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JavaScript AJAX Basics (retiring) AJAX and APIs Stage 4 Challenge Answer

Posted by cyber voyager
cyber voyager
8,859 Points

A simple question.

Hello and thank you for reading and answering this question, as I was reading the answer of this coding challenge I saw that Dave McFarland wrote this code:

var $searchField = $('#search');

But I wrote it like this:

var searchField = $('#search');

What is the difference between these two? Why Dave choose the first method?

Thank you, very much appreciated :smiley:

2 Answers

Alexander Gyger
Alexander Gyger
14,237 Points
Alexander Gyger
Alexander Gyger
14,237 Points

With your notation, be aware that your variable also without the "$" is still a jQuery object. Usually if you make a jQuery object variable it's good practice to use a "$" at the beginning of it to make it readable.

These are both jQuery objects

var $searchField = $('#search');

If you write it like this:

var searchField = $('#search');

they are both still jQuery objects. But without the "$", the variable could be misread in a long code as a regular JavaScript variable.

If you want to use it as a regular variable (just a string) like i did in my solution, you could have added the ".val()" already here

var searchTag = $('#search').val();

This is now just a regular non-jQuery string variable.

cyber voyager
cyber voyager
8,859 Points

Thanks for the reply Alexander

Ellis Briggs
Ellis Briggs
11,108 Points
Ellis Briggs
Ellis Briggs
11,108 Points

I believe the first one just helps show that it is a Jquery object instead of a normal JS one.

But they should work the same

cyber voyager
cyber voyager
8,859 Points

Thank you very much, Ellis.