.first()

jQuery

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.first()

Categories: Traversing > Filtering

.first() Returns: jQuery

Description: Reduce the set of matched elements to the first in the set.

  • version added: 1.4.first()

    • This method does not accept any arguments.

Given a jQuery object that represents a set of DOM elements, the .first() method constructs a new jQuery object from the first element in that set.

Consider a page with a simple list on it:

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                                      <ul>
                                    
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                      <li>list item 1</li>
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                      <li>list item 2</li>
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                      <li>list item 3</li>
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                      <li>list item 4</li>
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                      <li>list item 5</li>
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                    
                                      </ul>

We can apply this method to the set of list items:

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                                    $('li').first().css('background-color', 'red');

The result of this call is a red background for the first item.

Example:

Highlight the first span in a paragraph.

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                                        <!DOCTYPE html>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <html>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <head>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <style>.highlight{background-color: yellow}</style>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-latest.js"></script>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </head>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <body>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <p><span>Look:</span> <span>This is some text in a paragraph.</span> <span>This is a note about it.</span></p>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <script>
                                        $("p span").first().addClass('highlight');
                                        </script>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                       
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </body>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </html>
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