jQuery .slideToggle(): Toggle a Collapsible Panel

jQuery Reference

.slideToggle() switches between showing and hiding content with a vertical animation. It hides a visible element and reveals a hidden one, making it suitable for a collapsible help panel.

Syntax and behavior

$("#panel").slideToggle(400, "swing", function () {
  // Run after this element finishes animating.
});
$("#panel").slideToggle({ duration: 400, easing: "linear" });

duration is the running time in milliseconds, with a default of 400. "fast" means 200 milliseconds and "slow" means 600; larger values produce longer animations. easing controls how the speed changes: swing is the default variable-speed curve, while linear progresses at a constant rate. A complete callback runs once per element after its animation finishes, with this set to that DOM element. The method returns a jQuery object immediately, so returning does not indicate that the animation has finished. The complete example uses display: none for the initially hidden panel. A hidden attribute or an additional forced-hiding rule can interfere with showing it.

The official jQuery .slideToggle() documentation describes additional call signatures and argument types.

Complete runnable example

Save the following code as a UTF-8 example.html file and open it in a browser. It loads the full jQuery 4.0.0 build from an external URL, so an internet connection is required. The $(function () { ... }) callback waits for the document to be ready before running the example.

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>jQuery slideToggle example</title>
  <style>
    body { margin: 24px; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; }
    .marked { background: #fff0b3; border: 2px solid #835b00; }
    .active { color: #a00000; font-weight: bold; }
    button, input, select { font: inherit; }
    #output { white-space: pre-wrap; overflow-wrap: anywhere; }
  </style>
  <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-4.0.0.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<button id="run" type="button" aria-controls="panel" aria-expanded="false">Toggle</button>
<button id="reset" type="button">Reset</button>
<div id="panel" class="marked" style="display: none;"><p>This is the collapsible help content.</p></div>
  <p id="output" aria-live="polite"></p>
  <script>
    $(function () {
      $("#run").on("click", function () {
        const $button = $(this);
        const duration = window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches ? 0 : 400;
        $("#panel").stop(true, true).slideToggle(duration, "swing", function () {
          const visible = $(this).is(":visible");
          $button.attr("aria-expanded", String(visible));
          $("#output").text(visible ? "Expanded" : "Collapsed");
        });
      });
      $("#reset").on("click", function () {
        $("#panel").stop(true, true).hide();
        $("#run").attr("aria-expanded", "false");
        $("#output").text("Initial state");
      });
    });
  </script>
</body>
</html>

Expected result

The panel starts hidden. Clicking Toggle expands it and displays Expanded; clicking again collapses it and displays Collapsed. Reset clears the active effect and restores the initial visibility. When the operating system requests reduced motion, this example uses a duration of zero for an immediate state change.

Waiting for all selected animations

$(".panel").slideToggle(400).promise().done(function () {
  console.log("All panel animations finished");
});

Use this snippet with several elements whose class is panel. .promise() waits for the default fx queue and separates collection-wide completion from the per-element complete callback.

Important details and troubleshooting

The slim build excludes effects, so these methods require a build that includes the effects module. Use the full build shown in the example and check script loading in the browser’s Network panel.
Effects normally enter an element’s fx queue. .stop(true, true) clears pending effects and jumps the current effect to its end before starting another. Jumping to the end can also run the previous completion callback.
For multiple elements, complete runs once for each element. Use .promise().done() when a single action should run after the whole collection’s effects finish.
If keyboard focus is inside a panel about to be hidden, consider moving it to a visible control first. The animation alone does not manage focus or accessibility state.
Use .slideDown() or .slideUp() when matching a known open or closed state. Unconditional toggling can diverge from a state stored elsewhere.

See the .stop() documentation for queue handling, the .promise() documentation for collection-wide completion, and the jQuery full and slim build descriptions for module availability.

Compare the behavior with .slideUp() for collapsing content, .slideDown() for expanding content.

jQuery Reference

jQuery .appendTo(): Insert Content as the Last Child

Start with the content to insert it at a destination’s end, and inspect the returned selection and moving or cloning behavior.

jQuery .slideDown(): Expand and Show Hidden Content

Reveal a hidden panel and handle its initial state, animation queue, callbacks, reset behavior, and reduced motion.

jQuery .prepend(): Insert Content as the First Child

Add content at the beginning of an element and understand how existing nodes and multiple destinations affect the result.

jQuery .wrapAll(): Put Selected Elements in One Wrapper

Collect selected elements into one wrapper and inspect how separated siblings move, including the limits of unwrapping.

jQuery .val(): Read and Set Form Field Values

Read and set current field values and multiple selections, and handle change events separately from value assignment.

jQuery .wrap(): Wrap Each Element Separately

Give each selected element its own wrapper, check the returned selection, and avoid duplicate IDs or repeated nesting.

jQuery .slideUp(): Collapse and Hide Content

Collapse a panel with duration, easing, and completion handling, including queued effects, reset behavior, and reduced motion.

jQuery .css(): Read, Set, and Clear Styles

Read computed styles, set and clear inline properties, and handle CSS units and numeric values in jQuery 4.0.

jQuery .attr(): Read and Set HTML Attributes

Read and set attributes, distinguish them from current field properties, and understand Boolean and ARIA handling in jQuery 4.0.

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