12 jQuery Plugins That Are Actually Useful
jQuery is excellent for adding functionality to otherwise dull sites. Many developers use jQuery plugins to easily solve problems in web development. Some jQuery plugins make images responsive, while others may alter behaviors. jQuery plugins exploded after Flash has been shunned for its lack of Seo value difficulty to index and lack of support on iOS. Web developers needed to be able to add in features easily while making its application as user friendly as possible. With so many jQuery plugins out there, it can be hard to figure out which jQuery plugins are the best. Here are just a few of the best jQuery plugins available.
FitText.js
FitText allows you to scale your typography within responsive sites. This truly makes a site responsive and make even the text in a web site respond to the type of device it is being displayed on. This is great, because in ensures optimal performance despite what it is being viewed on. The great part is that it makes the text in a responsive site proportional to the rest of the content.
FitVids.js
FitVids is a fantastic plugin that enables you to place responsive videos on a website. This is great, because you videos will scale with the rest of the content.
ArcText.js
Arctext is a great jquery and css plugin from the great guys(and maybe gals too) at Codrops. You set a radius and arctext bends the text around this imaginary radius, making beautiful rounded text.
TinyNav.js
TinyNav is an excellent plugin that enables you to create a dropdown menu when your site is at a mobile scale. Being able to switch between a beautiful navigation bar and a dropdown menu at smaller sizes makes your site more user-friendly.
jQuery Masonry
Masonry is an interesting jQuery plugin, because it creates an optimal Pinterest-like layout, with the content stacked and blocks seamlessly. This optimizes your site’s content and enables you to place a lot of important information in one small place.
Flexslider
FlexSlider is a great jQuery plugin that allows you to create a fully responsive image gallery or slider. It even features touch and gesture support, optimizing the experience for mobile devices.
Response.js
Response.js is a cool jQuery toolkit for responsive designs. What is interesting is that with Response.js, you serve images via HTML5 data attributes instead of css media queries. This is an interesting approach to responsive design without css.
Ideal Forms
Ideal Forms is a great jQuery plugin that is made to create fully responsive html5 forms. It also degrades well with javascript disabled.
jQuery Credit Card Validator
jQuery Credit Card Validator recognizes and validates credit card numbers. This reduces user error. This plugin ensures that the correct credit card information is being entered.
Kerning.js
Kerning enables you to harness your professional typography skills for the web. Kern your web type to perfection and scale the type along with the site.
Slides.js
Slides.js is a slick jQuery plugin that enables you to create slick slideshows. You can have captions and even links. You can also show multiple slideshows on one page.
Lettering.js
Lettering.js is one of the most amazing jQuery plugins for typography on the web. You can easily assign classes and control the style of every single letter in a word if you want to. You definitely want to check this one out!
Conclusion
jQuery is becoming a juggernaut for creating dynamic and beautiful content for the web. jQuery plugins enable users to add functionality to sites that you wouldn’t normally be able to achieve with html and CSS. You have precise control over kerning. Perfecting type on the web is just as it would be in your print designs, which is amazing and exciting. You can also create amazing galleries using jQuery plugins, showcasing your beautiful work.
What is your favorite jQuery plugin? Is it listed here? If not, list it below and tell us why you like it so much.
