Set the selected index of a Dropdown using jQuery

Question

How do I set the index of a dropdown in jQuery if the way I\'m finding the control is as follows:

$(\"*[id$=\'\" + originalId + \"\']\") 

I

Answer 1

$("[id$='" + originalId + "']").val("0 index value");

will set it to 0

Answer 2

Select 4th option

$('#select').val($('#select option').eq(3).val());

example on jsfiddle

Answer 3

I'm writing this answer in 2015, and for some reason (probably older versions of jQuery) none of the other answers have worked for me. I mean, they change the selected index, but it doesn't actually reflect on the actual dropdown.

Here is another way to change the index, and actually have it reflect in the dropdown:

$('#mydropdown').val('first').change();

Answer 4

You want to grab the value of the first option in the select element.

$("*[id$='" + originalId + "']").val($("*[id$='" + originalId + "'] option:first").attr('value'));