jQuery equivalent to "getElementsByName"

Question

What is the correct jquery syntax for a getElementsByName call?

Here is my javascript code:

var test = document.getElementsByName(tableName)[0];

using this is returning a different value:

var test = $("[name=tableName]");

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

Use quotes around the attribute selector:

$('[name="somenamehere"]');

If you need to use a variable within a selector, you need to use string concatenation to get the value of the variable:

$('[name="' + tableName + '"]');

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Typically one should avoid using the [name] attribute in favor of the [id] attribute, because selection would be simpler as:

$('#someidhere');
-or-
$('#' + tableID);

Answer 2

Remove the index from the first statement

These are equal.

var test = document.getElementsByName(tableName);
var test = $("[name=tableName]");