Finding an element that lacks both a class and an id, and is not consistently present - what's the trick?

Question

Finding an element that lacks both a class and an id, and is not consistently present - what's the trick?

Currently, I am faced with a predicament in my code where a <li> element only appears under specific conditions, making it difficult to apply positioning. This element lacks an id and class attribute, which prevents me from targeting it accurately using CSS selectors like nth-child. Consequently, when the <li> is not present, the styling of the subsequent list item is affected, disrupting the layout of the webpage. After months of trying to resolve this issue, it seems that utilizing JavaScript may be the only viable solution. However, I lack the expertise in Javascript needed to tackle this problem effectively.

While one option could involve modifying the source code to assign an id to the elusive <li>, I am hesitant to pursue this approach as it may interfere with the removal script used by the plugin responsible for inserting the list items dynamically.

Any insights or assistance on how to address this dilemma would be immensely valuable. Thank you in advance for your help.

javascript html css

Answer 1

Answer №1

One way to identify the unique point of your li element is to consider attributes such as id, class, style, innerText, or any other distinguishing factor.
For instance:

If the innerText of the element is 'i am li', you can loop through all li elements in your container and use ele.innerText for matching.
Alternatively, if a li has a unique background color like red, you could utilize
```
window.getComputedStyle(element).getPropertyValue("background")
```
to iterate through all li elements in your container.

Update:
Ideally, having a unique attribute, class, or id for your li element simplifies the process.

<li class="test" id="test" name="handsome"></li>
li.test {}
li#test {}
li[name="handsome"] {} //other operators like ~=, ^=, $=, *= can also work

In your specific scenario, if the href attribute of an a tag serves as the unique identifier, you could follow a similar approach as shown below.

function getTarget() {

    var $targetList = $('.container li'); 
    var $link;
    for( var i = 0; i < $targetList.length;i++) {
        $link = $($targetList[i]).find('a');

        if ($link.length && $link.attr('href') == 'xxxxxx') {
            return $targetList[i];
        }
    }
}

// the target represents the desired li element
target = getTarget();

Additionally, if uncertain about the href value, you can utilize

string.indexOf('http://www.test.com')

. Adjust the criteria based on the uniqueness of innerText or other factors that apply in your specific case. The key is to pinpoint the unique characteristic and make the match accordingly.

Answer 2

One way to identify the unique point of your li element is to consider attributes such as id, class, style, innerText, or any other distinguishing factor.
For instance:

If the innerText of the element is 'i am li', you can loop through all li elements in your container and use ele.innerText for matching.
Alternatively, if a li has a unique background color like red, you could utilize
```
window.getComputedStyle(element).getPropertyValue("background")
```
to iterate through all li elements in your container.

Update:
Ideally, having a unique attribute, class, or id for your li element simplifies the process.

<li class="test" id="test" name="handsome"></li>
li.test {}
li#test {}
li[name="handsome"] {} //other operators like ~=, ^=, $=, *= can also work

In your specific scenario, if the href attribute of an a tag serves as the unique identifier, you could follow a similar approach as shown below.

function getTarget() {

    var $targetList = $('.container li'); 
    var $link;
    for( var i = 0; i < $targetList.length;i++) {
        $link = $($targetList[i]).find('a');

        if ($link.length && $link.attr('href') == 'xxxxxx') {
            return $targetList[i];
        }
    }
}

// the target represents the desired li element
target = getTarget();

Additionally, if uncertain about the href value, you can utilize

string.indexOf('http://www.test.com')

. Adjust the criteria based on the uniqueness of innerText or other factors that apply in your specific case. The key is to pinpoint the unique characteristic and make the match accordingly.

Finding an element that lacks both a class and an id, and is not consistently present - what's the trick?

Answer №1

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