Answers by Sentry

Get the value of a select element when it changes in jQuery

David Y.

The Problem

Using jQuery, how can I retrieve the value of a <select> element when it changes?

The Solution

We can do this by binding a callback function to the relevant jQuery selector’s change event:

<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.7.1.min.js"
        integrity="sha256-/JqT3SQfawRcv/BIHPThkBvs0OEvtFFmqPF/lYI/Cxo=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

<select id="cities">
  <option value="paris">Paris</option>
  <option value="beijing">Beijing</option>
  <option value="cairo">Cairo</option>
</select>

<script>
  $('#cities').on('change', function () {
    console.log(`Cities selector changed to ${this.value}.`);
  });
</script>

Note that we’ve used the <select> element’s ID rather than $('select') to avoid applying this callback to the change event of every <select> element on our page. If this is the desired functionality, we can change $('#cities') to $('select').

<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.7.1.min.js"
        integrity="sha256-/JqT3SQfawRcv/BIHPThkBvs0OEvtFFmqPF/lYI/Cxo=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

<select id="cities">
  <option value="paris">Paris</option>
  <option value="beijing">Beijing</option>
  <option value="cairo">Cairo</option>
</select>

<select id="countries">
  <option value="france">Paris</option>
  <option value="china">China</option>
  <option value="egypt">Egypt</option>
</select>

<script>
  $('select').on('change', function () {
    console.log(`A selector was changed to ${this.value}.`);
  });
</script>

We could achieve the same result as the first code snippet without using jQuery by changing the code inside the <script> tags and substituting document.getElementById for the jQuery $ selector and using .addEventListener instead of .on:

<select id="cities">
  <option value="paris">Paris</option>
  <option value="beijing">Beijing</option>
  <option value="cairo">Cairo</option>
</select>

<script>
  document.getElementById('cities').addEventListener('change', function () {
    console.log(`Cities selector changed to ${this.value}.`);
  });
</script>

The behavior of the second snippet can be achieved without jQuery by using document.querySelector and Array.forEach:

<select id="cities">
  <option value="paris">Paris</option>
  <option value="beijing">Beijing</option>
  <option value="cairo">Cairo</option>
</select>

<select id="countries">
  <option value="france">Paris</option>
  <option value="china">China</option>
  <option value="egypt">Egypt</option>
</select>

<script>
  document.querySelectorAll('select').forEach(select => {
    select.addEventListener('change', function () {
      console.log(`A selector was changed to ${this.value}.`);
    });
  });
</script>

Get Started With Sentry

Get actionable, code-level insights to resolve JavaScript performance bottlenecks and errors.

  1. Create a free Sentry account

  2. Create a JavaScript project and note your DSN

  3. Grab the Sentry JavaScript SDK

<script src="https://browser.sentry-cdn.com/7.112.2/bundle.min.js"></script>
  1. Configure your DSN
Sentry.init({ dsn: 'https://<key>@sentry.io/<project>' });

Loved by over 4 million developers and more than 90,000 organizations worldwide, Sentry provides code-level observability to many of the world’s best-known companies like Disney, Peloton, Cloudflare, Eventbrite, Slack, Supercell, and Rockstar Games. Each month we process billions of exceptions from the most popular products on the internet.

learn more about sentryjoin our discord
Share on Twitter
Bookmark this page
Ask a questionJoin the discussion

Related Answers

A better experience for your users. An easier life for your developers.

Try Sentry For FreeRequest a Demo
    TwitterGitHubDribbbleLinkedinDiscord
© 2024 • Sentry is a registered Trademark
of Functional Software, Inc.