Split multiple selectors for use with jQuery

[guinness]

I needed a quick and dirty approach to splitting up jQuery multiple selectors, so I could record if a selector pattern had already been used. So I came up with this "quick 'n' dirty" hack. If someone can up with better let me know. I tried to look at the sizzle source, but didn't have enough time to plough through 2000 lines of code.

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// Split the following multiple selectors into an array
var selector = '#nav-bar-temp-1 a, #nav-bar-temp-2 a';
console.log(getSelectors(selector));

/**
 * Get a list of selectors (singule or multiple)
 * 
 * @param {string} selector A valid jQuery selector string
 * @returns {array} An array or selectors; otherwise, an empty array
 */
function getSelectors(selector) {
    var isInQuoteMark = false, // True/false when inside a quotation mark i.e. commas should be ignored
        isNextSelector = false, // If passed a comma set to true, so whitespace can be escaped before meeting a next non-whitespace character
        isQuoteMark = false, // True/false as to whether a quotation mark
        reQuoteMark = /[\"\']/, // Regex to determine a quotation mark
        selectors = [], // Array to hold found selectors
        temporary = ''; // Temp variable to store the selector

    for (var i = 0, length = selector.length; i < length; i++) {
        // Is it a quotation mark?
        isQuoteMark = selector[i].match(reQuoteMark);

        if (isQuoteMark && !isInQuoteMark) {
            // Appears to be the start of a string
            isInQuoteMark = true;
        } else if (isQuoteMark && isInQuoteMark) {
            // Appears to be the end of a string
            isInQuoteMark = false;
        } else if (selector[i] === ',' && !isInQuoteMark) {
            // If a comma and not inside a string then push to the array
            isNextSelector = true;
            selectors.push(temporary);
            temporary = '';

            // So as not to add the comma to the temporary variable
            continue;
        } else if (selector[i] !== ' ' && isNextSelector) {
            // If not an empty space but the next selector has started then set to false
            isNextSelector = false;
        }

        // If the character can be concatanated i.e. not whitespace after a comma, then add
        if (!isNextSelector) {
            temporary += selector[i];
        }
    }

    // If temporary is not empty, then push to the array
    if (temporary) {
        selectors.push(temporary);
    }
    
    // Return the array of selectors. Note it could be empty
    return selectors;
}

 

Edited July 27, 2015 by guinness
Add doc comment

[guinness]

Fixed code. Now caching the length property and fixed comment typo.

[arun6582]

I'm using this code in production to split jquery selectors.

Should i worry about anything else?