JavaScript - Page 2

Practical JavaScript projects, and theoretical advice, for adding interaction and functionality to your web projects.

JavaScript / 17 Jun 2013

Create a Simple Autocomplete With HTML5 & jQuery

A quick Google search will yield plenty of handy autocomplete plugins — there’s even an option shared by jQuery UI which comes bundled with the library. However today I want to look into an alternative solution. The jQuery Autocomplete plugin released by DevBridge has the exact functionality that I find most appealing.

The styles will automatically highlight words as you are typing, and results appear in the dropdown menu at the bottom. This tutorial is a brief introduction to using the plugin by loading content from a JavaScript array. It is possible to load Ajax content from a backend file or from content out of the database, however for this tutorial it is easier to work with local data. Check out my sample demo to get an idea of what we are trying to build.

JavaScript / 4 Jun 2013

30+ Innovative New jQuery Plugins

Many web developers are jumping into the sea of open source code projects. New plugins and frameworks are released almost every day. And when you are busy at work it can be tough keeping up with all the newest releases.

In this showcase I have put together over 30 different jQuery plugins worth a mention to all web developers. Developing a website interface can be tough and certainly requires careful precision. Developing on top of any open source project means that you are not reinventing the wheel. Plus you’re not the only one left to catch bugs in the code. And since jQuery is one of the most stable JavaScript libraries available, these plugins often work hand-in-hand to provide a seamless user experience.

JavaScript / 3 Jun 2013

Create a Modal Window Login Form Effect Using jQuery

The hidden modal window technique is a great solution for dealing with interface elements which are not particularly necessary on the page. Social networks can use modal windows for private messages and forms which are only being used by members of the site. This is also true for blogs and magazines which have an author login page separate from the main website. Modal windows are much easier than creating new windows in JavaScript because everything is displayed in the same window using HTML markup already on the page.

I want to demonstrate how we can build a custom modal window based off the jQuery plugin leanModal. The plugin is completely open source & free to use under the MIT general license. I like this plugin more than others because it just gives us the “bare basics” without too much customization. This leaves room to update the modal window via CSS and still utilize some extra parameters in jQuery.

JavaScript / 10 May 2013

40 Awesome jQuery Plugins You Need to Check Out

The jQuery developer community has to be one of the most generous and hardworking group of people on the web. They’re constantly churning out amazingly useful and completely free tools that they share with anyone and everyone who wants to use them.

The quantity and quality of free jQuery plugins simply never ceases to amaze me. I’ve been keeping a list of some great ones that I’ve found lately and I thought I’d share it with you. Here are 40 awesome and free jQuery plugins that just about every web developer should check out.

CSS / 1 May 2013

How to Build a Responsive Slide-Down Navigation Menu

After a long period of researching mobile responsive layouts, I’m spent quite a bit of time experimenting with various UI designs. One major hotspot on the page is often the website’s main navigation. Users want quick access to your content pages — and this will always be the case, either on a full monitor or a smaller mobile responsive screen.

For this tutorial I want to demonstrate how we can use a combination of CSS3 media queries along with some jQuery to manage a sliding navigation menu. The links will appear as normal on the frontend but drop into a hidden menu after resizing below 600px. Instead we see a little menu pull-down icon which will toggle open and closed on command.

JavaScript / 20 Mar 2013

Simple Steps for Creating a Fixed Navigation Bar

When designing a navigation system for your website it is important to consider dynamic alterations for handling mobile support and responsive designs. But another systematic approach is to keep your visitors in full control throughout the entire viewing process. This often requires a quick-to-access menu or dropdown area for pulling links to other webpages.

In this tutorial I’m going to be building a top navigation bar which appears only after moving beyond the header navigation. This effect is great if you have a few pages which are most commonly accessed by visitors. The sticky navbar will stay fixed at the top of the screen and only disappear when re-entering the header nav zone. To get an idea of what we will be making check out my live demo example after the jump!

JavaScript / 10 Dec 2012

20 Fantastic jQuery Web Type Plugins

In recent years, web typography has gone from an embarrassment to a point of pride. From CSS to JavaScript, we’re gaining great tools almost daily that help us implement awesome type.

Today we’re going to look at the best jQuery plugins around that are specially built to make web type more awesome. Download a few and take your type further.

JavaScript / 2 Sep 2011

Code a Web Magazine Style Dropdown Navigation Menu

Frontend web development has grown into a very popular niche. With the expansion of jQuery more web designers are beginning to create fantastic animations and page effects. The possibilities are limitless!

In this tutorial we’ll be creating a magazine-style drop down nav menu. This will be created with some fancy CSS3 techniques to work in standards-compliant browsers. Even if you are shaky with jQuery you should be able to keep up with this little bit of code, and possibly learn something new. Check out the live demo script in my example.

JavaScript / 8 Aug 2011

Developing a Digg-Style Input Form With CSS3 and jQuery

Digg is one of the most popular social news networks to date. They garner a massive audience in the millions of members. Recently the company has carved a new direction with the launch of Digg v4. The entire system has been replaced with new statistics and followers/following networking.

One of the most notable changes is in page aesthetics. With the launch of Digg v4 boasts a brand new design with a unique look and feel. In this tutorial I’ll be going over how you can create your own Digg v4 style input form using some basic CSS3 properties.

JavaScript / 25 May 2011

Create an Awesome Zooming Web Page With jQuery

Want to create a really unique and eye-catching effect for your site? How about an animation that zooms into a specific portion of the page when you click on it?

It may sound like a lot of work but with jQuery and Zoomooz.js, it’s a snap! I’ll walk you through the process step by step as we build a stunning zooming thumbnail gallery.

JavaScript / 5 Nov 2010

Effortless Full Screen Background Images With jQuery

Today we’re going to build a simple and fun webpage for the sole purpose of showing off Fullscreenr, a great little jQuery plugin that makes it easy to add a background image to your site that automatically adjusts to the window size.

We’ll also throw in some @font-face and rgba action to keep things modern and educational on the rest of the build. Let’s get started!

JavaScript / 31 Aug 2010

Build an iPad-Themed Image Slider With jQuery

If you’re not a seasoned web developer, it can be quite intimidating to approach a project where your client is looking for something trendy and interactive such as an Apple-centric slideshow.

Today we’ll teach you how you can create just such a project in mere minutes using some awesome free resources from around the web. We’ll walk you through ten super simple steps so even if you have little to no web experience, this project should be a breeze!