How to get_set elements containing the closest parent element matches the specified selector using jQuery?


Manipulating the DOM is an essential part of web development, and jQuery is a popular library that makes it easy to traverse the HTML DOM tree and select or modify elements based on their relationship with other elements. In this blog post, we will explore how to use jQuery to get or set elements based on their closest parent element that matches the specified selector.

Using the Closest() Method

The closest() method in jQuery is used to get the first element that matches the specified selector, searching through the element itself and its ancestors in the DOM tree. Here's an example that demonstrates how to use the closest() method 

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <title>Get/Set Closest Parent Element Using jQuery</title>
      <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
   </head>
   <body>
      <div>
         <p>This is some text.</p>
         <div class="myClass">
         <p>This is some more text.</p>
         </div>
      </div>
      <script>
         $(document).ready(function() {
            var closestAncestor = $('.myClass').closest('div');
            console.log(closestAncestor);
         });
      </script>
   </body>
</html>

In this example, we have a div element that contains a p element and another div element with the class of "myClass", which contains another p element. We use the closest() method to get the closest div ancestor element of the div element with the class of "myClass". The closestAncestor variable will contain the selected div element.

Using the ParentsUntil() Method

The parentsUntil() method in jQuery is used to get all the ancestor elements that are between the selected element and the element that matches the specified selector. Here's an example that demonstrates how to use the parentsUntil() method 

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <title>Get/Set Closest Parent Element Using jQuery</title>
      <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
   </head>
   <body>
      <div>
         <p>This is some text.</p>
         <div class="myClass">
         <p>This is some more text.</p>
         </div>
      </div>
      <script>
         $(document).ready(function() {
         var ancestorElements = $('.myClass').parentsUntil('div');
         console.log(ancestorElements);
         });
      </script>
   </body>
</html>

In this example, we are selecting the element with the class of "myClass" and then using the parentsUntil() method to get all the ancestor elements that are between it and the first div element. The ancestorElements variable will contain all of the selected ancestor elements.

Using the Find() Method

The find() method in jQuery is used to select all the descendant elements of the selected element that match the specified selector. Here's an example that demonstrates how to use the find() method to select elements within the closest parent element 

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <title>Get/Set Closest Parent Element Using jQuery</title>
      <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
   </head>
   <body>
      <div>
         <p>This is some text.</p>
         <div class="myClass">
            <p>This is some more text.</p>
            <span>Some more text</span>
         </div>
      </div>
      <script>
         $(document).ready(function() {
            var descendants = $('.myClass').find('span');
         console.log(descendants);
         });
      </script>
  </body>
</html>

In this example, we select the div element with the class of "myClass" and then use the find() method to select all span elements within it. The descendants variable will contain all of the selected descendant elements.

Using the Children() Method

The children() method in jQuery is used to select all the direct child elements of the selected element that match the specified selector. Here's an example that demonstrates how to use the children() method 

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <title>Get/Set Closest Parent Element Using jQuery</title>
      <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
   </head>
   <body>
      <div>
         <p>This is some text.</p>
         <div class="myClass">
            <p>This is some more text.</p>
            <span>Some more text</span>
         </div>
      </div>
      <script>
         $(document).ready(function() {
            var childrenElements = $('.myClass').children('p');
            console.log(childrenElements);
         });
      </script>
   </body>
</html>

In this example, we select the div element with the class of "myClass" and then use the children() method to select all p elements that are direct children of it. The childrenElements variable will contain all of the selected child elements.

Using the Siblings() Method

The siblings() method in jQuery is used to select all the sibling elements of the selected element that match the specified selector. Here's an example that demonstrates how to use the siblings() method.

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <title>Get/Set Closest Parent Element Using jQuery</title>
      <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
   </head>
   <body>
      <div>
         <p>This is some text.</p>
         <div class="myClass">
            <p>This is some more text.</p>
         </div>
         <p>Even more text.</p>
      </div>
      <script>
         $(document).ready(function() {
            var siblingElements = $('.myClass').siblings('p');
            console.log(siblingElements);
         });
      </script>
   </body>
</html>

In this example, we select the div element with the class of "myClass" and then use the siblings() method to select all p elements that are siblings of it. The siblingElements variable will contain all of the selected sibling elements.

Using the Prev() and Next() Methods

The prev() and next() methods in jQuery are used to select the previous and next sibling elements of the selected element that match the specified selector. Here's an example that demonstrates how to use the prev() and next() methods −

Example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
   <head>
      <meta charset="UTF-8">
      <title>Get/Set Closest Parent Element Using jQuery</title>
      <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
   </head>
   <body>
      <div>
         <p>Some text.</p>
         <div class="myClass">
            <p>Some more text.</p>
         </div>
         <p>Even more text.</p>
      </div>
      <script>
         $(document).ready(function() {
            var prevElement = $('.myClass').prev('p');
            var nextElement = $('.myClass').next('p');
            console.log(prevElement);
            console.log(nextElement);
         });
      </script>
   </body>
</html>

In this example, we select the div element with the class of "myClass" and then use the prev() method to select the previous p element and the next() method to select the next p element. The prevElement and nextElement variables will contain the selected elements.

Using the Index() Method

The index() method is another useful jQuery method that can be used to select elements based on their relationship to other elements on the page. This method returns the index position of the selected element among its siblings.

Consider the following HTML code −

<div>
   <p>First</p>
   <p>Second</p>
   <p class="selected">Third</p>
   <p>Fourth</p>
   <p>Fifth</p>
</div>

To get the index position of the p element with the class of "selected", we can use the following code −

var selectedIndex = $('p.selected').index();
console.log(selectedIndex);

The index() method returns a zero-based index, so in this example, the output will be 2 because the p element with the class of "selected" is the third p element in its parent div.

We can also use the index() method to select a specific sibling element based on its index position. For example, to select the second p element in the div, we can use the following code 

var secondElement = $('div p').eq(1);
console.log(secondElement);

The eq() method is used to select a specific element by its index position. In this example, we pass 1 as the argument to eq() to select the second p element.

Using the index() and eq() methods in combination can be a powerful way to select and manipulate elements on the page.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we've explored how to use jQuery to get and set elements containing the closest parent element that matches the specified selector. We've discussed how to use the closest() method to select the closest matching parent element, and we've also explored other jQuery methods that can be used to select elements based on their relationship to other elements on the page. By mastering these techniques, you'll be able to manipulate the DOM with ease and create dynamic web pages that respond to user interactions.

Updated on: 07-Aug-2023

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