What does $('') mean in JavaScript?

Question

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What is the meaning of “$” sign in javascript

I've encountered a code in JavaScript that looks like this:

$('svg circle').tipsy({ 
    gravity: 'w', 
    html: true, 
    title: function() {
      return 'Color: '; 
    }
});

What does $('') mean here?

It's a function call with a string argument. – Dave Newton Nov 11 '12 at 00:13 — Dave Newton, Nov 11 '12 at 00:13

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 11 '12 at 00:14

This is from using the jQuery library, which is used to standardize JavaScript usage between browsers and make accessing elements and other common tasks much, much easier. It is not a part of JavaScript itself, except insofar as $ is an acceptable name for a function or variable.

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 11 '12 at 00:14

Usually when you encounter $(), that means the developer is using a javascript library, such as jQuery.

The $ symbol is the namespace for those libraries. All the functions they define begin with $., such as $.get(). Passing the id of an html tag like this: $("#myId") will give you a jQuery object representing that node.

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 11 '12 at 00:14

This is the shorted initializing function for jQuery or zeptojs

$("selector").method();

It can also mean an shorten for document.getElementById if the framework is used:

$('myId'); // document.getElementById("myId");

The plugin tipsy is used witch creates tooltips on hover.

What does $('') mean in JavaScript?

3 Answers3