In the jQuery libray there's the next code (line 462 of jQuery 1.3.1) :

<js>

jQuery( "option", this ).each(function(){

this.selected = (jQuery.inArray( this.value, values ) >= 0 ||

jQuery.inArray( this.text, values ) >= 0);

});

</js>

So in fact it give the selected attribute if the value attribute OR the inner text of the option match the value.

I think that's not the true way to do it.

Because if an option element have a value attribute the inner text should be ignore !

i.e. a select box filled with item created dynamically by the user (so each item have a "name" field completed by the user and a "id" field completed automaticaly by the system - a database autoincrement).

So we could have this DOM :

<dom>

<select>

<option value="1">6</option>

<option value="2">5</option>

<option value="3">4</option>

<option value="4">3</option>

</select>

</dom>

For this list if I do

$('select').val(3);

The two last items are selected... instead of only one ! The real one which have the value 4.