Where and How to Start using jQuery to Enhance your Drupal Site (jQuery Mini-series Part 3 of 3)

If your are not a jQuery dev, don't worry, there are plenty of excellent resources to get you started using jQuery to enhance your site.

Star here

http://drupal.org/project/Modules/category/101 ( Drupal Modules: JavaScript Utilities )

Then simply:

1. Browse
2. Download
3. Install & Configure

Some module which I recommend checking out

UI Improvements

• jTooltips: http://drupal.org/project/jtooltips - adds in context user feedback
  
• JQuery Interface: http://drupal.org/project/jquery_interface  - might not be D6 ready
  
• jQuery UI: http://drupal.org/project/jquery_ui - a full library of effects
  
• Username originality AJAX check: http://drupal.org/project/username_check - This is the kind of enhancements jQuery is perfect for.

Content Browsing

• jCarousel: http://drupal.org/project/jcarousel - nice for creating a recent post/image browser, or a headlines browser.
  • Also see @ http://drupal.org/project/jcarousel_block
    
• Views carousel: http://drupal.org/project/viewscarousel

Photos

• Thickbox: http://drupal.org/project/thickbox or Lightbox2: http://drupal.org/project/lightbox2 
  • @see Comparison of “lightbox” type modules: http://drupal.org/node/266126
  • @see Lightbox2 demo http://www.stellapower.net/lightbox2
• Slideshow Creator: http://drupal.org/project/slideshow_creator
  • @see Cool demo here: http://www.malsup.com/jquery/cycle/

Theming and Display

• jQuery Eye Candy: http://drupal.org/project/jq_eyecandy  - if you really must use jQuery rather than CSS
  
• JavaScript Theming: http://drupal.org/project/js_theming
  
• Page Style: http://drupal.org/project/pagestyle - a style changer in a block and in the browser for better Web Accessibility

jQuery Plug-in Management

• jQuery plugins: http://drupal.org/project/jquery_plugin - call jQuery plugins from any module or theme by calling the jquery_plugin_add($plugin) function
  
• jQuery Plugin Handler (JQP): http://drupal.org/project/jqp

• jQ: http://drupal.org/project/jq

More Resources

1. Pro Drupal Development, Second Edition by John K. VanDyk - Chapter 17.  Using JQuery
2. http://jquery.com/ & http://visualjquery.com/
3. http://interface.eyecon.ro/ - Interface Elements for jQuery
   • demos: http://interface.eyecon.ro/demos/?page=demos
4. D6 Demo of Views Carousel: http://mustardseedmedia.com/podcast/episode20
5. Comparison of "lightbox" type modules: http://drupal.org/node/266126