jQuery .addBack(): Include the Previous Traversal Selection

jQuery Reference

.addBack() combines the current selection with the immediately previous selection in the traversal stack. For example, use it after .find() to style matching descendants together with their original containers.

Syntax and behavior

$(".panel").find(".item").addBack();
$(".panel").find(".item").addBack(".selected");

Traversal methods create a new selection while remembering the previous one. .addBack() does not include every earlier selection or every ancestor automatically. Its optional selector filters only the previous selection before it is combined; the current selection is not filtered by that argument.

The official jQuery .addBack() 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 addBack 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>
<div class="panel selected" id="a"><p class="item">First item</p></div>
<div class="panel" id="b"><p class="item">Second item</p></div>
  <p id="output" aria-live="polite"></p>
  <script>
    $(function () {
      const $result = $(".panel").find(".item").addBack(".selected");
      $result.addClass("marked");
      $("#output").text("Selected: " + $result.length);
    });
  </script>
</body>
</html>

Expected result

Both item paragraphs and the selected panel a are highlighted. Panel b is not added, so the output reads Selected: 3. Removing the argument from .addBack() includes both panels and both paragraphs.

Important details and troubleshooting

Additional traversal methods change what counts as the previous selection. Call .addBack() at the intended point, or retain the required selection in a variable.
.end() returns to the previous selection, whereas .addBack() merges it into the current one.
Creating a new object with $(...) does not retain the earlier object’s traversal stack. Use .add() to combine an independent selection.

Compare the behavior with .add() selection merging, .find() descendant traversal.

jQuery Reference

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