jQuery Siblings: How to Traverse and Manipulate Sibling Elements in the DOM
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Introduction: Why jQuery Siblings Matter in DOM Traversal
When working with dynamic interfaces—like forms, tabs, dropdowns, or step-by-step wizards—you often need to interact with elements that are on the same level in the DOM. These are known as siblings.
jQuery provides powerful and intuitive methods like:
-
.siblings()– to get all siblings -
.next()– to get the next sibling -
.prev()– to get the previous sibling
These methods are critical for tasks like:
-
Highlighting a selected tab while unhighlighting its siblings
-
Validating adjacent fields in a form
-
Building accessible and dynamic UI interactions
Let’s explore how to use jQuery’s sibling traversal methods effectively.
jQuery Sibling Methods Explained
| Method | Description | Selector Support | Returns Multiple? |
|---|---|---|---|
.siblings() |
All siblings of the selected element | ✅ | ✅ |
.next() |
Next sibling element | ✅ | ❌ |
.prev() |
Previous sibling element | ✅ | ❌ |
.nextAll() |
All following siblings | ✅ | ✅ |
.prevAll() |
All preceding siblings | ✅ | ✅ |
Step-by-Step Guide to jQuery Sibling Methods
1. .siblings() – Get All Siblings
Returns all sibling elements, excluding the original selected one.
<ul>
<li>Item 1</li>
<li id="item2">Item 2</li>
<li>Item 3</li>
</ul>
$('#item2').siblings().addClass('highlight');
// Adds class to Item 1 and Item 3
You can filter by selector:
$('#item2').siblings(':contains("Item 3")').css('font-weight', 'bold');
2. .next() – Get Immediate Next Sibling
$('#item2').next().text('Updated Item 3');
// Changes the text of Item 3
3. .prev() – Get Immediate Previous Sibling
$('#item2').prev().css('color', 'green');
// Changes color of Item 1
4. .nextAll() and .prevAll() – Get All Siblings After or Before
$('#item2').nextAll().addClass('after-items');
// Applies to Item 3
$('#item2').prevAll().addClass('before-items');
// Applies to Item 1
These are useful for multi-step navigation or batch updates.
✅ Complete Functional Code Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>jQuery Sibling Traversal Demo</title>
<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
<style>
.highlight { background: yellow; }
.after-items { font-style: italic; }
.before-items { font-weight: bold; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<ul>
<li>Step 1</li>
<li id="current">Step 2 (Current)</li>
<li>Step 3</li>
</ul>
<button id="btn">Traverse Siblings</button>
<script>
$('#btn').click(function () {
$('#current').siblings().addClass('highlight'); // All other steps
$('#current').next().text('Step 3 (Next Step)'); // Next step
$('#current').prev().text('Step 1 (Previous Step)'); // Previous step
$('#current').nextAll().addClass('after-items'); // All next steps
$('#current').prevAll().addClass('before-items'); // All previous steps
});
</script>
</body>
</html>
Clicking the button will visually differentiate between current, previous, and next steps in the list using jQuery sibling methods.
⚠️ Tips & Common Pitfalls
✅ Best Practices
-
Use
.siblings()for group updates (e.g., deselecting all other tabs). -
Use
.next()and.prev()for directional flow (forms, carousels). -
Combine with
.filter()or selectors for granular control:$('#item2').siblings('li.active').removeClass('active');
❌ Common Mistakes
-
Expecting
.siblings()to return the element itself — it doesn't. -
Assuming
.next()or.prev()includes text nodes or comments — they don't unless they are elements. -
Forgetting chaining — all traversal methods return jQuery objects, allowing further chaining like
.addClass(),.css(), etc.
jQuery Sibling Methods Comparison Table
| Method | Description | Returns Multiple | Filter Supported |
|---|---|---|---|
.siblings() |
All siblings | ✅ | ✅ |
.next() |
Immediate next sibling | ❌ | ✅ |
.prev() |
Immediate previous sibling | ❌ | ✅ |
.nextAll() |
All following siblings | ✅ | ✅ |
.prevAll() |
All preceding siblings | ✅ | ✅ |
Conclusion: Sibling Traversal = Smarter UI Interaction
jQuery’s sibling methods make it easy to move across the DOM horizontally, enabling powerful UI behaviors like:
-
Navigating step-by-step flows
-
Highlighting selected elements
-
Updating or hiding sibling elements contextually
Key Takeaways:
-
Use
.siblings()to target all siblings except the current element. -
Use
.next()and.prev()for directional logic. -
.nextAll()and.prevAll()are great for batch operations.
By mastering jQuery’s sibling methods, you can write cleaner, smarter, and more intuitive code for your users—and your future self.
