value

The value method has two modes of operation.
1. If called without a parameter, it will return the current value for the widget.
2. If a value is passed, this value will be set as the current value for the slider widget.

These are demonstrated in the sample below:

<input id="slider" />

<script type="text/javascript">
jQuery(function($) {
    var slider = $("#slider").shieldSlider({
        step: 10,
        value: 30
    }).swidget();

    // this will return the current value of the widget
    alert(slider.value());

    // this will set a value of 60 for the slider
    slider.value(60);

    // this will return the current value of the widget
    alert(slider.value());
});
</script>