jQuery Tools is a compact library that provides essential UI components for typical websites without the overhead of larger frameworks. Unlike many comprehensive UI suites, it focuses on features that enhance standard informational sites rather than complex application interfaces.

Downloading and Setting Up the Library

You can obtain jQuery Tools via a CDN link, which offers performance benefits through caching and distributed servers. The library is modular, allowing you to include only the components you need. The following script tag loads the complete set of tools:

<script src="http://cdn.jquerytools.org/1.2.6/all/jquery.tools.min.js"></script>

This includes jQuery 1.6.4 along with Tabs, Tooltip, Scrollable, and Overlay. If you already have jQuery included, you can use a version without the bundled jQuery.

Core Design Principles

• HTML flexibility: You are not locked into specific markup structures. You can use ul, ol, div, or dl elements as needed.
• Separation of CSS: Nearly all visual styling is handled through CSS classes, making it easy to adapt the look without changing JavaScript code.
• Minimal JavaScript API: The tools expose clean APIs that allow chaining and event binding similar to standard jQuery patterns.

Working with the UI Components

Overlay

The overlay component displays content in a modal or floating layer above the page. Use a link with a rel attribute pointing to the overlay element:

<a href="#" rel="#myoverlay">Open overlay</a>
<div class="apple_overlay" id="myoverlay">
  <p>Overlay content here</p>
</div>

Initialize with:

$("a[rel]").overlay({
  effect: 'apple',
  mask: {
    color: '#000',
    opacity: 0.8
  }
});

You can embed external content such as Google Maps or videos using an iframe inside the overlay.

Tooltip

The tooltip component provides contextual information when hovering over a element. It works with the title attribute or adjacent elements:

<img src="book.jpg" title="Click to buy now">
<div class="tooltip">
  <p>Book details and price</p>
</div>

$("[title]").tooltip({ effect: 'slide', position: 'top right' });

For more complex content, place a div with class tooltip directly after the trigger element. The dynamic plugin automatically adjusts the tooltip position to stay within the viewport.

Scrollable

Scrollable enables horizontal or vertical scrolling through groups of items. The basic structure uses navigation arrows and a container:

<a class="prev browse left"></a>
<div class="scrollable">
  <div class="items">
    <div>...images...</div>
    <div>...more images...</div>
  </div>
</div>
<a class="next browse right"></a>

$(".scrollable").scrollable();

This is ideal for galleries, product listings, or news tickers. Combined with the overlay, you can create a lightbox effect when clicking on an item.

Tabs

The tabs component organizes content into switchable panels. The markup pairs a list of tabs with corresponding panes:

<ul class="tabs">
  <li><a href="#">Tab 1</a></li>
  <li><a href="#">Tab 2</a></li>
</ul>
<div class="panes">
  <div>Pane 1 content</div>
  <div>Pane 2 content</div>
</div>

$("ul.tabs").tabs("div.panes > div");

You can enable rotating slideshows, fading transitions, and external navigation controls via plugins.

Form Tools

Validator

The validator enforces HTML5 form constraints and displays custom error messages. Add the novalidate attribute to the form to prevent native validation:

<form id="myform" novalidate>
  <input type="email" name="email" required>
  <input type="url" name="url" required>
  <input type="text" name="name" pattern="[a-zA-Z ]{5,}" maxlength="30">
  <button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>

$("#myform").validator({
  position: 'center right',
  offset: [0, 10],
  errorClass: 'invalid',
  message: '<div><img src="error.png"></div>'
});

Custom validators can be added for specific patterns or form controls:

$.tools.validator.fn("[type=time]", function(el, value) {
  return /^(2[0-4]|[01]?\d):[0-6]\d$/.test(value)
    ? true
    : "Please provide a valid time in military format";
});

DateInput

The dateinput tool provides a consistent date picker across browsers. It localizes easily:

$.tools.dateinput.localize("fr", {
  months: 'janvier,février,mars,avril, mai,juin,juillet,août, septembre,octobre,novembre,décembre',
  shortMonths: 'jan,fév,mar,avr,mai,jun, jul,aoû,sep,oct,nov,déc',
  days: 'dimanche,lundi,mardi,mercredi, jeudi,vendredi,samedi',
  shortDays: 'dim,lun,mar,mer,jeu,ven,sam'
});

$(":date").dateinput({
  format: 'dddd, ddth mmmm yyyy',
  lang: 'fr',
  yearRange: [-20, 20]
});

Styling the datepicker can be done by overriding the default skin.css with your own classes, or by borrowing from jQuery UI themes.

RangeInput

The rangeinput tool turns standard HTML5 range sliders into visually consistent controls across all modern browsers:

<input type="range" name="slider" min="0" max="1000" step="10" value="200">

$(":range").rangeinput({ progress: true });

It can be paired with other components to drive interactive experiences, such as scrolling a product gallery by sliding the range control.

Performance and Best Practices

• Load the library from a CDN to leverage caching and reduce latency.
• Use the download builder to include only the tools you need.
• Keep JavaScript minimal by moving styling to CSS.
• Use event delegation where possible to reduce memory footprint.

jQuery Tools emphasizes progressive enhancement. With CSS3 handling visual effects, the library remains under 4KB when minified. This approach aligns with Yahoo's performance rules: reduce HTTP requests, enable gzip, set far-future expires headers, and minify scripts.