What does the $ sign in javascript mean?

Question

I am very new to javascript and I am looking very often on the internet for guides and explanation. The one thing that keeps on coming back is this $ sign in the code. I can not get my head around what this means. Is this only used in an older version of js?

Here is an example of code.

    $(document).ready(function(){
    //initial
       $('#content').load('content/index.php');
    });
       //handle menu clicks 
       $('#Kevin li a').click(function(){
           alert("hi");
       });
    });

`$` is just a variable identifier http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1661197/what-characters-are-valid-for-javascript-variable-names and in this case it is being used by jQuery, based on the example you have posted. — Xotic750, Dec 30 '15 at 11:02
Try this in your console: `var $ = "dollar-sign"; console.log($); ` — DontVoteMeDown, Dec 30 '15 at 11:13

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 30 '15 at 11:02

2

The $ sign is an identifier for variables and functions. You can look at

http://www.authenticsociety.com/blog/JavaScript_DollarSign

answered Dec 30 '15 at 11:02

mck

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score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 30 '15 at 10:59

0

$ is used as a shortcut to access jQuery functions. jQuery is a library that simplifies working with the DOM, and many other things.

answered Dec 30 '15 at 10:59

Stephan Leclercq

893
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score 0 · Answer 3 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:09

0

$ is not a sign/symbol belongs to the javascript, its belong to some of its libraries, such as jQuery.

Have a look at this suggested in answer to another question

edited May 23 '17 at 12:09

Community

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answered Dec 30 '15 at 11:00

Ali

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What does the $ sign in javascript mean?

3 Answers3