jQuery Traversal: Navigating the DOM
What is Traversal?
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Traversal means moving through the HTML structure.
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It helps you find elements relative to others — parents, children, siblings, ancestors, descendants, etc.
Common jQuery Traversal Methods
| Method | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
.parent() |
Selects immediate parent of element | $('#item').parent() |
.parents() |
Selects all ancestors | $('#item').parents('div') |
.children() |
Selects immediate children | $('#list').children('li') |
.find() |
Selects all descendants matching selector | $('#list').find('a') |
.siblings() |
Selects all siblings (same parent) | $('#item').siblings() |
.next() |
Selects immediate next sibling | $('#item').next() |
.nextAll() |
Selects all next siblings | $('#item').nextAll() |
.prev() |
Selects immediate previous sibling | $('#item').prev() |
.prevAll() |
Selects all previous siblings | $('#item').prevAll() |
.closest() |
Selects closest ancestor matching selector | $('#item').closest('div') |
Examples
1. Get the parent of an element
2. Find all links inside a list
3. Get all siblings of a selected item
4. Select the next sibling and change text
5. Get the closest ancestor with a specific class
Why Traversal Is Useful
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Manipulate elements relative to user interaction.
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Efficiently target elements without adding extra IDs or classes.
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Traverse up, down, and sideways in the DOM tree.
