How to verify an element exists in the DOM using jQuery?
$ returns an array of matching elements, so check the length property and you're good to go
if ($('#lblUpdateStatus').length) { $("#lblUpdateStatus").text("");}
The get method returns the matched DOM elements:
if($("#lblUpdateStatus").get(0)){ $("#lblUpdateStatus").click(function () { ... });}but I am not sure if it is a fast method.
The thing is that the jQuery will only do the requested action if the element exists :-),so you only need:
$("#lblUpdateStatus").text("");