New: API method: _ - the underscore function is the compliment to the $ function introduced early in the 1.9 development cycle. While working with DataTables and the $ I've often wanted the data for the nodes that I'm working with, which means a call to fnGetData and an inner look - not itself bad, but it means an area loop in the external code - so this underscore function is basically the same as $, but rathe rhtan returning an jQuery object of nodes it will return an array of the data source objects for the matched TR elements (important to note that - the selector should resolve TR elements only, other elements don't have DataTables controlled data, and thus will be null in the returned array)

media/js/jquery.dataTables.js

@@ -4728,7 +4728,7 @@
 		/**
 		 * Perform a jQuery selector action on the table's TR elements (from the tbody) and
 		 * return the resulting jQuery object.
-		 *  @param {string} sSelector jQuery selector
+		 *  @param {string|node|jQuery} sSelector jQuery selector or node collection to act on
 		 *  @param {object} [oOpts] Optional parameters for modifying the rows to be included
 		 *  @param {string} [oOpts.filter=none] Select TR elements that meet the current filter
 		 *    criterion ("applied") or all TR elements (i.e. no filter).
@@ -4832,6 +4832,68 @@
 		};
 		
 		
+		/**
+		 * Almost identical to $ in operation, but in this case returns the data for the matched
+		 * rows - as such, the jQuery selector used should match TR elements rather than any
+		 * decendents. The data returned is the original data array/object that was used to create
+		 * the row (or a generated array if from a DOM source).
+		 *
+		 * This method is often useful incombination with $ where both functions are given the
+		 * same parameters and the array indexes will match identically.
+		 *  @param {string|node|jQuery} sSelector jQuery selector or node collection to act on
+		 *  @param {object} [oOpts] Optional parameters for modifying the rows to be included
+		 *  @param {string} [oOpts.filter=none] Select TR elements that meet the current filter
+		 *    criterion ("applied") or all TR elements (i.e. no filter).
+		 *  @param {string} [oOpts.order=current] Order of the TR elements in the processed array.
+		 *    Can be either 'current', whereby the current sorting of the table is used, or
+		 *    'original' whereby the original order the data was read into the table is used.
+		 *  @param {string} [oOpts.page=all] Limit the selection to the currently displayed page
+		 *    ("current") or not ("all"). If 'current' is given, then order is assumed to be 
+		 *    'current' and filter is 'applied', regardless of what they might be given as.
+		 *  @returns {array} Data for the matched TR elements. If any elements, as a result of the
+		 *    selector, were not TR elements in the DataTable, they will have a null entry in the
+		 *    array.
+		 *
+		 *  @example
+		 *    $(document).ready(function() {
+		 *      var oTable = $('#example').dataTable();
+		 *
+		 *      // Get the data from the first row in the table
+		 *      var data = oTable._('tr:first');
+		 *
+		 *      // Do something useful with the data
+		 *      alert( "First cell is: "+data[0] );
+		 *    } );
+		 *
+		 *  @example
+		 *    $(document).ready(function() {
+		 *      var oTable = $('#example').dataTable();
+		 *
+		 *      // Filter to 'Webkit' and get all data for 
+		 *      oTable.fnFilter('Webkit');
+		 *      var data = oTable._('tr', {"filter": "applied"});
+		 *      
+		 *      // Do something with the data
+		 *      alert( data.length+" rows matched the filter" );
+		 *    } );
+		 */
+		this._ = function ( sSelector, oOpts )
+		{
+			var aOut = [];
+			var i, iLen, iIndex;
+			var oSettings = _fnSettingsFromNode( this[DataTable.ext.iApiIndex] );
+			var aTrs = this.$( sSelector, oOpts );
+		
+			for ( i=0, iLen=aTrs.length ; i<iLen ; i++ )
+			{
+				iIndex = _fnNodeToDataIndex( oSettings, aTrs[i] );
+				aOut.push( iIndex!==null ? oSettings.aoData[iIndex]._aData : null );
+			}
+		
+			return aOut;
+		};
+		
+		
 		/**
 		 * Add a single new row or multiple rows of data to the table. Please note
 		 * that this is suitable for client-side processing only - if you are using 

media/src/api/api.methods.js

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 /**
  * Perform a jQuery selector action on the table's TR elements (from the tbody) and
  * return the resulting jQuery object.
- *  @param {string} sSelector jQuery selector
+ *  @param {string|node|jQuery} sSelector jQuery selector or node collection to act on
  *  @param {object} [oOpts] Optional parameters for modifying the rows to be included
  *  @param {string} [oOpts.filter=none] Select TR elements that meet the current filter
  *    criterion ("applied") or all TR elements (i.e. no filter).
@@ -107,6 +107,68 @@ this.$ = function ( sSelector, oOpts )
 };
 
 
+/**
+ * Almost identical to $ in operation, but in this case returns the data for the matched
+ * rows - as such, the jQuery selector used should match TR elements rather than any
+ * decendents. The data returned is the original data array/object that was used to create
+ * the row (or a generated array if from a DOM source).
+ *
+ * This method is often useful incombination with $ where both functions are given the
+ * same parameters and the array indexes will match identically.
+ *  @param {string|node|jQuery} sSelector jQuery selector or node collection to act on
+ *  @param {object} [oOpts] Optional parameters for modifying the rows to be included
+ *  @param {string} [oOpts.filter=none] Select TR elements that meet the current filter
+ *    criterion ("applied") or all TR elements (i.e. no filter).
+ *  @param {string} [oOpts.order=current] Order of the TR elements in the processed array.
+ *    Can be either 'current', whereby the current sorting of the table is used, or
+ *    'original' whereby the original order the data was read into the table is used.
+ *  @param {string} [oOpts.page=all] Limit the selection to the currently displayed page
+ *    ("current") or not ("all"). If 'current' is given, then order is assumed to be 
+ *    'current' and filter is 'applied', regardless of what they might be given as.
+ *  @returns {array} Data for the matched TR elements. If any elements, as a result of the
+ *    selector, were not TR elements in the DataTable, they will have a null entry in the
+ *    array.
+ *
+ *  @example
+ *    $(document).ready(function() {
+ *      var oTable = $('#example').dataTable();
+ *
+ *      // Get the data from the first row in the table
+ *      var data = oTable._('tr:first');
+ *
+ *      // Do something useful with the data
+ *      alert( "First cell is: "+data[0] );
+ *    } );
+ *
+ *  @example
+ *    $(document).ready(function() {
+ *      var oTable = $('#example').dataTable();
+ *
+ *      // Filter to 'Webkit' and get all data for 
+ *      oTable.fnFilter('Webkit');
+ *      var data = oTable._('tr', {"filter": "applied"});
+ *      
+ *      // Do something with the data
+ *      alert( data.length+" rows matched the filter" );
+ *    } );
+ */
+this._ = function ( sSelector, oOpts )
+{
+	var aOut = [];
+	var i, iLen, iIndex;
+	var oSettings = _fnSettingsFromNode( this[DataTable.ext.iApiIndex] );
+	var aTrs = this.$( sSelector, oOpts );
+
+	for ( i=0, iLen=aTrs.length ; i<iLen ; i++ )
+	{
+		iIndex = _fnNodeToDataIndex( oSettings, aTrs[i] );
+		aOut.push( iIndex!==null ? oSettings.aoData[iIndex]._aData : null );
+	}
+
+	return aOut;
+};
+
+
 /**
  * Add a single new row or multiple rows of data to the table. Please note
  * that this is suitable for client-side processing only - if you are using