Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Top 5 Popular jQuery Plugins


Author Bio: Danica loves technology and she constantly advises people on the best web hosting platforms for using jQuery as well as a host of other coding libraries. She is an expert at using PHP and hopes to start her own development company in the future.

jQuery is one of the most popular libraries available to webmasters and developers, and a big reason for that is the large number of high quality plugins that are available. These help novice webmasters and developers to create professional looking websites filled with different features, while those with experience can use jQuery to add the finishing touches to what is already an exceptional platform.

That said, one of the worst things for a developer to do online is to overuse plugins, widgets, and various other things that are available in order to enhance the user experience of a website. With that in mind, we have looked at five of the best and most popular jQuery plugins you could use on your website.

Cycle 2

If static images are a big part of your website, then the Cycle 2 jQuery plugin is a great way to take your imagery to the next level and create exciting slideshows on your web pages. What makes this plugin a winner is that it is so easy to use; all you need to do is include the plugin and mark-up to your code, and everything else is done for you. Although this is the perfect plugin for new webmasters or bloggers, it is also loved by those with great knowledge of web development owing to its ability to work within responsive design themes.

FitVids

While many people fret about how having video content on their website will slow down loading times, some struggle to even get video onto their pages at all. Those who want to make video a feature of their site should consider using FitVids, especially if they are embedding video content that is already featured on sites like YouTube.

Even though modern HTML5 coding makes it easy to embed your own videos from your disk or device, it is still worth using a plugin like FitVids so you can be flexible with the video content on your site.

Nested

If you are worried about an awkward website layout – maybe you chose a template based web host and are now regretting it – then a jQuery plugin like Nested can help you get your site where you want it to be.The whole point of Nested is to create gap-free layouts, so everything on your website looks like it is where it should be, and there is no ‘dead space’ on your pages. If you have content and widgets, but no idea what to do with them, Nested can help you!

Animate Scroll

Everyone appreciates the big impact small touches like animated navigation features and a scrolling navigation bar can have on a website. That’s what you get with the Animate Scroll plugin, which will be extra useful if you have opted for a one-page website or are experimenting with continuous scrolling functions.

3dEye.js

This is excellent for starter e-commerce sites or those who are blogging product reviews and want to go further than the simple stock photo. 3dEye.js allows users to look all around objects, another small touch that adds interaction and can lift the feeling and user experience of your whole site.

If you aren’t using these jQuery plugins on your website, then you ought to consider doing so, as they can all make a subtle, yet stunning, difference to your online platform.