jQuery is a JavaScript library that makes programming in this language easier . It is generally used to add interactive elements to a web page without having to do too much programming.
In the field of computing , libraries or libraries are collections of resources and implementations that are coded in a certain programming language and that are functional. A programming language , meanwhile, is a formal language that details instructions to a computer (computer) to produce different data.
In the case of jQuery , the library is open source (everyone can contribute to the development since access to the source code is free) and is based on the JavaScript language. What it does is offer various functionalities that would otherwise require developing more code, and therefore help save time.
By not having to write as much code to manipulate the elements, it can be ideal for those who do not have much time before the delivery date. It is important to note that the same result can be achieved using JavaScript directly, but with more lines of code.
jQuery , in short, offers “pre-made” functions that can be used on web pages : some are free and others require payment. With jQuery it is possible to incorporate an image gallery, create transition effects between pages or establish a drop-down menu, for example.
Each function has demos, configuration options, the explanation to implement and the files that need to be downloaded. This is why jQuery is very popular among website developers.
Having said all this, the many advantages that jQuery offers us when developing a project are balanced by its disadvantages, which usually go unnoticed thanks to the publicity that its defenders give it. The main one is the same that exists with any package: the lack of control for the user. Although jQuery is open source, when we download one of its many functions we do not know it beforehand, we have not developed it ourselves and we do not know all the processes it performs in the background but we simply want it to help us achieve a certain objective.
Suppose we want to make an image gallery for our website, but we don't have the time or experience to give it certain sophisticated touches. We want it to be possible to enlarge each image to observe it in detail and then return it to its original size by pressing a cross, for arrows to appear on its sides dynamically to see one after the other, for there to be a blur effect to hide those that are not active and that there is the option of automatic presentation of the entire gallery, that is, that they appear one by one with a delay of a few seconds. We refer to the immense list of jQuery resources and find what we were looking for, but sooner or later something unforeseen arises.
When we test the automatic presentation, we see that the images scroll too fast or too slow, or perhaps when we look at the gallery in a certain browser we see a graphical error , such as inactive images not being hidden or the blur effect failing. How do we solve it? The first logical step is to make sure you have followed all the instructions for implementing the jQuery package. Once we are sure that the error is not our responsibility, we can proceed to seek help. But if the same thing has not happened to anyone else, then we are alone with code that we did not make and that we may not know how to correct. If we had programmed everything in pure JavaScript, we would know how to find the error.