The .val() method is primarily used to get the values of form elements such as input, select and textarea. When called on an empty collection, it returns undefined.

When the first element in the collection is a select-multiple (i.e., a select element with the multiple attribute set), .val() returns an array containing the value of each selected option. As of jQuery 3.0, if no options are selected, it returns an empty array; prior to jQuery 3.0, it returns null.

For selects and checkboxes, you can also use the :selected and :checked selectors to get at values. For example:

For selects, checkboxes and radio buttons, you can also use the :selected and :checked selectors to get at values. For example:

 
 // Get the value from a dropdown select