ClassBehaviours, the javascript framework based on class-name parsing

classBehaviours

"ClassBehaviours" is a framework for simple scripted DHTML behaviours which are easily applied through the class-names in an HTML document.

"ClassBehaviours" will scan every html-element in the page for certain keywords in the classnames and apply scripted behaviour accordingly.

"ClassBehaviours" are formatted as jQuery plugins and can be implemented without writing a single line of code..

classMouseHover: Cosmetic Mouse Interaction

  • Woolly@WoollyMittens.nl,
  • posted on ,
  • about ,classbehaviour,.

When the mouse moves over a button, link or menu-item, some highlighting is expected to indicate its interactivity. The javascript involved however is anything but straight forward to implement in an orderly way.

This script simplifies the process to a single class name.

Highlighting Images

Images that highlight have been around for so long, that any user is familiar with having a button light up when the mouse is moved over it. It's a very common way to indicate that an element is inviting interactivity. Below are several examples of achieving a highlighting effect.

Cached Image Replacing

Replacing the image with a highlighted version is the oldest and most reliable way. Implementing it in this way, limits the effort to adding a class-name. Move the mouse pointer over the images below to see the script replace the grey version of the images with a pre-loaded coloured one.

Bigger Copy Create Link Delete Insert Image Insert Paste Toggle HTML Toggle Text Undo Unlink

Fading Image Hovers

This is a slightly more decorative method. The highlighted version of the image is faded in over the grey version.

Bigger Copy Create Link Delete Insert Image Insert Paste Toggle HTML Toggle Text Undo Unlink

This method is more delicate as the highlighted version needs to be positioned accurately. The script might not be able to do this in all layout situations.

Table Rows

Highlights aren't limited to buttons, links and images. Below the table's rows highlight under the mouse.

Icon Description
Total: 11
Bigger Bigger
Copy Copy
Create Link Create Link
Delete Delete
Insert Image Insert Image
Insert Insert
Paste Paste
Toggle HTML Toggle HTML
Toggle Text Toggle Text
Undo Undo
Unlink Unlink

Making the whole row clickable is achieved using another classbehaviour classname. "clickOnParent parent_2" Moves the functionality from the link to the entire table row.

Tool-tip Explanations

The example below shows the complexity a simple hover effect can achieve. The tooltip requires no script at all, except in Internet Explorer 6.

  • Bigger

    Bigger

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  • Copy

    Copy

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

  • Create Link

    Create Link

    Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

  • Delete

    Delete

    Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

  • Insert Image

    Insert Image

    Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

  • Insert

    Insert

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

  • Paste

    Paste

    Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

  • Toggle HTML

    Toggle HTML

    Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

  • Toggle Text

    Toggle Text

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

  • Undo

    Undo

    Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

  • Unlink

    Unlink

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

The "Folding Menu" is an even more complex example of using a hover effect.

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ClassBehaviours Index
Name
jQuery Plugin
Description
Updated
Zoom and Rodate a High Resolution Image jquery.classbehaviours.rotateZoom

A reference user-interface for a web-service that delivers slices of a high resolution image.

2010-09-01 09:49
Count Down to an Event jquery.classbehaviours.countDown

A clock that counts down to a pre-determined time and triggers an event.

2009-11-05 09:11
Temporary Instructions in Input Fields jquery.classbehaviours.inputFormat

To clarify the expected format of input there's often the temptation to fill in the field with a template. This script tries to facilitate this in the least intrusive way.

2009-11-04 13:09
Display a Close-up of a Photo jquery.classbehaviours.zoomOnPhoto

A simple little zoom function for thumbnails.

2009-08-17 14:34
A Table with Scrolling Sections and Fixed Headers jquery.classbehaviours.sectionedTable

A Table with Scrolling Sections and Fixed Headers

2009-08-03 12:38
Search Results that are Previewed whilst Typing jquery.classbehaviours.realTimeSearch

This extention to a search field will retrieve the search results while typeing in the query.

2009-07-20 10:05
An Animated Effect Driven by the Scroll Position jquery.classbehaviours.scrolledAnimation

This example implements a graphical effect not unlike Apple's "Cover flow" to a list of images in a way that doesn't sacrifice accessibility.

2009-06-29 00:50
Edit the Data in a Table Row jquery.classbehaviours.editTableRow

Switching from a table of information to a separate page with a form in order to change some details, is very distracting and cumbersome. This script example allows individual table rows to be switched into editable versions.

2009-02-03 13:19
Search an RSS-Feed jquery.classbehaviours.rssSearch

A search-function is a really useful function for a site with a lot of content. This however a few prerequisites, like having a database and enough access to implement a server-side script.

Missing one of the prerequisites doesn't have to mean that no search function can be offered. This example implements a search function client-side, by looking through a site's RSS feed.

2008-10-16 10:46
A Cosmetic Extension of the File Selector jquery.classbehaviours.fileUpload

File upload fields are notoriously hard to mark up. This example is a simple way to fake it.

2009-05-06 14:49
A Light-box Styled Pop-Up Layer jquery.classbehaviours.popUpLayer

Layer-based popup replacements, or lightbox pop-ups, are quite commonplace. This example distinguishes itself by adding the popup's functionality to ordinary hyperlinks using a classname.

The content presented in the popup can be inline text, an iframe or imported using AJAX.

2008-01-17 10:24
Validate Form Fields jquery.classbehaviours.validateForm

Client-side form validation should never be an excuse to leave out server-side checking, but having it helps the user save annoying round trips to the server.

This example tries to offer the best of both worlds, by making it easy to incorporate the same regular expressions used on the server. It also offers a way to submit the form's data using AJAX.

2009-03-06 11:07
Use a Sprite-sheet as a Font jquery.classbehaviours.spriteFont

Due to "Imaginary Property" issues, fonts aren't allowed to be included in website templates. This makes it very frustrating to use non web-safe fonts for headlines, since every single title has to be saved as a separate image.

This script will use all the characters of a font, rendered as an image and paste together any given title.

2009-03-16 08:12
Calculate a Total for Input Fields jquery.classbehaviours.sumOfInput

By keeping score of all the entered numbers, this script helps a user fill in a series of values that total 100%.

2009-01-30 15:57
Restricts the Length of Textarea Input jquery.classbehaviours.maxLength

Setting a hard limit on a text-area doesn't help the user limit his words. This indicator counts down while the user types.

2009-01-30 16:39
Change a Form's Layout Based on its Values jquery.classbehaviours.displayOnValue

Revealing all the components of a form can be confusing when not all information applies to any given input. This example shows how a form can change it's layout based on the values that are entered.

2009-03-03 17:42
Using a Drop-down to Load Content jquery.classbehaviours.selectContent

While it's best not to go overboard with loading content using AJAX, browsing through FAQ categories can me made a lot faster by loading the questions that way.

This example allows for quick browsing through content using a drop-down list.

2008-08-24 02:01
Activate Menu Items jquery.classbehaviours.matchActiveUrl

Marking active menu items is usualy best left to a server-side application. If a server-side approach is not possible, this script will seek out and mark active menu items, based on the URL of the page.

2009-03-04 19:56
Parallax Background Layers jquery.classbehaviours.parallaxBackground

Paralax scrolling layers can convey a feeling of depth. The effect was often used in the video-games of the 1980's and 90's for pseuso 3D environments.

Used sparingly it can result in an eye-catching effect without taking away from the contents.

2008-08-17 17:42
Chat Client Based on RSS-feed jquery.classbehaviours.rssChat

This chat window is an example of an AJAX application based on the universal XML webservice from an earlier article.

Messages are added to and stored in an XML file following the RSS standard. This way one can even subscribe to the replies in the chat using the RSS reader commonly built into browsers and email clients.

2008-07-03 21:10
Changing Values in an XML-file jquery.classbehaviours.setNode

It's hard to make AJAX applications and still concentrate on the user-interface side of things. This simple ASPX / C# web-service can function as a sparring partner for your front-end code.

Please be advised however that there is no security to this whatsoever.

2008-06-29 12:10
Make a Prototype Stylesheet jquery.classbehaviours.makeStylesheet

If your workflow for making web pages involves making the HTML first and then fill in the styles, this script might make your life a lot more structured.

2009-02-13 15:39
Linked Selects jquery.classbehaviours.linkedSelects

A quick AJAX-based script, that relates two drop-down lists to each other. Useful for the usual country / city combination without having all possible combinations on the page to start with.

2008-06-22 20:58
Set Values with a Slider jquery.classbehaviours.valueSlider

A slider is curiously missing from the default set of form elements. It is however a very attractive way to set values with an upper and lower limit. This script allows for easy way to use sliders without degrading the accessibility of the form.

2008-06-22 19:48
Drag and Drop jquery.classbehaviours.dragAndDrop

This is the most basic example of a "drag and drop" script. It can easily be expanded to accomodate the useful things one can do with "drag and drop".

It is expected that this script will be expanded as soon as someone can think of something actualy useful to do with a "drag and drop" script.

2008-06-22 15:36
Center Thumbnails on a Background jquery.classbehaviours.centeredThumbnails

Table-layout has thankfully gone the way of the dodo, but how do you center unevenly sized thumbnails now?

This script uses a little javascript to compensate.

2008-06-22 14:05
Animated Class-name jquery.classbehaviours.animatedClassName

This little script replaces the effect you expect from an anim-gif and cycles class-names instead. Animation frames can be re-used more creatively and other stylesheet effects can be added.

2008-06-21 22:23
Scrolling List jquery.classbehaviours.scrollList

A scroll-text is an eye-catching way to parade large numbers of items along a sceen. Of course these things should be used sparingly as not to distract the user.

This example of a scroller allow just about anything to be scrolled without making the content inaccessible.

2009-03-17 10:22
Thumbnail Photo Slideshow jquery.classbehaviours.thumbnailToPhoto

Thumb-nailed slide-shows are pretty common and therefor a drag to keep re-using and modifying. This script offers the simplest most basic implementation of one, but adds a nice cross-fade effect and mouse-over effect.

Functionality is easy to add, so expect this example to be expanded frequently.

2008-06-19 20:23
Click on the Parent of a Link jquery.classbehaviours.clickOnParent

Sometimes you just can't avoid the situation where a design requires a large area to be clickable but still have block-layout inside. Of course the "A" elements shouldn't just be placed around large swath of block-elements, lest it ruin the layout.

2008-06-17 22:58
Javascript Debug Console jquery.classbehaviours.debugConsole

Debugging your script using the "alert()" function can be really painful and not all of your browsers come with debuggers built-in or add-on. The "classBehaviour" script, contains its own debugger for convenience.

2008-06-17 20:43
Scroll-locked Elements jquery.classbehaviours.scrollLock

It can be useful to have things like shopping-baskets and page-navigation follow along with the scrolling of the page. This script offers a sinple way to keep these elements up with the scrolling.

2008-06-17 20:43
Image Maps with Mouse Interaction jquery.classbehaviours.imageMap

Tracing around the shape of a country's borders is a time consuming process. Scripting the highlights of all the map regions is not a welcome chore to complement this.

This script, at least, takes away the additional work of scripting mouse-interactions.

2008-06-16 21:30
Insert HTML from an External URL jquery.classbehaviours.reloadFromUrl

This simple little script allows a link to a file to be replaced by the contents of the file using AJAX.

2009-03-17 11:33
Resize an Iframe to Fit jquery.classbehaviours.autoSizeIframe

Sometimes you absolutely have to use an iframe to include content. Apart from not validating under the strictest doctypes, an iframe doesn't scale to the content it contains. You're invariably stuck with a frame that is either too large or has scroll-bars. This script resizes an iframes to the size of its contents.

2008-06-10 23:26
ToolTips using the Longdesc jquery.classbehaviours.longdescToolTip

The longdesc attribute allows a detailed explanation to be linked to an image, but so little people will benefit from this method that generally nobody bothers.

This classbehaviour gives an incentive, by fetching the longdesc content in a custom tooltip using AJAX.

2008-06-08 16:24
Cosmetic Mouse Interaction jquery.classbehaviours.classMouseHover

When the mouse moves over a button, link or menu-item, some highlighting is expected to indicate its interactivity. The javascript involved however is anything but straight forward to implement in an orderly way.

This script simplifies the process to a single class name.

2008-06-01 11:07
Artificial Scroll-bar jquery.classbehaviours.artificialScrollBar

It is a very bad idea to try and replace the default scrollbar the user is used to. Here's how to do just that.

This trickery allows the design of the scrollbar to be completely customized, while making a best effort to keep the result accessible.

2008-05-29 22:58
Sorting Table Elements jquery.classbehaviours.sortableTable

These three methods of sorting tables allow lists of tabular data to be ordered by a user's preference.

The new order can then be submitted to the server.

2008-05-05 20:59
Including Flash for Titles jquery.classbehaviours.flashTitle

To compensate for the inability of browsers to include fonts into web-pages, Adobe's Flash can be used to make adaptable typographic titles. But when including flash in a page, it can be a challenge to account for the availability of the plugin and the differences between browsers.

This Classbehaviour example offers an easy and consistent way of including flash.

2008-05-04 18:01
Tabbed Content jquery.classbehaviours.tabbedContent

With a tab-strip one can hide a lot of surplus content without taking it out of reach of the user. It is important however to make sure that the invisible tabs are not made inaccessible.

2009-03-13 13:54
A Many to Many Selector jquery.classbehaviours.manyToMany

This construction is used to make and order a selection from a list of options. The classnames on the elements indicate what the desired source and destination-lists are.

2008-04-20 16:34
Folding Menu jquery.classbehaviours.pseudoHover

This implementation the folding menu required no javascript at all to work. Only Internet Explorer 6 and older require a little help in the form of a single classbehaviour script.

2009-03-18 17:34
Rich Text-Editor jquery.classbehaviours.richTextEditor

Most browsers have some sort of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) text editing function. Sadly, not all browsers implement this in the same manner. This classbehaviour function allows any textarea to be turned into a "rich" text-editor with a single classname.

2008-04-13 19:30
Picking a Calendar Date jquery.classbehaviours.datePicker

Filling in a date in a form can go wrong in many different ways: Days and months, dashes and slashes get switched around according to local conventions. Sometimes it all goes in one box. Sometimes it's split up.

A little popup calendar like the one demonstrated here makes things a lot easier and it doesn't interfere with the normal way of using the text-boxes.

2009-02-18 15:35
Opening and Closing Things jquery.classbehaviours.toggleNextNode

These examples illustrate how one can make layout elements that open and close, without having blocks of script inline. Instead, classnames are used to give the elements their scripted behaviour.

The simplicity of this method allows many different user-interface elements to be constructed. Several examples are worked-out in detail below.

2009-02-03 16:52