.prev()

jQuery

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.prev()

Categories: Traversing > Tree Traversal

.prev( [selector ] ) Returns: jQuery

Description: Get the immediately preceding sibling of each element in the set of matched elements, optionally filtered by a selector.

  • version added: 1.0.prev( [selector ] )

    • selector
      Type: Selector
      A string containing a selector expression to match elements against.

Given a jQuery object that represents a set of DOM elements, the .prev() method searches for the predecessor of each of these elements in the DOM tree and constructs a new jQuery object from the matching elements.

The method optionally accepts a selector expression of the same type that can be passed to the $() function. If the selector is supplied, the preceding element will be filtered by testing whether it match the selector.

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 class="third-item">list item 3</li>
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                       <li>list item 4</li>
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                       <li>list item 5</li>
                                  

                                

                                

                                  

                                    
                                      </ul>

To select the element that comes immediately before item three:

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                                    $('li.third-item').prev().css('background-color', 'red');

The result of this call is a red background behind item 2. Since no selector expression is supplied, this preceding element is unequivocally included as part of the object. If one had been supplied, the element would be tested for a match before it was included.

If no previous sibling exists, or if the previous sibling element does not match a supplied selector, an empty jQuery object is returned.

To select all preceding sibling elements, rather than just the preceding adjacent sibling, use the .prevAll() method.

Examples:

Example: Find the very previous sibling of each div.

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                                        <!DOCTYPE html>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <html>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <head>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <style>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        div { width:40px; height:40px; margin:10px;
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                              float:left; border:2px blue solid; 
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                              padding:2px; }
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        span { font-size:14px; }
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        p { clear:left; margin:10px; }
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        </style>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

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

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </head>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <body>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div><span>has child</span></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                       
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div id="start"></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                       
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <p><button>Go to Prev</button></p>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <script>
                                        
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                          var $curr = $("#start");
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                          $curr.css("background", "#f99");
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                          $("button").click(function () {
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                            $curr = $curr.prev();
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                            $("div").css("background", "");
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                            $curr.css("background", "#f99");
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                          });
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                       
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </script>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                       
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </body>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </html>

Example: For each paragraph, find the very previous sibling that has a class "selected".

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                                        <!DOCTYPE html>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <html>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <head>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

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

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </head>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <body>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <div><span>Hello</span></div>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                       
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <p class="selected">Hello Again</p>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                        <p>And Again</p>
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        <script>
                                        $("p").prev(".selected").css("background", "yellow");
                                        </script>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                       
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </body>
                                      
                                    

                                  

                                  

                                    

                                      
                                        </html>
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