Lightbox for Modal Dialogs Redux
Jul 10 by
Andre
Since I last posted on Lightbox for modal dialogs in May, some additional relevant projects have sprung up. This is a roundup of more Lightbox-type modal dialog options. As you go about choosing the perfect script for your needs, Here are some questions to keep in mind:
- What's your content? Do you need to just display images? Or arbitrary HTML? Many scripts support both, and some are tailored around displaying images very easily.
- Is your content remote? You may need to retrieve your content from the server, or the content may already be rendered on the page in a hidden div. I actually find the second case the more common one -- the dialog content is already loaded on the page, and I just want to reveal it in a modal window.
- What are your bandwidth requirements? These scripts vary quite a bit in size. If you're building an internal application you can get away with a bulkier script, but otherwise you might want to look for one of the leaner ones.
- How important is look-and-feel? Some of these scripts offer a slick and customizable look, and others are more spartan. I appreciate the nice looking options, but usually end up using the scripts with less flourish. Your needs may be different.
- What JS Library are you using? Prototype? Moo.fx? Dojo? jQuery? Your choice may narrow the field for modal scripts, since you typically will not include another whole JS library just for the modal dialog functionality.
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The Scriptaculous/Prototype Conundrum
Mar 27 by
Andre
So you are about to code up some wicked 2.0-style AJAX-enabled web goodness. First things first: say the title to this post really fast five times.
Now, you need to decide if you will leverage the Prototype and Scriptaculous libraries (P/S hereafter) to take some of the AJAX weight of your back. If you are programming with Ruby on Rails (and you probably are, because that's the way you roll), the decision seems almost made for you: all those nifty helpers for AJAX updaters, drag and drops with callbacks, etc. etc. Rails makes it so easy, why wouldn't you go with the P/S one-two punch?
Now, you need to decide if you will leverage the Prototype and Scriptaculous libraries (P/S hereafter) to take some of the AJAX weight of your back. If you are programming with Ruby on Rails (and you probably are, because that's the way you roll), the decision seems almost made for you: all those nifty helpers for AJAX updaters, drag and drops with callbacks, etc. etc. Rails makes it so easy, why wouldn't you go with the P/S one-two punch?
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Prototype and Scriptaculous in one file, < 50Kb
Jan 04 by
Andre
Alister Cameron has combined the Prototype and Scriptaculous libraries into one condensed file: http://www.alistercameron.com/2006/01/05/prototypejs-scriptaculous-in-one-file-under-50kb/
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