How Can jQuery Clone Element Styles using Pseudo Cloning and Computed Styles?

jQuery CSS Plugin for Pseudo Cloning Element Styles

Introduction

When working with jQuery, it becomes necessary at times to access and manipulate the computed styles of an element. While existing jQuery methods like width() allow easy manipulation of specific properties, there is a need for a more comprehensive approach to copying and applying all computed styles.

Problem Statement

The central challenge revolves around finding a jQuery plugin or approach that can:

• Return an object containing the computed styles of the first matched element
• Allow this object to be applied to other elements using the css() method
• Facilitate pseudo cloning of elements, where a different tag is used but maintains the same appearance

Solution

Despite being an apparent need, a readily available jQuery plugin for this task has not yet been developed. However, there are custom solutions that address this problem effectively.

One such solution involves extending the standard css() method by overriding its behavior. If no arguments are provided, it returns an object with all computed styles.

Extended CSS Method:

jQuery.fn.css2 = jQuery.fn.css;
jQuery.fn.css = function() {
    if (arguments.length) return jQuery.fn.css2.apply(this, arguments);
    var attr = ['font-family','font-size','font-weight','font-style','color',
    'text-transform','text-decoration','letter-spacing','word-spacing',
    'line-height','text-align','vertical-align','direction','background-color',
    'background-image','background-repeat','background-position',
    'background-attachment','opacity','width','height','top','right','bottom',
    'left','margin-top','margin-right','margin-bottom','margin-left',
    'padding-top','padding-right','padding-bottom','padding-left',
    'border-top-width','border-right-width','border-bottom-width',
    'border-left-width','border-top-color','border-right-color',
    'border-bottom-color','border-left-color','border-top-style',
    'border-right-style','border-bottom-style','border-left-style','position',
    'display','visibility','z-index','overflow-x','overflow-y','white-space',
    'clip','float','clear','cursor','list-style-image','list-style-position',
    'list-style-type','marker-offset'];
    var len = attr.length, obj = {};
    for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) 
        obj[attr[i]] = jQuery.fn.css2.call(this, attr[i]);
    return obj;
}

Another notable solution is a jQuery plugin called getStyleObject. It retrieves all possible styles, including those not accessible through the standard css() method:

getStyleObject Plugin:

(function($){
    $.fn.getStyleObject = function(){
        var dom = this.get(0);
        var style;
        var returns = {};
        if(window.getComputedStyle){
            var camelize = function(a,b){
                return b.toUpperCase();
            }
            style = window.getComputedStyle(dom, null);
            for(var i=0;i<style.length;i++){
                var prop = style[i];
                var camel = prop.replace(/\-([a-z])/g, camelize);
                var val = style.getPropertyValue(prop);
                returns[camel] = val;
            }
            return returns;
        }
        if(dom.currentStyle){
            style = dom.currentStyle;
            for(var prop in style){
                returns[prop] = style[prop];
            }
            return returns;
        }
        return this.css();
    }
})(jQuery);

Conclusion

Both of these solutions enable you to obtain and apply computed styles to elements, providing greater flexibility and control over element appearance and pseudo cloning. The choice of solution depends on the compatibility requirements and specific needs of your project.

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