jQuery:
A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction

jQuery Fundamentals

Evaluating the benefits of jQuery

• Traversing HTML with the jQuery() function
• Introducing the Sizzle CSS selector engine

Navigating HTML documents

• Matching nodes by element name, ID, class, position, content, behaviour and context
• Chaining calls to the jQuery() function

Manipulating the Document Object Model (DOM) for Cross-Browser DHTML

Adding and replacing content with jQuery

• Updating, adding and deleting element content and attribute values
• Inserting nodes into the DOM and manipulating parents and siblings

Dynamically assigning CSS properties

• Adding and removing CSS rules and classes
• Controlling element size and position

Creating accessible, unobtrusive JavaScript

• Leveraging the .ready() method
• Assigning event handlers programatically
• Achieving accessibility through progressive enhancement

Animating Web Pages with jQuery Effects

Enhancing pages with simple animations

• Controlling visibility with .hide(), .show() and .toggle()
• Creating attractive slide and fade effects
• Combining animations and responding to callbacks

Programming complex animations

• Improving animation with easings
• Leveraging object literals to control animations
• Developing custom animations with .animate()

Building Responsive Pages with Ajax

Updating page components asynchronously

• Downloading HTML with the .load() method
• Calling web services with .get() and .post()
• Utilising Ajax global event handlers

Converting serialised server data to HTML

• Retrieving JSON with .getJSON()
• Returning and parsing XML with .ajax()

Designing User-Friendly Forms

Exploring jQuery tools for forms manipulation

• Selecting and setting focus on the first element
• Responding to focus and blur events
• Providing real-time feedback via keyboard events

Integrating a validation plugin

• Applying predefined rules from CSS classes
• Validating onsubmit and onblur
• Specifying custom rules and messages

Extending jQuery with Plugins

Integrating popular plugins

• Leveraging contributions from the jQuery community
• Extracting embedded data from semantic HTML with the Metadata Plugin
• Manipulating images with slide shows and carousels

Developing jQuery plugins

• Conforming to best practices and naming conventions
• Handling multiple elements
• Enabling method chaining
• Aliasing $ to avoid namespace conflicts
• Consuming object literals to override defaults

Creating Sophisticated User Interfaces with jQuery UI

Managing styles for a uniform look and feel

• Downloading and customising jQuery UI
• Selecting predefined themes

Integrating widgets for highly interactive web applications

• Optimising screen real estate with accordions and tabs
• Adding resizable, floating windows with dialog
• Simplifying date selection and formatting with datepicker
• Providing input assistance with static and dynamic autocomplete

Implementing effects

• Creating colour animations with .animate()
• Leveraging complex animation easings and effects

Adding powerful Web 2.0 functionality with interactions

• Resizing HTML elements
• Building drag-and-drop user interfaces