HTML <body> test test test aaaaaa </body> JS $(‘body’).hide(); $(‘#show’).show(); Why doesn’t this

Question

Asked: June 8, 20262026-06-08T05:40:28+00:00 2026-06-08T05:40:28+00:00

HTML

<body>
    <span>test</span>
    <span>test</span>
    <span>test</span>
    <span id="show">aaaaaa</span>
</body>

JS

$('body').hide();

$('#show').show();

Why doesn’t this work? How can I make it work?

Now all is hidden, but if I use $('#show').show(); it should make #show visible. Is this possible? If yes, how?

I want hide all elements without #show, but I can’t modify the HTML.

You must login to add an answer.

Need An Account,

Editorial Team · Answer 1 · 2026-06-08T05:40:31+00:00

Editorial Team

To hide all elements without id="show", you can use the not function:

$('body').find('*').not('#show').hide();

$('body').find(':not("#show")').hide();

Edit: to also show all children of #show, add that to the not selector:

$('body').find('*').not('#show, #show > *').hide();

The Archive Base Latest Questions