How to select an element which doesn't have a specific class name, using jQuery?

Question

How could a Commando, like myself, select an element witch does not have a class named "active", using the infamous and powerful jQuery Sizzle CSS and everything else - Selector?

I've tried with:

$('a[class!="active"]').etc();

But it gives no adequate results.

Mentality

Answer 1

$('a:not(.active)')

should work

---

yours works as well. just tested: http://jsfiddle.net/UP6a7/

Gause

this works with $('#parent').find('a:not(.active)'); as well? – Mentality

@Andy: "yours works as well", for single classed elements. – Roadbed

@Commando: Yes, it works even with that! Or directly $('#parent a:not(.active)'); – Roadbed

@Shef: right, this could work though :) $('a:not([class*="active"])') – Gause

@Andy: Yeah, but it's still Sizzle, so not much improvement with that. :) – Roadbed

@Shef: just a slightly different approach, closer to his original code :) – Gause

@Andy: Shef is right. Class name, in my case, might be: "class anotherClass andAnotherClassAsWell" :) – Mentality