$ Variable (Dollar Sign) in Chrome?
dollar-sign, google-chrome, google-chrome-devtools, javascript
Solution
This has changed yet again, even since just last year.
The devtools console provides `$` as an alias to `document.querySelector`, along with many other things; here's an excerpted list:
- `$(selector)` returns the reference to the first DOM element with the specified CSS selector. This function is an alias for the `document.querySelector()` function.
- `$$(selector)` returns an array of elements that match the given CSS selector. This command is equivalent to calling `document.querySelectorAll()`.
- `$_` returns the value of the most recently evaluated expression.
- The `$0`, `$1`, `$2`, `$3` and `$4` commands work as a historical reference to the last five DOM elements inspected within the Elements panel or the last five JavaScript heap objects selected in the Profiles panel.
...and a bunch of others.
Note how it calls `$` an alias of `document.querySelector`, but says `$$` is "equivalent" to calling `document.querySelectorAll`. Neither seems to be literally true; `$ === document.querySelector` is `false`, and `$$` returns an array, not a `NodeList`.
Problem
I was working with the developer tools of google chrome on a page without jQuery (or any other library that uses the `$` sign as a shortcut). When I inspected `$` by the console (by just typing it in and hitting enter), i got this: ``` $ function () { [native code] } ``` So, chrome has some native function that can be referenced by `$`. Only chrome seems to have this one and i cannot access it via `window['$']` nor via `document['$']` or `this['$']`. I was not able to find out what this function is. Do you know what it does and maybe have some background information on this? Thanks in advance!