putting multiple functions under 1 main function

Question

I'm using this line of code quite a bit:

.hide().insertBefore("#placeholder").fadeIn(1000);

Is there a way to make this a function or variable (pretty sure can't use a var, but thought I'd ask) so I can call it as needed? I know I could just copy/paste, but it clutters up the code to see that over and over.

I tried:

function properDisplay() {
    .hide().insertBefore("#placeholder").fadeIn(1000);
}

But that doesn't work.

Answer 1

You can make it a plugin:

$.fn.properDisplay = function(){
  return this.hide().insertBefore("#placeholder").fadeIn(1000);
};

Usage:

$('#SomeElement').properDisplay();

Answer 2

You need to pass the element object as parameter

function properDisplay(ele) {
   $(ele).hide().insertBefore("#placeholder").fadeIn(1000);
}