Retrieve CSS height using Jquery, based on the declared value rather than the computed value

In a previous version of jQuery, the default behavior was different. When I use .css("height") and .height(), it gives me the computed height instead of what I actually want. I only need the height value if it is explicitly declared in the CSS for that element.

Maybe if the height is not declared anywhere, it could return 'auto' as it does for top and left sometimes...

For instance, consider my CSS code:

.element{
    margin-left:5px;
    color:red;
}

The result of .css("margin-left") is "5px", but .css("height") gives me 20 even though it's not explicitly set...

Appreciate any insights!

Answer №1

When it comes to CSS height and width, the browser handles the calculations automatically.

To view these values, you can navigate to the "Computed styles" tab in Chrome Developers Tools (F12).

For more information, refer to the following documentation:

jQuery.width()

The jQuery.width() method allows you to retrieve the current computed width for the first element in a set of matched elements or set the width of every matched element.

It's important to note that there is a distinction between .css(width) and .width(). The latter provides a unit-less pixel value (e.g., 400), while the former retains the value with units intact (e.g., 400px)

However, if you require the correct CSS value, it's recommended not to rely solely on jQuery.

If we consider an example with HTML:

<div id="elem" style="height: auto"></div>

We can use JavaScript like this:

$('#elem').get(0).style.height    // "auto"

Another scenario with HTML:

<div id="elem"></div>

JavaScript would output:

$('#elem').get(0).style.height    // ""

A general function to handle this:

var height = function(elem){
      return $(elem).get(0).style.height === "" ? $(elem).height() : $(elem).get(0).style.height;
}

Answer №2

To utilize this piece of code, simply assign an id to the element and then execute the following script:

if (document.getElementById("element").style.height == null || document.getElementById("element").style.height == "") {
  alert("no height");
}else{
  alert(document.getElementById("element").style.height);
}
.element {
  width: 100%;
  color: red;
  word-break: break-all;
}
<div id="element" class="element">
  Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis, ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis,
  sem. Nulla consequat massa quis enim. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate eget, arcu. In enim justo, rhoncus ut, imperdiet a, venenatis vitae, justo. Nullam dictum felis eu pede mollis pretium. Integer tincidunt. Cras dapibus. Vivamus
  elementum semper nisi. Aenean vulputate eleifend tellus. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac, enim. Aliquam lorem ante, dapibus in, viverra quis, feugiat a, tellus. Phasellus viverra nulla ut metus varius laoreet. Quisque rutrum.
  Aenean imperdiet. Etiam ultricies nisi vel augue. Curabitur ullamcorper ultricies nisi. Nam eget dui. Etiam rhoncus. Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit
  vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante. Etiam sit amet orci eget eros faucibus tincidunt. Duis leo. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh.
  Donec sodales sagittis magna. Sed consequat, leo eget bibendum sodales, augue velit cursus nunc,
</div>

Answer №3

If you prefer, JavaScript also allows for targeting elements by their class name. Here's a quick example:

alert(document.getElementsByClassName("YourClassName")[0].style.width)

Instead of the computed width, this will show the exact value set for the width property.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

Having difficulties with JavaScript's if statements

I'm facing an issue with my JavaScript code that is meant to modify the value of a price variable and then display the updated price. The problem arises when I have multiple select options, as the price only reflects the ID of the last statement. Here ...

Ensure that the child div remains at the bottom of the parent div

I'm trying to make sure that the subfooter div stays at the bottom of the childbox div like a footer. You can see the code on this jsfiddle link <!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8> <title ...

Trigger notifications exclusively for specific hyperlink texts that are selected

I'm facing an issue where I need to notify the user when a specific link text for a hyperlink is clicked. The code provided here showcases the problem I am currently encountering. At the moment, the alert triggers whenever any link text is clicked, ra ...

The error message that keeps popping up - "jQuery is loading with dojoConfig, but $

Here is the configuration for dojoConfig: <script type="text/javascript"> dojoConfig = { async: true, parseOnLoad: false, packages: [ { name: 'jquery', location: '//ajax.googleapis.com ...

Emphasize the most recent file during the document upload process and ensure the scroll bar moves accordingly to the document

I am currently working on a feature where the scroll bar should move to the newly uploaded document in a list of documents. When I upload a new document, I want the scroll bar to automatically move to that document. Currently, the highlighting changes to t ...

Building four frames with HTML

I am looking to have four frames set up in an HTML document. However, with the current code provided below, only three frames are being generated. <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <FRAMESET cols="100%" rows="10%,90%" > <FRAMESET rows="100%,"& ...

Having issues with the basic KnockoutJS binding not functioning as expected

There appears to be an issue with my KnockoutJS script that I'm struggling to pinpoint. Below is the snippet of HTML code: <h2>SendMessage</h2> <div class="form-group" id="messageSender"> <label>Select User Type</l ...

utilize dynamic variable within the template's views

Here is a snippet of my HTML code var marker; function initMap() { map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("mymap"), myOptions); getMapMetadata([]); // setInterval(function(){ getMapMetadata([]); }, 3000); } function createMarke ...

Is the × symbol added from JavaScript not able to be clicked on?

In my javascript code, I have added HTML content dynamically using the following method: var response = { message: "sample messsage" }; $('#main-content').append( '<div class="alert alert-danger alert-dismissable">'+ & ...

Top method for achieving a smooth transition in a loading CSS3 animation

Having trouble implementing a fade in/fade out effect on a div with a CSS3 based login animation when a function is loaded. I have set up a jsfiddle but still can't get it to work. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! http://jsfiddle.net/adam ...

What is the best way to use PHP and Ajax to create a registration page that can verify the availability of a username without requiring a page refresh?

On my website, I have a register.php file that is responsible for creating new user accounts. However, if someone tries to use a username that already exists, an error only appears after they fill out the entire form and submit it. How can I utilize Ajax ...

Tips for successfully passing an array containing an object to an AJAX action

I am facing an issue with passing an object in AJAX that has a list of properties to my action. The problem is that the list always ends up being null. How can I resolve this? Below is the code snippet: Class Definitions : public class SaveProduct { ...

Stylish dropdown menu design inspired by W3CSS website

I recently implemented a CSS dropdown menu example that I found on a website, but it's not working with my code. I double-checked for typos but couldn't find any. Even when I tried to directly copy the code and replace the content with my own, i ...

Modify input value using jQuery upon moving to the next step

When you type into an input[text] and press the tab button, it automatically moves to the next input. If you fill out all the inputs and then want to re-fill them, the values will be highlighted in blue. However, I wanted to achieve this without having to ...

Guidelines for utilizing the php mail() function

It seems that there is an issue with this code when running it on a local host versus a live server. I am attempting to use this code for a mail function, which works on another site but not on this one. I know the code will produce an error on localhost ...

issue with animation occurs when the value changes while the setTimeout timer is still running

function wallpaperMediaPropertiesListener(event) { // reset animation test.stop(true); test.css('margin-left', 0); // set song title. test.text(event.title); var testWidth = test.outerWidth(); // clone text ...

Angular - Acquire reference to the <audio> element

Is there a way to access the methods of an audio tag within my component in order to implement play and pause functions based on click events? The current method I tried does not allow me to access the play() function. How can I correctly approach this? ...

Toggle class on a span element within an anchor tag

I've been experimenting with different approaches, but I just can't seem to figure out how to make this work. How do I change the class of the span inside an < a > tag within an < li > to "active," and then remove it when another < ...

Guide to centering a button on an image using bootstrap 4

I'm having trouble getting three buttons to align vertically in the center of an image using Bootstrap 4. I've tried using position:relative on the image and position:absolute on the buttons, but it's not working as expected. <div class= ...

The close() function in the Fancybox success callback is not functioning properly when used with ajax

Code Snippet for index.php jQuery(function ($) { $("a.edit").fancybox(); }); <a class="edit" href="showForm.php?id=<?=$row['id']?>"> Edit </a> Code Snippet for showForm.php $id = $_GET['id']; jQuery(fu ...