jQuery alterClass plugin: Remove element classes with wildcard matching. Optionally add classes.

jquery.alterclass.js

/**
 * jQuery alterClass plugin
 *
 * Remove element classes with wildcard matching. Optionally add classes:
 *   $( '#foo' ).alterClass( 'foo-* bar-*', 'foobar' )
 *
 * Copyright (c) 2011 Pete Boere (the-echoplex.net)
 * Free under terms of the MIT license: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
 *
 */
(function ( $ ) {
	
$.fn.alterClass = function ( removals, additions ) {
	
	var self = this;
	
	if ( removals.indexOf( '*' ) === -1 ) {
		// Use native jQuery methods if there is no wildcard matching
		self.removeClass( removals );
		return !additions ? self : self.addClass( additions );
	}

	var patt = new RegExp( '\\s' + 
			removals.
				replace( /\*/g, '[A-Za-z0-9-_]+' ).
				split( ' ' ).
				join( '\\s|\\s' ) + 
			'\\s', 'g' );

	self.each( function ( i, it ) {
		var cn = ' ' + it.className + ' ';
		while ( patt.test( cn ) ) {
			cn = cn.replace( patt, ' ' );
		}
		it.className = $.trim( cn );
	});

	return !additions ? self : self.addClass( additions );
};

})( jQuery );

This is really useful! Is it possible to replace many classes pattern with one call? For example
'alert-* status-* type-*'

Currently this method only seems to work if the classes are in that order. Ideally, it would work regardless of the order.

Thoughts?

Good work! Very helpful...

Thanks for the code, very helpful for me !

Great plugin it should be implement in jquery 1.12 or 2.2 !

Good work!

Great function – thanks a lot.

It also works with Zepto. Just pass in Zepto instead of jQuery and it just works.

Great Work! Thanks a lot ;)

💯

Very nice! Thanks a ton!

Wonderful, thank you very much!

Very useful, thanks

Good work :)

thanks a lot.. 👍

Nice. Very handy. +1

Nice ! thanks a lot

Nice! Thanks +1

Saved my time... Thank you!