Create a jQuery object collection from separate jQuery objects

Question

$.fn.sortByDepth = function() {
    var ar = [];
    var result = $([]);

    $(this).each(function() {
        ar.push({length: $(this).parents().length, elmt: $(this)});
    });
    ar.sort(function(a,b) {
        return b.length - a.length;
    });
    for (var i=0; i<ar.length; i++) {
        result.add(ar[i].elmt);
    };
    alert(result.length);
    return result;
};

In this function I try to create a jQuery collection from separate jQuery object. How can i do that ?

The code below doesn't work:

result.add(ar[i].elmt);

The jsfiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/hze3M/14/

Answer 1

.add() returns a new jQuery object. Change this line:

result.add(ar[i].elmt);

to this:

result = result.add(ar[i].elmt);

This still won't work, though

As of jQuery 1.4 the results from .add() will always be returned in document order (rather than a simple concatenation).

So you just use a vanilla JS array, push() the sorted elements into it, and then $() the whole thing.

---

Other code cleanup:

$.fn.sortByDepth = function() {
    var ar = this.map(function() {
            return {length: $(this).parents().length, elt: this}
        }).get(),
        result = [],
        i = ar.length;


    ar.sort(function(a, b) {
        return a.length - b.length;
    });

    while (i--) {
        result.push(ar[i].elt);
    }
    return $(result);
};


var x = $('input').sortByDepth().map(function() {
    return this.id;
}).get().join(' - ');

$('#selection').text(x);

http://jsfiddle.net/mattball/AqUQH/.

Answer 2

.add returns a new object, and does not modify the old one.

Try changing:

result.add(ar[i].elmt);

To:

result = result.add(ar[i].elmt);

Also, $([]) is unneeded, you can just do var result = $();