Getting started with jQuery plugins (Simple) explores the steps we need to take to prepare ourselves for jQuery plugin development using jQuery Boilerplate.

Getting started with your first plugin (Simple) will get us started with writing our first plugin. We will write a simple plugin that swaps the shape that is shown on the page.

Creating a simple JSON reader (Simple) looks at creating a JSON reader that reads your tweets from Twitter and displays them on the page.

jQuery Hover panels with jQuery Boilerplate (Simple) explores creating a plugin that allows users to hover over a panel to reveal alternative content.

Writing a carousel with jQuery Boilerplate (Intermediate) explores how we go about writing a carousel jQuery plugin.

AJAX bookshelves with jQuery Boilerplate (Advanced) explains how to build an AJAX bookshelf that imports a JSON feed and then builds the HTML to create a pull-out bookshelf.

Writing a validation plugin using jQuery Boilerplate (Intermediate) explains how to write a validation plugin; once we have finished our plugin, we will learn how we can test it using QUnit.

This book is for anyone who wants to write their own plugin or know the basics of plugin writing so that they can contribute to other plugins. You need to have a good understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and preferably have used the jQuery library before.

When writing this book, it is assumed that readers have a good understanding of:

If you wish to do some reading on jQuery before you begin to develop your own plugins, I recommend the following book:

Learning JQuery Third Edition by Jonathan Chaffer and Karl Swedberg, Packt Publishing

In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "Using our base template from earlier, we will start out with creating a new file called data.json in the root of the project."

A block of code is set as follows:

var templates = {
        container   : "<div id='bookshelf'><h1>%BookshelfName%</h1><a class='pull' href='#'>Pull</a><div id='bookshelf_books'></div></div>",
        book: "<div class='book'><h2>%Title%</h2><img 
        src='%Cover%'/><p>%Author%</p><p>%Publisher%</p></div>"
    };

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

var templates = {
        container   : "<div id='bookshelf'><h1>%BookshelfName%</h1><a class='pull' href='#'>Pull</a><div id='bookshelf_books'></div></div>",
        book: "<div class='book'><h2>%Title%</h2><img src='%Cover%'/><p>%Author%</p><p>%Publisher%</p></div>"
    };

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes, for example, appear in the text like this: "Clicking the Next button moves you to the next screen".

Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book—what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us to develop titles that you really get the most out of.

To send us general feedback, simply send an e-mail to <[email protected]>, and mention the book title via the subject of your message.

If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide on www.packtpub.com/authors.

Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.