[jQuery] how can i query all fields with values in a form

[jQuery] how can i query all fields with values in a form


hi friends,
i wanted to reference a field by it's name, in the form it is found.
my way was:
var inputs = jQuery(the_form).find('input'); //a list of fields
var field = jQuery(inputs).filter('[name='+fieldname+']');
my problem is, that inputs doesn't contain textarea and select fields.
is there a more complete solution?
i imagine a sum of arrays similar to inputs.
any way to put an or in this query?
best regards,
alex