Beginning jQuery is your step-by-step guide to learning the jQuery library. jQuery is the most popular JavaScript library in the web developer’s toolkit. Jack Franklin takes you from the basics of getting you started with jQuery, right through to extending jQuery by writing your own plug-ins. You'll discover best practices you can follow, how you can avoid common mistakes, and you'll learn about so many of the things that jQuery has to offer, including how you can:

Use jQuery’s powerful tools to dynamically update content on your site, including DOM manipulation.
Extend jQuery’s capabilities by writing your own plugins on top of the framework.
Animate elements and build your own jQuery slider.
Employ best practices and avoid common errors made by beginners.

JavaScript is a powerful language but every web developer must navigate the tricky issues around cross-browser inconsistencies. Beginning jQuery teaches you how to use jQuery to avoid spending your time fixing these browser bugs - letting you concentrate on what really matters to you. Throughout Beginning jQuery, you'll discover how expressive yet concise jQuery’s code is and how much quicker and efficient you can develop with jQuery!

What you’ll learn

Learn why jQuery is so popular and how to get started.
Use jQuery’s powerful manipulation tools to dynamically update your website’s content.
Animate content and build your own image slider with jQuery’s animation tools.
Extend the library by writing your own custom plug-ins.
Avoid common beginner errors, and learn how to use best practices.
Use plug-ins created by others in the community and integrate them into your website.

Who this book is for

Beginning jQuery is for the web developer confident with HTML and CSS and now ready to get to grips with JavaScript. If you’ve tried to integrate some JavaScript into your website and wondered how you could add functionality easier, jQuery is for you. Beginning jQuery is great for the developer wanting to enhance their skillset and learn new tools.
Table of Contents

JavaScript You Need to Know
The Basics of jQuery
DOM Traversal with jQuery
DOM Manipulation with jQuery
An Introduction to Events
Advanced Events
Animation
Ajax with jQuery
Writing a jQuery Plug-in
Advanced jQuery Plug-ins
Writing a Slider Plug-in