Part 1. Core jQuery

When someone hears the name jQuery, they inevitably think of the core jQuery library. But one could also argue that outside of the core, jQuery has created an entire ecosystem around itself consisting of companion libraries such as jQuery UI (the subject of the second part of this book), the official plugins (see http://plugins.jquery.com/), and the myriad unofficial plugins that people have created that can easily be found with a web search. (Googling the term “jQuery plugin” results in over 4 million entries!)

But just as the extensive market for third-party add-on products for Apple’s iPod would not exist if the iPod itself did not, the core jQuery library is the heart of it all.

In the eight chapters in part 1 of this book, we’ll cover the core library from stem to stern. When you finish these chapters, you’ll know the jQuery library soup to nuts and be ready to tackle any web project armed with one of the most powerful client-side tools available. You’ll also be prepared to use the jQuery companions, which, much like an iPod accessory, are useless without their core reason for being.

So turn the page, dig in, and get ready to learn how to make breathing life into your web applications not only easy, but fun!