I was asked in an interview that how do you 'declare' jQuery? He did not mean a jQuery variable or a $(func()). In case you find this question weird, please do not penalize me for this as I'm enquiring just cause I was asked. :)

I was asked in an interview that how do you 'declare' jQuery? He did not mean a jQuery variable or a $(func()). In case you find this question weird, please do not penalize me for this as I'm enquiring just cause I was asked. :)

• javascript
• jquery

• Perhaps he meant how one would include jQuery? As in, how to use a <script> tag to reference it? – Interrobang Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 7:10
• @Interrobang: Thats what I told him. You do not have to declare. You simple add the latest jquery.js file and call doc ready function. He did not seem to be convinced. Such questions make one lose confidence when one is new to something :) – Rohan Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 7:13
• I agree. That almost sounds like an HR guy that was given a list of screening questions to ask that he didn't really understand. You're in the right, carry on! – Interrobang Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 7:14
• I would say both. 'var ctr = $("#txLogin")' but also directly, depends on use. – Independent Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 7:25
• @Rohan - It sounds like you gave the correct answer (noting though that you don't have to call doc ready). If he didn't seem convinced either he was looking for an answer so obscure that nobody here knows it either, or Interrobang is correct that he didn't understand what he was asking. Or both. I've had interviews where a non-technical person just read technical questions off the page. – nnnnnn Commented Dec 21, 2011 at 7:44

4 Answers 4

You don't "declare" jQuery, you just include the file within a script tag:

<script src="/locationof/jQuery.js"></script>

If you look in the jQuery source it appends itself to window.$ and window.jQuery when it runs as the source code is in a self-executing anonymous function.

(function( window, undefined ) {
   // rest of source here

   // Expose jQuery to the global object
   window.jQuery = window.$ = jQuery;
})(window);

We don't "declare" jQuery, we just add "reference" to the file where is this library in. For example:

<script src="@Url.Content("~/Scripts/jquery-1.4.4.min.js")" type="text/javascript"></script>

That's it.

Perhaps he meant how to include it:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.1/jquery.min.js"></script>

I guess he was assuming that you say using a $ sign