Get index of selected option with jQuery
The first methods seem to work in the browsers that I tested, but the option tags doesn't really correspond to actual elements in all browsers, so the result may vary.
Just use the selectedIndex property of the DOM element:
alert($("#dropDownMenuKategorie")[0].selectedIndex);Update:
Since version 1.6 jQuery has the prop method that can be used to read properties:
alert($("#dropDownMenuKategorie").prop('selectedIndex'));
You can use the .prop(propertyName) function to get a property from the first element in the jQuery object.
var savedIndex = $(selectElement).prop('selectedIndex');This keeps your code within the jQuery realm and also avoids the other option of using a selector to find the selected option. You can then restore it using the overload:
$(selectElement).prop('selectedIndex', savedIndex);