1.8. Returning to the Prior Selection Before a Destructive Change

1.8.1. Problem

A destructive jQuery method (e.g., filter() or find()) that was used on a set of elements needs to be removed so that the set prior to the use of the destructive method is returned to its previous state and can then be operated as if the destructive method had never been invoked.

1.8.2. Solution

jQuery provides the end() method so that you can return to the previous set of DOM elements that were selected before using a destructive method. To understand the end() method, let’s examine the following HTML.