what are the top js lib/framework/tool i should know? - javascript

i know the basics of js the language for several years, but never had a need to go deeper than say change a style of a paragraph or do a image rollover or validate a field.
am thinking going deeper with js.
can anyone recommend the top 3 library or framework that you cant live without?
Xah

Let's ask Stack Overflow Tag Trends:

Its really a personal choice, but:
JQuery
Node.js (Serverside JS)
SproutCore or Capuccino

You could take a look at this: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/wa-jsframeworks/?ca=dgr-dwexnbarbw

Related

AJAX and Javascript: suggestions about an interface

I am looking for a correct method to create something very similar to this (just click Next on that page). I would love to receive any suggestions on how this has been made.
I believe that it's all about a DIV wrapping many ul's. When next is clicked, probably a jQuery code is showing an hidden DIV on the right, but wouldn't know how to position it. Everything clearly must be taken from a database.
Can anyone out there give me an advice? I hope this is not the kind of a thumbs-down question, as I tought this community would have been the best place to share this. Thanks a lot.
Take a look at some existing JavaScript MVC frameworks like Backbone.js, AngularJS, or Knockout, to understand some of the design patterns and philosophies behind these kinds of dynamic UIs.
They can be powerful for tools for a modern web app, especially when you have a lot of moving parts in your UI. They'll play well with your backend and datastore via AJAX, and you get nice features like "routing" which can help you do cool things with page flow, all the while keeping your JavaScript clean and concise.

Javascript library for fancy font effects

Sometime before I had come across a javascript library that allowed one to write text in various forms and arrangements. I cant seem to find it, can someone please recommend links ?
Thanks,
Murtaza
There are quite a few jQuery plugins that deal with text effects. Here are a few:
Lettering.js
jqIsoText
Codename Rainbows
Personal feelings aside (I find such effects to be somewhat trite on professional websites, on the other hand if a site is design-driven it may very well be worthwhile to code something custom), there are some libraries out there like fittext.js
Here's a list of 11 jQuery plugins: http://sixrevisions.com/javascript/jquery-plugins-typography/

Simple lightbox feedback form? Included screenshot

There are so many lightboxes to choose from, I'm looking for a very lightweight one to use in an embedded javascript widget that would be a single domain name. I saw the perfect one on chainreactioncycles.com, it popped up out of nowhere so I took a screenshot:
I tried looking for info on it on the page source, but couldn't find anything that would let me trace where it came from... Would anybody know of one like this? Or exactly that one?
If not exactly like above, anything similar would be great too, keeping the following in mind:
Very small javascript download (animation not needed)
Self contained, not dependent on any libraries other than jquery (since I'm already using that anyway).
Works in major browsers
Close button (like GetSatisfaction or UserVoice)
Dims background
Avoids javascript namespace conflicts (or can easily be made to avoid them)
CSS styling of lightbox does not interfere with site styling
Have you used an existing lightbox scripts for this same purpose with similar requirements? Did you roll your own? Insights welcome!
What you are looking for is called a modal box.
Here is a list of them
... and here is a striking replica of what you are looking for
Check out Zoombox.. It sounds like what you're looking for... Simple to use... Allows custom content.. jQuery Module... From past experience it covers what you have outlined as requirements etc
http://www.grafikart.fr/zoombox will tell you all you need to know.

I need help replicating this cool jQuery/javascript/css effects

I really like the transition and effects used on this site: http://imagemechanics.com.au/. I would like to replicate this on a site I'm working on, but my CSS and Javascript skills are not there yet. The site said it's "nothing too special behind the scenes of the site - all done with css, jquery, ajax..."
Are there any jQuery kits out there that does the same effect? Or is there an easy way to pull the code needed from the site to replicate it myself?
Thanks in advance
check jquery scrollTo();
http://flesler.blogspot.com/2007/10/jqueryscrollto.html

Where can I learn jQuery? Is it worth it?

Locked. This question and its answers are locked because the question is off-topic but has historical significance. It is not currently accepting new answers or interactions.
I've had a lot of good experiences learning about web development on w3schools.com. It's hit or miss, I know, but the PHP and CSS sections specifically have proven very useful for reference.
Anyway, I was wondering if there was a similar site for jQuery. I'm interested in learning, but I need it to be online/searchable, so I can refer back to it easily when I need the information in the future.
Also, as a brief aside, is jQuery worth learning? Or should I look at different JavaScript libraries? I know Jeff uses jQuery on Stack Overflow and it seems to be working well.
Thanks!
Edit: jQuery's website has a pretty big list of tutorials, and a seemingly comprehensive documentation page. I haven't had time to go through it all yet, has anyone else had experience with it?
Edit 2: It seems Google is now hosting the jQuery libraries. That should give jQuery a pretty big advantage in terms of publicity.
Also, if everyone uses a single unified aQuery library hosted at the same place, it should get cached for most Internet users early on and therefore not impact the download footprint of your site should you decide to use it.
2 Months Later...
Edit 3: I started using jQuery on a project at work recently and it is great to work with! Just wanted to let everyone know that I have concluded it is ABSOLUTELY worth it to learn and use jQuery.
Also, I learned almost entirely from the Official jQuery documentation and tutorials. It's very straightforward.
10 Months Later...
jQuery is a part of just about every web app I've made since I initially wrote this post. It makes progressive enhancement a breeze, and helps make the code maintainable.
Also, all the jQuery plug-ins are an invaluable resource!
3 Years Later...
Still using jQuery just about every day. I now author jQuery plug-ins and consult full time. I'm primarily a Djangonaut but I've done several javascript only contracts with jQuery. It's a life saver.
From one jQuery user to another... You should look at templating with jQuery (or underscore -- see below).
Other things I've found valuable in addition to jQuery (with estimated portion of projects I use it on):
jQuery Form Plugin (95%)
jQuery Form Example Plugin (75%)
jQuery UI (70%)
Underscore.js (80%)
CoffeeScript (30%)
Backbone.js (10%)
Rick Strahl and Matt Berseth's blogs both tipped me into jQuery and man am I glad they did. jQuery completely changes a) your client programming perspective, b) the grief it causes it you, and c) how much fun it can be!
http://www.west-wind.com/weblog/
http://mattberseth.com/
I used the book jQuery in Action
http://www.amazon.com/jQuery-Action-Bear-Bibeault/dp/1933988355/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219716122&sr=1-1 (I bought it used at Amazon for about $22). It has been a big help into bootstrapping me into jQuery. The documentation at jquery.com are also very helpful.
A place where jQuery falls a little flat is with its UI components. Those don't seem to be quite ready for primetime just yet.
It could be that Prototype or MooTools or ExtJS are as good as jQuery. But for me, jQuery seems to have a little more momentum behind it right now and that counts for something for me.
Check jQuery out. It is very cool!
A great resource for learning jQuery is: Learning jQuery. The author, Karl Swedberg, also co-wrote the book titled... ready? Yup, Learning jQuery. Remy Sharp also has great info geared towards the visual aspects of jQuery on his blog.
--SEAN O
I used Prototype for about six months before I decided to learn jQuery. To me, it was like a night and day difference. For example, in Prototype you will loop over a set of elements checking if one exists and then setting something in it, in jQuery you just say $('div.class').find('[name=thing]') or whatever and set it.
It's so much easier to use and feels a lot more powerful. The plugin support is also great. For almost any common js pattern, there's a plugin that does what you want. With prototype, you'll be googling for blogs that have the snippet of code you need.
It is very much worth it. jQuery really makes JavaScript fun again. It's as if all of JavaScript best practices were wrapped up into a single library.
I learned it through jQuery in Action (Manning), which I whipped through over a weekend. It's a little bit behind the current state of affairs, especially in regard to plug-ins, but it's a great introduction.
There are numerous JavaScript libraries that are worth at least a cursory review to see if they suit your particular need. First, come up with a short list of criteria to guide your selection and evaluation process.
Then, check out a high level framework comparison/reviews somewhere like Wikipedia, select a few that fit your criteria and interest you. Test them out to see how they work for you. Most, if not all, of these libraries have websites w/ reference documentation and user group type support.
To put some names out there, Prototype, script.aculo.us, Jquery, Dojo, YUI...those all seem to have active users and contributers, so they are probably worth reading up on to see if they meet your needs.
Jquery is good, but with a little extra effort, maybe you'll find that something else works better for you.
Good luck.
I found that these series of tutorials (“jQuery for Absolute Beginners” Video Series) by Jeffery Way are VERY HELPFUL.
It targets those developers who are new to jQuery. He shows how to create many cool stuff with jQuery, like animation, Creating and Removing Elements and more.
I learned a lot from it. He shows how it's easy to use jQuery.
Now I love it and I can read and understand any jQuery script even if it's complex.
Here is one example I like "Resizing Text"
1- jQuery:
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
$(function() {
$('a').click(function() {
var originalSize = $('p').css('font-size'); // Get the font size.
var number = parseFloat(originalSize, 10); // That method will chop off any integer
// from the specifid varibale "originalSize".
var unitOfMassure = originalSize.slice(-2); // Store the unit of massure, Pixle or Inch.
$('p').css('font-size', number / 1.2 + unitOfMassure);
if (this.id == 'larger') {
$('p').css('font-size', number * 1.2 + unitOfMassure);
} // Figure out which element is triggered.
});
});
</script>
2- CSS Styling:
<style type="text/css" >
body{
margin-left:300px;text-align:center;
width:700px;
background-color:#666666;}
.box {
width:500px;
text-align:justify;
padding:5px;
font-family:verdana;
font-size:11px;
color:#0033FF;
background-color:#FFFFCC;}
</style>
2- HTML:
<div class="box">
Larger |
Smaller
<p>
In today’s video tutorial, I’ll show you how to resize text every
time an associated anchor tag is clicked. We’ll be examining
the “slice”, “parseFloat”, and “CSS” Javascript/jQuery methods.
</p>
</div>
I highly recommend these tutorials:
http://blog.themeforest.net/screencasts/jquery-for-absolute-beginners-video-series/
There are a number of resources to learn jQuery (which is completely worth it IMHO). Start here http://docs.jquery.com/Main_Page to read the jQuery documentation. This is a great site for seeing visually what it has to offer:
http://visualjquery.com/1.1.2.html. Manning publications also has a great book which is highly recommended called jQuery in Action. As far as JavaScript libraries are concerned, this one and Prototype are probably the most popular if you're looking to compare jQuery to something else.
I started learning by looking at jQuery extensions to see how other developers work with the jQuery language. It not only helped me to learn jQuery syntax but also taught me how to develop my own extensions.
jQuery worths learning!!! I recommend reading "Learning jQuery" and "jQuery in Action". Both books are great with expalanation and examples. The next step is to actually use it to do something. You will find official http://docs.jquery.com docummentation very useful. I use it as a reference, google it all the time :)
Also "Learning jQuery" blog mensioned by Sean is also very useful. Also jQuery HowTo is also has a great collection of jQuery code snippets.
I haven't seen JQ-Fundamentals - by Rebecca Murphey mentioned anywhere here.
It is a very good book. It also explains the fundamentals of JavaScript required to understand the basics of JQuery.
Jquery.com is well organized and has many great examples. You don't need to buy a book. I found it easy to pickup on the fly by just referencing website's documentation. If you're someone who learns best by doing, I'd suggest this approach.
And yes, it's absolutely worth learning. It'll save you a lot of time and you'll actually look forward to doing JavaScript work!
I use Prototype, which I like. I'm afraid I don't know jQuery, so I can't compare them, but I think Prototype is worth checking out. Their API docs are generally pretty good, in my experience (which certainly helps with learnability).
Hey, I am biased in that I now work with these guys, but Carsonified offers some great resources for people learning and improving their jQuery skill set.
Just next Monday there is an online conference on jQuery featuring John Resig himself - http://carsonified.com/online-conferences/jquery/
Also, they now offer video tutorials via their membership scheme on the Think Vitamin blog,
I know there's a lot of free resource out there, I guess the difference here is the quality of the content you get. hope it's useful!
Below link my be helpful for you if you know SQL (Only css selectors).
http://karticles.com/2011/06/learning-jquery-with-sql-basic-selectors
http://karticles.com/2011/06/learning-jquery-with-sql-attribute-selectors

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