What Does $ Mean in JavaScript?

If you’re new to programming, you might be wondering what the dollar sign means in JavaScript. In this blog post, we’ll explain what it is and how to use it.

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Introduction

In JavaScript, the dollar sign ($) is a signal that a variable will be used. It’s like an alert to the programmer that the variable may contain multiple values. The $ symbol is also used as a shortcut for jQuery, a popular JavaScript library.

What is $ in JavaScript?

JavaScript variables can be declared using the var keyword, like this:

var message = “This is a variable.”;

The $ symbol can also be used to declare a variable in JavaScript. However, $ is not a keyword in JavaScript and thus it cannot be used directly to create a variable. $ is a valid variable name, but it must be declared using the var keyword, like this:

var $ = “This is also a variable.”;

Examples of using $ in JavaScript

So what does the dollar sign mean in JavaScript? In a nutshell, it’s used to access properties of objects.

For example, if you have an object called myObj with a property called name, you can access the name property like this:

myObj.name // returns “John”

You can also access the property using the dollar sign:

myObj.$name // also returns “John”

The dollar sign is just a shorthand way of accessing properties. It can be used with any object, not just DOM elements.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the $ sign in JavaScript has multiple uses, from identifying variables to jQuery usage. Though it is not required, consistent use of the $ sign can help other developers quickly identify which parts of your code are written in jQuery.

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