Question

How to set an option in select by text using jQuery? The following works

$("#selectID option:contains('optionText')").attr("selected", true);

Is there a simpler/shorter way?

Example

<select id="fruit">
    <option value="">--select--</option>
    <option value="1">apple</option>
    <option value="2">pineapple</option>
    <option value="3">orange</option>
<select>
<br>
<button>apple</button>
<button>orange</button>
<button>pineapple</button>

$(function() {
    $("button").click(function() {
        $("#fruit option:contains('" + $(this).text() + "')").attr("selected", true);
    })
})

Demo

EDIT

The version posted above using Contains has a bug. Since the Contains would match partial strings also (e.g. apple would match pineapple), it can select incorrect options.

// Doesn't work in FF4, IE9 using jQuery 1.4.4
$('#fruit').val('apple'); // Doesn't work in FF4, IE9 using jQuery 1.4.4

// Doesn't work either in FF4, IE9 using jQuery 1.4.4
$('#fruit option[text="apple"]').attr("selected", true);

// This works
$("#fruit").children("option[text='apple']").attr("selected", true);

EDIT Feb 14th, 2012

// The above doesn't work in jQuery 1.7.1

// Using even more verbose version [Demo][2]

var buttonText = $(this).text();

$("#fruit option:contains('" + buttonText + "')")
    .filter(function(i){
        return $(this).text() === buttonText;
    })
    .attr("selected", true)

Answer 1

// Work in FF4, IE9 using jQuery 1.4.4 but has a bug (see original post)
$("#selectID option:contains('optionText')").attr("selected", true);

// Doesn't work in FF4, IE9 using jQuery 1.4.4
$('#fruit').val('apple'); // Doesn't work in FF4, IE9 using jQuery 1.4.4

// Doesn't work either in FF4, IE9 using jQuery 1.4.4
$('#fruit option[text="apple"]').attr("selected", true);

// This works
$("#fruit").children("option[text='apple']").attr("selected", true);

Demo

EDIT Feb 14th, 2012

// The above doesn't work in jQuery 1.7.1

// Using even more verbose version [Demo][2]

var buttonText = $(this).text();

$("#fruit option:contains('" + buttonText + "')")
    .filter(function(i){
        return $(this).text() === buttonText;
    })
    .attr("selected", true)