Benchmark: JQuery: compare approaches for getting first option

HTML Preparation code:

<select id="action">
  <option>1</option>
  <option>2</option>
  <option>3</option>
  <option>4</option>
  <option>5</option>
  <option>6</option>
  <option>7</option>
  <option>8</option>
  <option>9</option>
  <option>10</option>
</select>
<script src='https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.4.1/jquery.js'></script>

Script Preparation code:

var $element = $("#action");

Tests:

using first child selector
$element.find("option:first-child");
using nth child
$element.find("option:nth-child(1)");
using first function
$element.find("option").first();

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
using first child selector
using nth child
using first function

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

Run details: (Test run date: 3 years ago)

User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:92.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/92.0

Browser/OS: Firefox 92 on Windows

View result in a separate tab

Test name	Executions per second
using first child selector	117129.7 Ops/sec
using nth child	105615.3 Ops/sec
using first function	224634.9 Ops/sec

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated 2 months ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

**Benchmark Explanation**

MeasureThat.net is a website that allows users to create and run JavaScript microbenchmarks. The benchmark provided compares three approaches for getting the first option from a select element in jQuery.

The test cases use the `find()` method, which is used to find elements within a DOM tree. The three approaches being compared are:

1. **Using first child selector**: This approach uses the `:first-child` pseudo-class to select the first child element of the selected element.
2. **Using nth child**: This approach uses the `:nth-child(n)` pseudo-class to select the nth child element of the selected element, where n is 1 for the first child.
3. **Using first function**: This approach uses the `.first()` method to get the first element from the jQuery object.

**Pros and Cons**

* **Using first child selector**:
	+ Pros: Simple and efficient, as it only traverses the DOM tree once to find the first child.
	+ Cons: May not be as readable or maintainable for complex DOM structures.
* **Using nth child**:
	+ Pros: Allows for more flexibility in selecting elements, especially when dealing with large datasets.
	+ Cons: Can be slower than using first child selector, as it requires additional DOM traversal.
* **Using first function**:
	+ Pros: Easy to read and maintain, as it uses a well-known jQuery method.
	+ Cons: May not be suitable for older browsers that don't support the `.first()` method.

**Library and Purpose**

The `jQuery` library is used in this benchmark. It provides a convenient way to manipulate the DOM tree, simplify event handling, and improve browser compatibility.

**Special JS Feature or Syntax**

None of the approaches require special JavaScript features or syntax beyond what's available in modern browsers.

**Other Alternatives**

If you're interested in exploring alternative approaches, here are a few options:

* **Using querySelector**: Instead of using `find()` or `.first()`, you could use the `querySelector` method to select the first element directly. This approach is more efficient but may not be supported by older browsers.
* **Using DOM traversal**: You could also use traditional DOM traversal methods, such as `childNodes` and `item(0)`, to get the first child element.

For example:
```javascript
var $element = $("#action");
var firstChild = $element.childNodes[0];
```
Keep in mind that these alternatives may have different performance characteristics or compatibility issues with older browsers.

Related benchmarks:

JQuery: compare approaches for getting first option (version: 0)

compare which approach is better for getting first option from select

Comparing performance of: using first child selector vs using nth child vs using first function

Created: 4 years ago by: Registered User

Jump to the latest result

using first child selector

using nth child

using first function

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Experimental features:

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated 2 months ago):