Retrieving native DOM elements from jQuery objects?
$('myTag').get(0)
returns the HTML element.
jQuery uses the Sizzle Selector Engine*. You can use it on its own too.
* Confirmed by Doug Neiner, which means it's right ;)
When you find elements with jQuery, you can get them with the "get" function:
var regularElement = $('#myElementId').get(0);
Inside a ".each()" function, the "this" pointer refers to a "real" element:
$('input.special').each(function() {
var type = this.type;
this.value = "exploding balloon";
// etc
})
Using jQuery doesn't make Javascript "different." It is Javascript, and the DOM is still the DOM.