Backbone - cannot understand why does not draw select html

[McLaren]

Hello,

I am following this series

http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/javascript-ajax/build-a-contacts-manager-using-backbone-js-part-5/

and everything ws fine when was working with just javascrtript and html.

But now I want to put it together with php fraework and I cannnot get it to work.

It does not draw select box first of all. And does not draw contacts. Maybe if I would get the idea why it is not drawing select box, then I would undestand other things.

I commented out the code to figure out in which place things stop working.

js
http://pastebin.com/VLUdrJUE

html
http://pastebin.com/PNRKcbTD

I tried even this:

$('#filter').html('sasd');
this.$el.find("#filter").append('why this does not work?????');

but does not show any changes. But when I console.log that element it is found. So element selected but does not show any text/html. Why is this?

[CGSMCMLXXV]

Because of this:

this.$el

What is the intend of $el?

[McLaren]

What is the intend of $el?

el: $("#contacts"),

I don't know what this

this.$el

means, I usually don't use such expessions, but as from tutorial there were sentences about catching or something like that - jquery cached version. I am not sure.

[McLaren]

looks like I found the problem :D

but I don't get why is that. Nothing worked, so I eneded up deleting all html and all javascript because it has to start working at some point. So I have empty files.
Just made div #contacts, included jquery and app.js which I am wrinting.

in app.js only put the code

$(function() {
    // Stuff to do as soon as the DOM is ready;
        $('#contacts').html('sudas'); 
});

and finally it started to work :D wow. IF this would not have worked then I really would not understand.

So I Ctrl + Z both html and app.js files to get back where I was.

And I see the difference.

Original document ready was like this:

(function ($) {
...
} (jQuery));

But my wokring code was as you saw

 $(function() {

And this difeerence made it work. FML.

Can somebody explain what is the difference? I thoguht its the same document ready.
ANd how this could work earlier? I mean

(function ($) {

O, did quick google search
http://jquery-howto.blogspot.com/2008/12/what-heck-is-function-jquery.html

so it is for the reason to work with other libarries. But still why it could stop working for me?