If I have this:

<a href="#" id="the-link"><em>any random text</em></a>

Or this:

<a href="#" id="the-link">any random text</a>

Or this:

<a href="#" id="the-link"><em><div id="foo"><span>any random text</span></div></em></a>

I would like to capture the text "any random text" and then replace it.

How can I do this with jQuery? If not with jQuery, just regular javascript?

If I have this:

<a href="#" id="the-link"><em>any random text</em></a>

Or this:

<a href="#" id="the-link">any random text</a>

Or this:

<a href="#" id="the-link"><em><div id="foo"><span>any random text</span></div></em></a>

I would like to capture the text "any random text" and then replace it.

How can I do this with jQuery? If not with jQuery, just regular javascript?

• javascript
• jquery
• traversal

• +1 for starcraft, my favorite game. – Darin Dimitrov Commented Nov 22, 2010 at 22:35
• This is part of the DOM, or a string? – Marcel Korpel Commented Nov 22, 2010 at 22:39

4 Answers 4

You could do this recursively. It's pretty simple:

function replaceTextNodes(node, newText) {
    if (node.nodeType == 3) {
        // Filter out text nodes that contain only whitespace
        if (!/^\s*$/.test(node.data)) {
            node.data = newText;
        }
    } else if (node.hasChildNodes()) {
        for (var i = 0, len = node.childNodes.length; i < len; ++i) {
            replaceTextNodes(node.childNodes[i], newText);
        }
    }
}

replaceTextNodes(document.getElementById("the-link"), "NEW TEXT");

$('a:contains(starcraft)').html('starcraft 2');

Edit for ment: jsfiddle

$('a').find(':only-child:last').html('starcraft 2');

You might want to check out this question: select deepest child in jQuery

Looks like you need to find the deepest child and then call .html('new string') or .text('new string') on it.

var link = $('#the-link');
var inner = link;
while(inner.children().length > 0)
     inner = inner.children();

inner.html('whatever');