This method is a shortcut for .bind('select', handler) in the first two variations, and .trigger('select') in the third.

The select event is sent to an element when the user makes a text selection inside it. This event is limited to <input type="text"> fields and <textarea> boxes.

For example, consider the HTML:

<form>
  <input id="target" type="text" value="Hello there" />
</form>
<div id="other">
  Trigger the handler
</div>

The event handler can be bound to the text input:

$('#target').select(function() {
  alert('Handler for .select() called.');
});

Now when any portion of the text is selected, the alert is displayed. Merely setting the location of the insertion point will not trigger the event. To trigger the event manually, apply .select() without an argument:

$('#other').click(function() {
  $('#target').select();
});

After this code executes, clicks on the Trigger button will also alert the message:

Handler for .select() called.

In addition, the default select action on the field will be fired, so the entire text field will be selected.

The method for retrieving the current selected text differs from one browser to another. A number of jQuery plug-ins offer cross-platform solutions.