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Trying to see how method is called ie. if $('.test') or $('.test').hide() , if first one return element if second return object

I am trying to recreate the $() selector and so far all is well. One thing I am hung up on is how to return an element rather than the object if no method is being called.
For example:
I have a function
function $(selector){
return new DomEl(selector); //this would be the simialr ot the jquer object that has all methods
}
The above allows me to call a methods on the element like so:
$('#test').hide();
But if I just use the function without calling any class like so: $('#test')
I want it to return the element:
return document.querySelector(selector)
So my question is how can I detect how the $() function is being called and whether or not it is being called with a class method to be called upon it ?
Thanks for your help!

JavaScript: how to pass object value from one function to another

I am using code lines like the following in order to fetch data from an intranet website:
util.setProp(obj, "firstNameOld", $(msg).find('#fname_a').text());
Now I have another function in the same file where I want to use the above again, resp. the value of that object - currently I am hard-coding this ('Test') for test purposes:
util.setProp(obj, "firstNameNew", 'Test');
How can I pass the value from the firstNameOld object in one function to the firstNameNew object in another function ? If a solution with global variables is better here than this would work as well.
Many thanks for any help with this, Tim.

I've never used the framework that includes util But I imagine that if there is a setProp() then there has to be a getProp() or something similar.
If so, you could do something like
util.setProp(obj, "firstNameNew", util.getProp(obj, "firstNameOld"));
This also relies on the assumption that you want to copy from two properties in the same object.
If not, then pass the desired source object in the getProp() call.

My guess is that functions (or properties) are called "firstNameOld" and "firstNameNew", so the first time you get it from selector, second time you want to do the same.
Try to use the local variable like that:
var text = $(msg).find('#fname_a').text();
//
util.setProp(obj, "firstNameOld", text);
//
util.setProp(obj, "firstNameNew", text);

How to get 'this' in a function referring to jQuery object

Amongst other things, I have read:
what-does-this-mean
you-must-remember-this
mythical-methods
but they haven't solved 'this' problem I'm having with a piece of JavaScript.
I have a Section object that gets passed some XML which it uses to populate the section. In the Section object I append a div which has a specified index. The resulting jQuery object is pushed into a sections Array. The following code is from the Section object code:
sections.push($('#section' + p_sectionIndex));
this.showSection = function() {
this.show();
}
this.hideSection = function() {
this.hide();
}
sections[sections.length-1].on('show', this.showSection.call(sections[sections.length-1]));
sections[sections.length-1].on('hide', this.hideSection.call(sections[sections.length-1]));
Elsewhere I call sections[index].trigger('hide'); and sections[index].trigger('show');
The first of the links I mentioned above seemed to suggest this in a function depends on HOW it's called and that you could pass a reference to this into the function by using call. I know the showSection and hideSection function ARE being triggered - I just can't get the this in those functions to refer to the jQuery objects in the sections Array.
I have tried multiple variations of the above (excluding the call, using $(this) in the functions, adding the showSection and hideSection functions to the jQuery object - amongst others) but I'm kind of out of ideas.
Any help much appreciated!

this in an event handler is the element node that the event was bound to. If you want a jQuery object wrapping that node, use $(this)
Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/b36M6/
This of course assumes you revert back to the correct way of passing a function to the event binding.

When you use .call(), you're invoking the function immediately.
Since you want this to refer to the element, bound, just pas the function itself.
sections[sections.length-1].on('show', this.showSection);
sections[sections.length-1].on('hide', this.hideSection);
Now this in the showSection and hideSection methods will refer to the sections[] member to which it was bound.
I assume "show" and "hide" are some sort of custom events.

Convert Javascript function to jQuery plugin

I have already a short-hand function like so:
function myObj() {};
myObj.prototype.read = function (name) {alert(name);};
...(more functions)
Now I would like to "convert" this to a jQuery plugin.
What is the best way to do so? (My function doesn't need a selector before it).
I thought about doing it like this:
$.myObj.methodHere();
Thanks in advance.

Just add your method to the jQuery object.
$.myObj = myObj;
Then you can call it like:
$.myObj.methodHere();
EDIT: Why do you want to do this? jQuery plugins are supposed to act upon jQuery objects. Your function "doesn't need a selector before it", therefore it's not really a "plugin".

Using jQuery in a JavaScript function

function divlightbox(val)
{
if(val)
{
val=val.replace( /^\s+/g, "" );
var count_js=0;
var big_string='';
document.getElementById("video_lightbox").innerHTML="";
document.getElementById("divlightbox").style.display = "block";
$("#video_lightbox").css({"height":"430px","top":"10%","width":"480px"});
I found out that the error is in the above. My question is can't I use jQuery and traditional JavaScript at same time? I have done coding like this numerous times and never ran into a problem like this. I used to use jQuery methods like .hide() and .css() inside JavaScript functions but this time it doesn't work.
Thanks in advance.

While the other answers fix the specific problems, I don't think the OP's question (in bold) is really answered here, as depending on the specific context, $ may possibly not be defined as a jQuery object yet (having had this problem myself a few times now.)
In which case you would need to do something like:
function divlightbox(val) {
// ...
// just use jQuery instead of $ one time
jQuery("#video_lightbox").css({"height":"430px","top":"10%","width":"480px"});
}
OR
function divlightbox(val) {
// define the $ as jQuery for multiple uses
jQuery(function($) {
// ...
$("#video_lightbox").css("height":"430px");
$("#video_lightbox").css("top":"10%");
$("#video_lightbox").css("width":"480px");
});
}

jQuery is JavaScript so YES. Instead .innerHTML="" just use .empty(). Instead .getElementById() use $('#..') and so on.

to do things like hide(); and css() you need jquery objects. you can't do them to dom elements.
so you could do $('#video_lightbox').html("");
or
$('#video_lightbox').empty();

You must provide error in javascript console.
1) Do you pass a val argument to divlightbox function()? When do you call it?
2) why do you use the same identifier divlightbox both for a function and for a div id? Change name to the function please, maybe the problem could be here.
3) Always check if video_lightbox and divlightbox exist before accessing them.