Six Shooter Media; a web site and identity / logo design firm based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
I think it is now universally accepted that AJAX is pretty darn cool. At least when used correctly… Anyway I’ve built quite a few web sites recently and each of them have made use of some AJAX features along the way and personally, I feel a duty to give credit to some of my favorite scripts available for all of us designers to use…
So without further ado, and in no particular order here are my AJAX flavours of the month;
Yetii
Yetii is a very simple AJAX tab script. When I say simple I mean that it is a piece of cake to get up and running and style, and it just works. It is also a stand alone script which I prefer… I like not to depend on any specific libraries whenever possible. Yetii offers tons of features which are a necessity to AJAX tab structure (but are often left out) such as stand alone previous/next links, an auto tab rotation and perhaps most importantly a cookie feature which means that users returning to your tab page (or pushing back in their browser) are served up the same tab they were viewing when they left the page.
Click here to visit the Yetii homepage and view demos.
Galleria image gallery
As I mentioned previously I prefer running AJAX scripts without the dependance of a library but sometimes you find something so cool that you’re left with no choice. Galleria fits into that category like one of those round pegs. On the surface it’s a simple AJAX image gallery (running on the jquery framework) with a fade transition but under the bonnet (hood) there is so much more going on. A quick look at the source code reveals that this gallery is built from a single un-ordered list of images. Simple as that. Create your images, stick em in a list and your done. Galleria builds the thumbnails for you and for me the best feature is the image pre-load which is built in. Something which most AJAX galleries are lacking and can make them seem sluggish.
I suggest that if you’re looking for an AJAX gallery, then take a look at Galleria right now!
Coda Slider Effect (jQuery)
I don’t suppose anyone has been living under a rock recently but if you have then take a quick look at the Coda web site. This design is turning into a bit of a modern classic and that’s in part down the fantastic use of it’s AKAX sliding effect. While this is a different script, it does provide the same effect. While I would never go and create a site based entirely around this feature, it is a great tool to have in your arsenal… Being able to slide through lots of content in an area of fixed dimensions is really useful.
Click here to view jqueryfordesigners.com’s method for creating this cool effect
AJAX “drawer” effect a la Apple
This is one I’ve only came across recently but known about for a while through the apple site. Apples sliding drawers script is a great way to take care of multiple lists without creating a monstrously long page. This effect has been reproduced for all to use by those people at jqueryfordesigners.com once again. As before this script is built on the jquery framework (noticing a trend here? If I have to depend on a frame work, I prefer it to be jquery…) and is extremely easy to set up. Click here to find out how to do so
Special mention for some other scripts
Dezinerfolios simple accordion is just that. An extremely lightweight, standalone accordion which should provide all the features you need from an accordion without conflicting with any of your other AJAX scripts
Another extremely lightweight standalone script from the same guys is the Dezinerfolio smooth scroller. Simple add this script to your page and all of your local anchor links become an animated scroll rather than instantly jumping to that section. I find this not only a snazzy effect but also a good visual cue.
I think lightbox effects have been done to death and it’s kind of a shame to see it used on nearly all web sites - most of which don’t even bother changing the images to match their styles… anyway, Fancy Zoom is a slightly different lightbox effect which I find more elegant. Check it out.
And that brings me to the end of my list for now. No doubt there will be more to come soon when my memory awakens me later tonight reminding me of something that I’ve missed.
Great.. Do you think you can help take a look at our 100% AJAX social network site? Let me know if you think we have implemented AJAX properly here. You can test out the sign up form, drag and drop the modules and also commenting on a video (we have used AJAX everywhere
Thanks.
Site: http://www.ecpod.com