Introduction to

jQuery
Introduction to jQuery

The JavaScript library jQuery is quick, compact, and packed with features. It is
designed to make it easier to navigate a document, select DOM elements, create
animations, handle events, and develop AJAX applications. It provides a concise and
simple syntax that makes it easy to perform complex tasks with just a few lines of
code. It abstracts away a lot of JavaScript's low-level aspects, such as browser
compatibility issues and DOM manipulation, so developers can focus on the
functionality of their applications rather than dealing with the underlying mechanics.

Additionally, jQuery has a large and active community that has developed various
plugins and extensions, further expanding its capabilities and making it even easier
for developers to add robust functionality to their projects.

jQuery is often used for simplifying the client-side scripting of HTML; it can also be
used for developing cross-browser-compatible JavaScript code. You can use jQuery
to select DOM elements, create animations, handle events, perform AJAX requests,
and more. jQuery is also the most popular JavaScript library in use today. It is widely
used by developers worldwide, making it an excellent choice for beginners and
experts.
The phrase "write less, do more" is often used to describe jQuery's philosophy.
jQuery provides a concise and simple syntax that makes it easy to perform complex
tasks with just a few lines of code. In addition, it abstracts away many of the
low-level details of JavaScript programming, such as browser compatibility issues
and DOM manipulation, so developers can focus on the functionality of their
applications rather than dealing with the underlying mechanics. This means that
developers can write less code and still accomplish more with jQuery, making the
development process more efficient and less error-prone.

Additionally, jQuery has a large and active community that has developed various
plugins and extensions, further expanding its capabilities and making it even easier
for developers to add robust functionality to their projects.
jQuery Key Features:

● jQuery makes it easy to select and manipulate elements on a web page. You
can use it to find specific elements, change their content or style, or add new
elements to the page.
● It makes it easy to handle events like clicks, mouseovers, and key presses in
a cross-browser-compatible way.
● jQuery has built-in animation and effects functions, like fadeIn, slideUp, and
animate, that you can use to make your web pages more visually attractive.
● It also provides AJAX functionality, allowing you to load new content or data
into your web page without refreshing the entire page.
● jQuery has a large community and plenty of pre-built plugins and extensions,
making adding extra functionality to your website or application easy.
● jQuery is also lightweight and easy to learn, making it a popular choice for
both beginner and advanced developers.
● It can be used on many devices and platforms, including desktop and mobile
browsers, making it a versatile tool for web development.

Using jQuery (JS) library on HTML page

To use the jQuery library on an HTML page, you first need to include the jQuery
library file in the head of your HTML document. You can do this by adding the
following code to your HTML file:

Alternatively, you can download the jQuery library file, host it on your server, and
then include it in your HTML file using the same script tag.

Once the jQuery library is included, you can start using its functions by wrapping
them in the jQuery function, represented by the dollar sign "$".

For example, the following code will select the first paragraph element in the HTML
document and change its text colour to red:
It is also possible to wrap your script in an anonymous function and call it after the
document is ready to avoid conflict with other libraries.

It's worth noting that it's a good practice to include your script at the bottom of the
HTML page, so the page can be loaded before the script.

This way, the page will be rendered before the script runs, and the user will not
perceive any delay.

Why jQuery?
jQuery is a JavaScript library that makes writing code for web pages more
accessible. It provides a simple and easy-to-use syntax that makes it easy to
perform everyday tasks, like selecting elements on a page, handling events, and
creating animations.

One of the main advantages of jQuery is that it abstracts many of the complexities of
JavaScript programming, such as browser compatibility issues and DOM
manipulation. This means that developers can write less code and still accomplish
more, making the development process more efficient and less error-prone.

Another advantage is that jQuery has a large and active community that has
developed various plugins and extensions, further expanding its capabilities and
making it even easier for developers to add robust functionality to their projects.
jQuery is also lightweight and easy to learn, making it a popular choice for both
beginner and advanced developers. In addition, it can be used on many devices and
platforms, including desktop and mobile browsers, making it a versatile tool for web
development.

In simple terms, jQuery makes web development faster, easier, and more efficient by
providing a simple and easy-to-use syntax and a wide range of built-in features and
plugins.
Advantages:

● Cross-browser compatibility
● Simplified DOM manipulation
● Easy event handling
● Built-in animation and effects
● AJAX support
● Extensive community and available plugins
● Lightweight and easy to learn
● Versatile and can be used on multiple devices and platforms
● Increases code reusability

Disadvantages:

● Performance: jQuery's implementation can be slow when handling large

amounts of data or complex animations.
● Size: jQuery library size is relatively large, which can affect page load time,
especially on slower connections.
● Dependency: jQuery code can be written so that it becomes dependent on the
library, making it difficult to switch to a different library or vanilla JavaScript.
● Learning curve: Although jQuery is easy to learn, mastering it requires a good
understanding of JavaScript and web development concepts.
 ● Browser compatibility: jQuery is designed to work with a wide range of
browsers, but it may not work with older or less common browsers.
● Development and maintenance cost: jQuery code can be more expensive to
develop and maintain than native JavaScript code.
● Security: jQuery is a client-side scripting library, so it can be vulnerable to
cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

jQuery Syntax

The basic syntax of jQuery is as follows:

● $(selector) is used to select one or more elements from the HTML document.
It can be an element, class, or ID.
● action() is used to act on the selected elements.

For example, the following code will select all the paragraphs in the HTML document
and hide them:

It is also possible to chain multiple actions together, like this:

Additionally, you can use a callback function to perform an action after the DOM is
fully loaded:

Another way is to use shorthand version of the above

It is important to note that the dollar sign "$" can also be written as "jQuery", so the
above examples can also be written as:

In short, jQuery uses the $ or jQuery keyword followed by a selector, CSS-style

selectors, and methods to perform actions.

The $ sign grants access to the jQuery library, the (selector) is used to find and
select specific elements on the HTML page, and the jQuery action() method is used
to perform actions on the selected elements, such as changing their CSS styles,
hiding or showing them, or attaching event handlers. The jQuery selector uses
CSS-style selectors, similar to how you would select elements using CSS to style
them. The selectors can be an element, class, ID, or attribute. This makes it easy for
developers familiar with CSS to use jQuery. The action methods can perform various
actions on the selected elements, such as changing their content, adding new
elements, or handling events.

It is important to note that jQuery allows you to select multiple elements

simultaneously and perform the same action on them. This makes it more efficient
and easy to use than traditional JavaScript.
jQuery selectors:
jQuery selectors are used to select specific elements on an HTML page so that you
can perform actions on them. These selectors use CSS-style selectors, which means
they work in a similar way to how you would select elements using CSS to style
them.
Here are a few examples of common jQuery selectors:

Elements Selector :

The elements selector is used to select all elements of a specific type in an HTML
page. This selector uses the element's name, such as "p" for paragraphs, "div" for
div elements, "a" for anchor tags,
and so on.
For example, the following code selects all the paragraph elements on the page and
changes their text colour to red:
Another example is selecting all the anchor tag elements on the page and adding a
class to them:

In this example, all the anchor tags in the HTML page will have the class "myClass"
added to them.

You can also chain multiple selectors together to select multiple elements at once.
For example, the following code selects all the paragraph and anchor tag elements
on the page and hides them:

It's worth noting that the element selector can be used with any HTML element, and
you can use it to perform various actions on them, like changing their content, adding
new features, or handling events.

Here's an example of a simple HTML page that uses the element selector in jQuery:

Output:
In this example, the element selector is used to select all the <p> elements on the
page and change their text color to red. The code is wrapped in a
$(document).ready() function to ensure that the code is executed only after the page
has finished loading.

Id Selector :

A specific HTML element on a page can be selected using the id selector based on
the id attribute. The id selector uses the syntax #id, where id is the value of the
element's id attribute.
For example, consider the following HTML code:

You can use the id selector in jQuery to select the first paragraph and change its text
color to red, like this:

Similarly, you can select the second paragraph and hide it using the following code:

It's worth noting that the id selector is the most efficient in jQuery, as it selects
elements based on a unique identifier. Only the first element will be selected if there
are multiple elements on a page with the same id. IDs should always be unique in an
HTML document, so this is not a problem in practice.

Here is an example of how the id selector in jQuery can be used on an HTML page:

Output:

In this example, the $("#myParagraph") selector is used to select the element with
the id "myParagraph" and change its text color to red. In addition, the code is
wrapped in a $(document).ready() function to ensure that the code is executed only
after the page has finished loading.

Once you've saved this code in a .html file and opened it in a web browser, you
should see that the text color of the first paragraph is red.

Class Selector :
The class selector selects HTML elements based on their class attribute. The class
selector uses the syntax .classname, where classname is the value of the element's
class attribute.
For example, consider the following HTML code:
You can use the class selector in jQuery to select both paragraphs with the class
highlight and change their text color to red, like this:

The class selector can select multiple elements on a page and perform actions.
It's worth noting that the class selector is less efficient than the id selector, as it
selects elements based on a non-unique identifier. In general, you should use the id
selector when choosing a single element and the class selector when selecting
multiple elements.

Here's an example of how you can use the class selector in jQuery within an HTML
page:

Output:
In this example, the $(".highlight") selector is used to select both paragraphs with the
class highlight and change their text color to red. The code is wrapped in a
$(document).ready() function to ensure that the code is executed only after the page
has finished loading.

Once you've saved this code in a .html file and opened it in a web browser, you
should see that the text color of both paragraphs with the class highlight is red.

jQuery Event methods:

jQuery provides several event methods to handle user events such as clicks, hover,
and keyboard events. Some of the most commonly used event methods are:

● click(): The "click" JavaScript event can be triggered on an element or bound

to an event handler using this method. For example, you can use the click()
method to show an alert message when a button is clicked:

● hover(): The "mouseenter" and "mouseeleave" events can be triggered on an

element or bound to two event handlers using this method. For example, you
can use the hover() method to change the background color of a component
when the mouse pointer hovers over it:
 ● keypress(): This method is used to bind an event handler to the "keypress"
JavaScript event or trigger that event on an element. For example, you can
use the keypress() method to show an alert message when a key is pressed:

Using these methods, you can create dynamic and interactive web pages with much
less code than plain JavaScript.

Below are the most commonly used jQuery event methods:

1. click(): This method binds an event handler to the "click" event on an

element.
2. hover(): This method binds two event handlers to the "mouseenter" and
"mouseleave" events on an element.
3. keypress(): This method binds an event handler to the "keypress" event on
an element.
4. submit(): This method binds an event handler to the "submit" event on a form
element.
5. focus(): This method binds an event handler to the "focus" event on an
element.
6. blur(): This method binds an event handler to an element's "blur" event.
7. resize(): This method binds an event handler to the "resize" event on the
window object.
8. scroll(): This method binds an event handler to the "scroll" event on the
window object.
These methods allow you to add interactivity and responsiveness to your web pages
with minimal code, making creating dynamic and engaging user experiences easier.

Get and Set Methods:

jQuery provides several methods for getting and setting the content of elements on a
web page. The most commonly used methods are:

1. text(): This method is used to get or set the text content of an element. When
used as a get method, it returns the text content of the first selected element.
When used as a set method, it sets the text content of all selected elements.
2. html(): This method is used to get or set the HTML content of an element.
When used as a get method, it returns the HTML content of the first selected
element. When used as a set method, it sets the HTML content of all selected
elements.
3. val(): This method is used to get or set the value of an input element. When
used as a get method, it returns the value of the first selected element. When
used as a set method, it sets the value of all selected elements.
4. attr(): This method is used to get or either set the value of an attribute of an
element. When used as a get method, it returns the value of the first selected
element's specified attribute. When used as a set method, it sets the value of
the specified attribute for all selected elements.
5. css(): This method is used to get or set the style of an element. When used
as a get method, it returns the value of the first selected element's specified
style property. When used as a set method, it sets the value of the specified
style property for all selected elements.

Here is an example:
Output:
jQuery is a powerful JavaScript library that simplifies the process of manipulating and
traversing HTML documents. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer,
learning jQuery can greatly improve your ability to create dynamic, interactive web pages.
With its extensive documentation and community support, there is no limit to what you can
achieve using jQuery. As you continue your journey in web development, we encourage you
to keep experimenting and exploring the many possibilities offered by this versatile library.
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