Let's dive into the world of JavaScript benchmarks on MeasureThat.net.

Benchmark Overview

The benchmark compares two approaches to adding a class to an HTML element: jQuery's addClass method and the native classList.add method in modern JavaScript (ES6+).

Options Compared

There are only two options being compared:

1. jQuery addClass: This method is part of the popular jQuery library, which provides a simplified way to manipulate HTML elements.
2. Native classList.add: This method is part of the native JavaScript API and allows direct access to an element's class list.

Pros and Cons

• jQuery addClass:
  • Pros: Simple to use, widely supported, and easy to implement.
  • Cons: Requires including the jQuery library, which can add extra weight to your project, and may not be the most efficient way to manipulate elements (more on this later).
• Native classList.add:
  • Pros: Lightweight, no dependencies required, and provides direct access to an element's class list.
  • Cons: Requires ES6+ support in JavaScript engines, which might not be available in older browsers.

Other Considerations

The benchmark assumes that the test element (<div id="el">) has an existing class named "test" that will be removed before running each test. This is because both approaches need to add a new class to the element.

Library: jQuery

jQuery is a popular JavaScript library that simplifies HTML element manipulation. The addClass method adds a single class to an element, whereas the native classList.add method can add multiple classes at once.

Special JS Feature/Syntax

There's no special feature or syntax used in this benchmark, but it's worth noting that the classList API is a modern feature introduced in ES6+ JavaScript. If you need to support older browsers, you might need to use a polyfill or fallback approach.

Alternative Approaches

If you're looking for alternative approaches to adding classes to elements, here are a few:

1. Using the style property: You can use the style property to set the className property directly.

document.getElementById("el").style.className = "test";

2. Using a CSS class list library: There are libraries like class-list that provide an easy way to work with class lists in older browsers.
3. Using a custom implementation: You can create your own implementation of the classList.add method using DOM manipulation or other techniques.

Keep in mind that each approach has its pros and cons, and the best choice depends on your specific use case and requirements.