# .position()

Categories: CSS | Offset | Manipulation > Style Properties

## .position() Returns: Object

Description: Get the current coordinates of the first element in the set of matched elements, relative to the offset parent.

- #### version added: 1.2.position()

The `.position()` method allows us to retrieve the current position of an element relative to the offset parent. Contrast this with `.offset()`, which retrieves the current position relative to the document. When positioning a new element near another one and within the same containing DOM element, `.position()` is the more useful.

Returns an object containing the properties `top` and `left`.

### Example:

#### Access the position of the second paragraph:

    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html>
    <head>
      <style>

      div { padding: 15px;}
      p { margin-left:10px; }
      </style>
      <script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.7rc2.js"></script>
    </head>
    <body>

    <div>
      <p>Hello</p>
    </div>
    <p></p>

    <script>
    var p = $("p:first");
    var position = p.position();
    $("p:last").text( "left: " + position.left + ", top: " + position.top );
    </script>

    </body>
    </html>

#### Demo: