In Microsoft Ajax, What Exactly Does $find Do?

I'm so confused as to what $find from Microsoft Ajax actually is. Does it just return a control in a similar manner that the $ operator from jquery or javascript's own getElementB

Solution 1:

I was able to find the following information via a quick Google search:

Why should you opt for $find instead of $get? The $get function is shorthand for document.getElementById. As such, it can only look for DOM elements. The $find function stands for Sys.Application.findComponent and applies to any component of the Microsoft AJAX Library that has been programmatically created.

From MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc135984.aspx

For further reading, look at the Sys.Applicationl.findComponent doco.