jQuery UI Widgets

jQuery UI is a curated set of user interface interactions, effects, widgets, and themes built on top of the jQuery JavaScript Library. Whether you're building highly interactive web applications, or you just need to add a date picker to a form control, jQuery UI is the perfect choice. In this tutorial, we will focus on jQuery UI Widgets, a key component of jQuery UI that allows you to create interactive and feature-rich applications.

What are jQuery UI Widgets?

Widgets in jQuery UI are feature-rich and easy-to-implement set of controls that can enhance your application with advanced functionalities. They are like plugins that you can plug into your jQuery UI application to provide a particular feature. Examples of jQuery UI Widgets include Datepicker, Autocomplete, Dialog, Progressbar, Slider, and many more.

How to Use jQuery UI Widgets?

To use jQuery UI Widgets, you first need to include the jQuery UI library in your project. You can either download and host jQuery UI or include it directly from a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like so:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://code.jquery.com/ui/1.12.1/themes/base/jquery-ui.css">
<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.12.4.js"></script>
<script src="https://code.jquery.com/ui/1.12.1/jquery-ui.js"></script>

Once you've included jQuery UI, you can start using its widgets. Most widgets are invoked by selecting an HTML element and calling the widget's function. For instance, to apply the Datepicker widget to an input field, you'd do the following:

$( "#datepicker" ).datepicker();

Exploring Some jQuery UI Widgets

Let's take a deep dive into some of the most commonly used jQuery UI Widgets.

Datepicker

The Datepicker widget allows you to add a popup calendar to an input field. Users can use this calendar to select a date. Here's an example of how to use it:

<p>Date: <input type="text" id="datepicker"></p>

$( "#datepicker" ).datepicker();

Autocomplete

The Autocomplete widget provides suggestions while you type into an input field. Here's an example:

<div class="ui-widget">
  <label for="tags">Tags: </label>
  <input id="tags">
</div>

var availableTags = [
  "ActionScript",
  "AppleScript",
  "Asp",
  "BASIC",
  "C",
  "C++",
  "Clojure",
  "COBOL",
  "ColdFusion",
  "Erlang",
  "Fortran",
  "Groovy",
  "Haskell",
  "Java",
  "JavaScript",
  "Lisp",
  "Perl",
  "PHP",
  "Python",
  "Ruby",
  "Scala",
  "Scheme"
];
$( "#tags" ).autocomplete({
  source: availableTags
});

Dialog

The Dialog widget allows you to create a dialog box or a popup window. Here's an example:

<div id="dialog" title="Basic dialog">
  <p>This is an animated dialog which is useful for displaying information. The dialog window can be moved, resized and closed.</p>
</div>

$( "#dialog" ).dialog();

Conclusion

jQuery UI Widgets provide a vast array of functionality that can enhance your web applications. By learning how to implement and customize these widgets, you can create more interactive and user-friendly applications. Remember that practice is key to mastering these widgets, so don't hesitate to experiment and try building different features using jQuery UI Widgets.