What\'s the Difference Between document.getElementById and jQuery $()?

The Difference Between document.getElementById and jQuery $()

The code snippets provided use two different methods to retrieve an element with the ID "contents". However, there is a subtle difference between these approaches.

document.getElementById

This method returns a DOM (Document Object Model) element, which is a native representation of an HTML element. It is part of the JavaScript standard library and allows you to access and manipulate specific elements in the document.

jQuery $()

When jQuery is loaded, the $() function provides an alternative way to retrieve elements. However, it returns a jQuery object, which extends the DOM element with additional functionality.

Difference

The key difference between these two methods lies in the return values:

• document.getElementById('contents') returns a DOM element.
• $('#contents') returns a jQuery object.

While both these objects represent the same HTML element, they differ in their capabilities. A jQuery object allows for more advanced operations and chaining of jQuery methods.

To achieve the same result as document.getElementById, you can access the first element in the jQuery object:

<code class="js">var contents = $('#contents')[0]; //returns a DOM element</code>

By using this method, you can leverage the power of jQuery while still retrieving the underlying DOM element.

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