One of the most celebrated aspects of jQuery is its extensive plugin ecosystem. From table sorting to form validation to autocompletion \u2013 if there's a need for it, chances are good that someone has written a plugin for it.<\/p>\n
The quality of jQuery plugins varies widely. Many plugins are extensively tested and well-maintained, but others are hastily created and then ignored. More than a few fail to follow best practices. Some plugins, mainly jQuery UI<\/a>, are maintained by the jQuery team. The quality of these plugins is as good as jQuery itself.<\/p>\n The easiest way to find plugins is to search Google or the jQuery Plugins Registry<\/a>. Once you've identified some options, you may want to consult the jQuery forums<\/a> or the When looking for a plugin to fill a need, do your homework. Ensure that the plugin is well-documented, and look for the author to provide lots of examples of its use. Be wary of plugins that do far more than you need; they can end up adding substantial overhead to your page. For more tips on spotting a sub-par plugin, read Signs of a poorly written jQuery plugin<\/a> by Remy Sharp.<\/p>\n Once you choose a plugin, you'll need to add it to your page. Download the plugin, unzip it if necessary, place it within your application's directory structure, then include the plugin in your page using a script tag (after you include jQuery).<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the most celebrated aspects of jQuery is its extensive plugin ecosystem. From table sorting to form validation to autocompletion \u2013 if there’s a need for it, chances are good that someone has written a plugin for it. The quality of jQuery plugins varies widely. Many plugins are extensively tested and well-maintained, but others … Continue reading #jquery<\/code> IRC channel to get input from others.<\/p>\n