery.fn.exists = function(){return ($(this).length > 0);}
if ($(selector).exists()) { }
you would imply that chaining was possible when it is not.
This would be better:
jQuery.exists = function(selector) {return ($(selector).length > 0);}
if ($.exists(selector)) { }
Alternatively, from the FAQ:
if ( $('#myDiv').length ) { /* Do something */ }
You could also use the following. If there are no values in the jQuery object array then getting the first item in the array would return undefined.
if ( $('#myDiv')[0] ) { /* Do something */ }
You can use this:
// if element exists
if($('selector').length){ /* do something */ }
// if element does not exist
if(!$('selector').length){ /* do something */ }
The fastest and most semantically self explaining way to check for existence is actually by using plain JavaScript:
if (document.getElementById('element_id')) {
// Do something
}
It is a bit longer to write than the jQuery length alternative, but executes faster since it is a native JS method.
And it is better than the alternative of writing your own jQuery function. That alternative is slower, for the reasons #snover stated. But it would also give other programmers the impression that the exists() function is something inherent to jQuery. JavaScript would/should be understood by others editing your code, without increased knowledge debt.
NB: Notice the lack of an '#' before the element_id (since this is plain JS, not jQuery).
You can save a few bytes by writing:
if ($(selector)[0]) { ... }
This works because each jQuery object also masquerades as an array, so we can use the array dereferencing operator to get the first item from the array. It returns undefined if there is no item at the specified index.
You can use:
if ($(selector).is('*')) {
// Do something
}
A little more elegant, perhaps.
This plugin can be used in an if statement like if ($(ele).exist()) { /* DO WORK */ } or using a callback.
Plugin
;;(function($) {
if (!$.exist) {
$.extend({
exist: function() {
var ele, cbmExist, cbmNotExist;
if (arguments.length) {
for (x in arguments) {
switch (typeof arguments[x]) {
case 'function':
if (typeof cbmExist == "undefined") cbmExist = arguments[x];
else cbmNotExist = arguments[x];
break;
case 'object':
if (arguments[x] instanceof jQuery) ele = arguments[x];
else {
var obj = arguments[x];
for (y in obj) {
if (typeof obj[y] == 'function') {
if (typeof cbmExist == "undefined") cbmExist = obj[y];
else cbmNotExist = obj[y];
}
if (typeof obj[y] == 'object' && obj[y] instanceof jQuery) ele = obj[y];
if (typeof obj[y] == 'string') ele = $(obj[y]);
}
}
break;
case 'string':
ele = $(arguments[x]);
break;
}
}
}
if (typeof cbmExist == 'function') {
var exist = ele.length > 0 ? true : false;
if (exist) {
return ele.each(function(i) { cbmExist.apply(this, [exist, ele, i]); });
}
else if (typeof cbmNotExist == 'function') {
cbmNotExist.apply(ele, [exist, ele]);
return ele;
}
else {
if (ele.length <= 1) return ele.length > 0 ? true : false;
else return ele.length;
}
}
else {
if (ele.length <= 1) return ele.length > 0 ? true : false;
else return ele.length;
}
return false;
}
});
$.fn.extend({
exist: function() {
var args = [$(this)];
if (arguments.length) for (x in arguments) args.push(arguments[x]);
return $.exist.apply($, args);
}
});
}
})(jQuery);
jsFiddle
You may specify one or two callbacks. The first one will fire if the element exists, the second one will fire if the element does not exist. However, if you choose to pass only one function, it will only fire when the element exists. Thus, the chain will die if the selected element does not exist. Of course, if it does exist, the first function will fire and the chain will continue.
Keep in mind that using the callback variant helps maintain chainability – the element is returned and you can continue chaining commands as with any other jQuery method!
Example Uses
if ($.exist('#eleID')) { /* DO WORK */ } // param as STRING
if ($.exist($('#eleID'))) { /* DO WORK */ } // param as jQuery OBJECT
if ($('#eleID').exist()) { /* DO WORK */ } // enduced on jQuery OBJECT
$.exist('#eleID', function() { // param is STRING && CALLBACK METHOD
/* DO WORK */
/* This will ONLY fire if the element EXIST */
}, function() { // param is STRING && CALLBACK METHOD
/* DO WORK */
/* This will ONLY fire if the element DOES NOT EXIST */
})
$('#eleID').exist(function() { // enduced on jQuery OBJECT with CALLBACK METHOD
/* DO WORK */
/* This will ONLY fire if the element EXIST */
})
$.exist({ // param is OBJECT containing 2 key|value pairs: element = STRING, callback = METHOD
element: '#eleID',
callback: function() {
/* DO WORK */
/* This will ONLY fire if the element EXIST */
}
})
I see most of the answers here are not accurate as they should be, they check element length, it can be OK in many cases, but not 100%, imagine if number pass to the function instead, so I prototype a function which check all conditions and return the answer as it should be:
$.fn.exists = $.fn.exists || function() {
return !!(this.length && (this[0] instanceof HTMLDocument || this[0] instanceof HTMLElement));
}
This will check both length and type, Now you can check it this way:
$(1980).exists(); //return false
$([1,2,3]).exists(); //return false
$({name: 'stackoverflow', url: 'http://www.stackoverflow.com'}).exists(); //return false
$([{nodeName: 'foo'}]).exists() // returns false
$('div').exists(); //return true
$('.header').exists(); //return true
$(document).exists(); //return true
$('body').exists(); //return true
There's no need for jQuery really. With plain JavaScript it's easier and semantically correct to check for:
if(document.getElementById("myElement")) {
//Do something...
}
If for any reason you don't want to put an id to the element, you can still use any other JavaScript method designed to access the DOM.
jQuery is really cool, but don't let pure JavaScript fall into oblivion...
You could use this:
jQuery.fn.extend({
exists: function() { return this.length }
});
if($(selector).exists()){/*do something*/}
The reason all of the previous answers require the .length parameter is that they are mostly using jquery's $() selector which has querySelectorAll behind the curtains (or they are using it directly). This method is rather slow because it needs to parse the entire DOM tree looking for all matches to that selector and populating an array with them.
The ['length'] parameter is not needed or useful and the code will be a lot faster if you directly use document.querySelector(selector) instead, because it returns the first element it matches or null if not found.
function elementIfExists(selector){ //named this way on purpose, see below
return document.querySelector(selector);
}
/* usage: */
var myelement = elementIfExists("#myid") || myfallbackelement;
However this method leaves us with the actual object being returned; which is fine if it isn't going to be saved as variable and used repeatedly (thus keeping the reference around if we forget).
var myel=elementIfExists("#myid");
// now we are using a reference to the element which will linger after removal
myel.getParentNode.removeChild(myel);
console.log(elementIfExists("#myid")); /* null */
console.log(myel); /* giant table lingering around detached from document */
myel=null; /* now it can be garbage collected */
In some cases this may be desired. It can be used in a for loop like this:
/* locally scoped myel gets garbage collected even with the break; */
for (var myel; myel = elementIfExist(sel); myel.getParentNode.removeChild(myel))
if (myel == myblacklistedel) break;
If you don't actually need the element and want to get/store just a true/false, just double not it !! It works for shoes that come untied, so why knot here?
function elementExists(selector){
return !!document.querySelector(selector);
}
/* usage: */
var hastables = elementExists("table"); /* will be true or false */
if (hastables){
/* insert css style sheet for our pretty tables */
}
setTimeOut(function (){if (hastables && !elementExists("#mytablecss"))
alert("bad table layouts");},3000);
Is $.contains() what you want?
jQuery.contains( container, contained )
The $.contains() method returns true if the DOM element provided by the second argument is a descendant of the DOM element provided by the first argument, whether it is a direct child or nested more deeply. Otherwise, it returns false. Only element nodes are supported; if the second argument is a text or comment node, $.contains() will return false.
Note: The first argument must be a DOM element, not a jQuery object or plain JavaScript object.
You can check element is present or not using length in java script.
If length is greater than zero then element is present if length is zero then
element is not present
// These by Id
if ($("#elementid").length > 0) {
// Element is Present
} else {
// Element is not Present
}
// These by Class
if ($(".elementClass").length > 0) {
// Element is Present
} else {
// Element is not Present
}
I have found if ($(selector).length) {} to be insufficient. It will silently break your app when selector is an empty object {}.
var $target = $({});
console.log($target, $target.length);
// Console output:
// -------------------------------------
// [▼ Object ] 1
// ► __proto__: Object
My only suggestion is to perform an additional check for {}.
if ($.isEmptyObject(selector) || !$(selector).length) {
throw new Error('Unable to work with the given selector.');
}
I'm still looking for a better solution though as this one is a bit heavy.
Edit: WARNING! This doesn't work in IE when selector is a string.
$.isEmptyObject('hello') // FALSE in Chrome and TRUE in IE
Checking for existence of an element is documented neatly in the official jQuery website itself!
Use the .length property of the jQuery collection returned by your
selector:
if ($("#myDiv").length) {
$("#myDiv").show();
}
Note that it isn't always necessary to test whether an element exists.
The following code will show the element if it exists, and do nothing
(with no errors) if it does not:
$("#myDiv").show();
this is very similar to all of the answers, but why not use the ! operator twice so you can get a boolean:
jQuery.fn.exists = function(){return !!this.length};
if ($(selector).exists()) {
// the element exists, now what?...
}
No need for jQuery (basic solution)
if(document.querySelector('.a-class')) {
// do something
}
Much more performant option below (notice the lack of a dot before a-class).
if(document.getElementsByClassName('a-class')[0]) {
// do something
}
querySelector uses a proper matching engine like $() (sizzle) in jQuery and uses more computing power but in 99% of cases will do just fine. The second option is more explicit and tells the code exactly what to do. It's much faster according to JSBench https://jsbench.me/65l2up3t8i
$(selector).length && //Do something
Try testing for DOM element
if (!!$(selector)[0]) // do stuff
Inspired by hiway's answer I came up with the following:
$.fn.exists = function() {
return $.contains( document.documentElement, this[0] );
}
jQuery.contains takes two DOM elements and checks whether the first one contains the second one.
Using document.documentElement as the first argument fulfills the semantics of the exists method when we want to apply it solely to check the existence of an element in the current document.
Below, I've put together a snippet that compares jQuery.exists() against the $(sel)[0] and $(sel).length approaches which both return truthy values for $(4) while $(4).exists() returns false. In the context of checking for existence of an element in the DOM this seems to be the desired result.
$.fn.exists = function() {
return $.contains(document.documentElement, this[0]);
}
var testFuncs = [
function(jq) { return !!jq[0]; },
function(jq) { return !!jq.length; },
function(jq) { return jq.exists(); },
];
var inputs = [
["$()",$()],
["$(4)",$(4)],
["$('#idoexist')",$('#idoexist')],
["$('#idontexist')",$('#idontexist')]
];
for( var i = 0, l = inputs.length, tr, input; i < l; i++ ) {
input = inputs[i][1];
tr = "<tr><td>" + inputs[i][0] + "</td><td>"
+ testFuncs[0](input) + "</td><td>"
+ testFuncs[1](input) + "</td><td>"
+ testFuncs[2](input) + "</td></tr>";
$("table").append(tr);
}
td { border: 1px solid black }
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div id="idoexist">#idoexist</div>
<table style>
<tr>
<td>Input</td><td>!!$(sel)[0]</td><td>!!$(sel).length</td><td>$(sel).exists()</td>
</tr>
</table>
<script>
$.fn.exists = function() {
return $.contains(document.documentElement, this[0]);
}
</script>
I just like to use plain vanilla javascript to do this.
function isExists(selector){
return document.querySelectorAll(selector).length>0;
}
I stumbled upon this question and i'd like to share a snippet of code i currently use:
$.fn.exists = function(callback) {
var self = this;
var wrapper = (function(){
function notExists () {}
notExists.prototype.otherwise = function(fallback){
if (!self.length) {
fallback.call();
}
};
return new notExists;
})();
if(self.length) {
callback.call();
}
return wrapper;
}
And now i can write code like this -
$("#elem").exists(function(){
alert ("it exists");
}).otherwise(function(){
alert ("it doesn't exist");
});
It might seem a lot of code, but when written in CoffeeScript it is quite small:
$.fn.exists = (callback) ->
exists = #length
callback.call() if exists
new class
otherwise: (fallback) ->
fallback.call() if not exists
I had a case where I wanted to see if an object exists inside of another so I added something to the first answer to check for a selector inside the selector..
// Checks if an object exists.
// Usage:
//
// $(selector).exists()
//
// Or:
//
// $(selector).exists(anotherSelector);
jQuery.fn.exists = function(selector) {
return selector ? this.find(selector).length : this.length;
};
How about:
function exists(selector) {
return $(selector).length;
}
if (exists(selector)) {
// do something
}
It's very minimal and saves you having to enclose the selector with $() every time.
I'm using this:
$.fn.ifExists = function(fn) {
if (this.length) {
$(fn(this));
}
};
$("#element").ifExists(
function($this){
$this.addClass('someClass').animate({marginTop:20},function(){alert('ok')});
}
);
Execute the chain only if a jQuery element exist - http://jsfiddle.net/andres_314/vbNM3/2/
$("selector") returns an object which has the length property. If the selector finds any elements, they will be included in the object. So if you check its length you can see if any elements exist. In JavaScript 0 == false, so if you don't get 0 your code will run.
if($("selector").length){
//code in the case
}
Here is my favorite exist method in jQuery
$.fn.exist = function(callback) {
return $(this).each(function () {
var target = $(this);
if (this.length > 0 && typeof callback === 'function') {
callback.call(target);
}
});
};
and other version which supports callback when selector does not exist
$.fn.exist = function(onExist, onNotExist) {
return $(this).each(function() {
var target = $(this);
if (this.length > 0) {
if (typeof onExist === 'function') {
onExist.call(target);
}
} else {
if (typeof onNotExist === 'function') {
onNotExist.call(target);
}
}
});
};
Example:
$('#foo .bar').exist(
function () {
// Stuff when '#foo .bar' exists
},
function () {
// Stuff when '#foo .bar' does not exist
}
);
You don't have to check if it's greater than 0 like $(selector).length > 0, $(selector).length it's enough and an elegant way to check the existence of elements. I don't think that it is worth to write a function only for this, if you want to do more extra things, then yes.
if($(selector).length){
// true if length is not 0
} else {
// false if length is 0
}
Here is the complete example of different situations and way to check if element exists using direct if on jQuery selector may or may not work because it returns array or elements.
var a = null;
var b = []
var c = undefined ;
if(a) { console.log(" a exist")} else { console.log("a doesn't exit")}
// output: a doesn't exit
if(b) { console.log(" b exist")} else { console.log("b doesn't exit")}
// output: b exist
if(c) { console.log(" c exist")} else { console.log("c doesn't exit")}
// output: c doesn't exit
FINAL SOLUTION
if($("#xysyxxs").length){ console.log("xusyxxs exist")} else { console.log("xusyxxs doesnn't exist") }
//output : xusyxxs doesnn't exist
if($(".xysyxxs").length){ console.log("xusyxxs exist")} else { console.log("xusyxxs doesnn't exist") }
//output : xusyxxs doesnn't exist
Demo
console.log("existing id", $('#id-1').length)
console.log("non existing id", $('#id-2').length)
console.log("existing class single instance", $('.cls-1').length)
console.log("existing class multiple instance", $('.cls-2').length)
console.log("non existing class", $('.cls-3').length)
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.3.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div id="id-1">
<div class="cls-1 cls-2"></div>
<div class="cls-2"></div>
</div>