What is JQuery?
JQuery is not a separate language, rather, it is a library or framework. Library or Framework is written or developed to facilitate the programmers. If you have even programmed in basic languages like C/C++, you must be aware with header files. you add headers files using “include” statement, and then use the functions defined in by those header files. In short, you can consider JQuery as the header file for JavaScript.
Once, you include the Jquery file, you can reap all the functionalities and benefits provided by the JQuery. If you have been programming in C/C++ for structure programming, OOP or Data Structures, you must be feeling pride in writing long and complex mambo-jumbo code and brain teasing problem. That is really cool as long as you are in student’s thinking paradigm but that has nothing to with actual software development business.
In Software development business, our goal should be fulfilling client’s requirement in minimum possible time and that success lies in making the usage of already written code/libraries. They say, there are three golden rules of buying real estate: location, location, location. Similarly there are three golden rules of software development i.e. reuse, reuse, and reuse. The most apparent benefits, of reusing the code in the form of libraries of frameworks are, it is time tested. it is more robust and clean.
JQuery has very nice way to access the DOM objects. you can get the HTML elements by using IDs, class and tag names. In addition to that , there are numerous handy function readily available. it also makes the AJAX call more robust and clean.
In next tutorial, we see how to use JQuery by using very simple code.