jGrowl – To show unobtrusive messages
jGrowl is a nice way to show unobtrusive messages or informations to user.
Advantages
- The default style is good enough
- The message can be shown for a pre defined time (For eg: 10 seconds and then it will close automatically)
- Support for sticky messages – which do not close automatically
- Customizable
Featured content slider – Auto advancing
Using jQuery Coda plugin, css-tricks.com has created a very good script for a featured content gallery with auto advancing. It can be created with simple html markups. Read more
jQuery Coda Slider
There are two jQuery plugins to emulate the Coda style. One uses scrollTo plugin and the other uses jQuery easing plugin Read more
jQuery easing plugin
It is a very cool script which can be used to render various effects with an easing effect. Uses Robert Penners easing equations for the transitions. We can incorporate this script in many places.
All demos can be found in the site http://gsgd.co.uk/sandbox/jquery/easing/
Highslide – The best image gallery script?
Highslide is a standalone javascript library created mainly for showing image galleries in a more user friendly way. HTML/Ajax and Flash support is added as plugins. It has improved a lot over time. Now it is in version 4.0
Unlike many other libraries, multiple images can be opened at the same time. And a user can arrange the images as he wish on the browser. So it is definitly more usable than image gallery script that can show only one image – typical example is lightbox effect (opening the next closes the current).
The animation is also brilliant. Very smooth zooming of images. To open an image, you just need to click and to close, click on it again (Customizable in different ways). If you want to open two images, just click on the required images and those two will be popped up. Opening one image does not close the other.
Advantages:
- Stand alone javascript. Does not need a library.
- The most user friendly way to show images
- Good effects
- Can show HTML, AJAX content or Flash.
- Can open multiple images
- The opened image windows are draggable so that the user can arrange it in anyway. This is very useful if you want to compare two images.
- Creative Commons License – Free for personal use
Disadvantages:
- Not free for commercial sites. Requries a license. It can be purchased for one site or unlimited
The author has given good documentation and examples in his site highslide.com
Another cool site to check out is, http://youflow.finnrudolph.de. The author has successfully combined coverflow, youtube API and highslide to create a good mashup.
Is it the best?
Well, I think it has improved a lot. Using this script you can completely avoid browser popup windows. The ability to show images and non image (html, iframe) contents in a more userfriendly way makes it one of the best script ever made. The only drawback I see is the license. What do you think?
