This article is written by erpe

First it seems to me that  including of JQuery is something like a miracle and only professional and experienced coders are able to use this library.

Or did others want me to see it that way?

Let's step back in the "history" of WebsiteBaker and including JQuery to make things clearer.

The Start

If I remember right a short time before WB 2.8 was released JQuery was the first time included as a library in the WebsiteBaker core. Even at that time discussion started about the right way to provide libraries and other stuff for users, module-, snippets- and templates-developers. Further on JQuery was provided within a folder in the include-directory of WebsiteBaker core, at that time JQuery 1.3.2.

The Question

So far - so good. Everybody could be happy.

But some indomitable warriors did not get tired to ask, if that was the right way of providing:

What will happen if there is a update of JQuery? Do we have to wait until a new WebsiteBaker release will provide this?

Which kind of JQuery library will be provided in the future? Everything that is available or only the neccessary parts? But what is neccessary?

Will also plugins, images and other JQuery stuff be provided and maintained?

Fact is...

Since JQuery is provided there are several ways how JQuery is used within WebsiteBaker CMS.

All backend-themes have their own jquery folder and use plugins within their own backend-theme-directory.

As far as I know jquery is not used yet for backend core functions, even not in the current release 2.8.1.

Module authors act the same way as backend-theme developers, despite if modules are reworked or setup from the scratch.

Snippet authors tried several ways depending on the available files in wb include directory.

Template developers tried several different ways, more or less complicated using new (or old) functions, hard coded lines or created droplets to ease the use of JQuery and tried their best to offer even unexperienced users all possibilities of the JQuery world.

 In the meantime JQuery 1.4.2 was released.

And again...

The discussion started again as Ralf (Berlin) provided his new module KIT (which btw has a great potential)  with a complete JQuery 1.4.2 and more stuff.

The question why he didn't use the provided JQuery within the include folder was simply answered:

because it is not up-to date and incomplete.

Upps...

Way back to the "question part" what will happen if there is a JQery update: that obviously was the answer.

The alternative

Why not include all external libraries as modules, not only for flexible and easy updates?

The answer is a good one: because if WebsiteBaker core uses itself JQuery it should be reliabale available. That is a good argument.

But only on the first look. On a second look there are some further questions then?

The "normal user" recognize all files as core that are delivered within the package. This means a lot of modules that make WebsiteBaker cms that nice product that it is. But more there are some modules that are core (like wysiwyg, not fcke)  or something like core (like show_menu2).

Show_Menu2 started as an additional module and is now maintained by the official bakers after the module author Brofileld has retired from WebsiteBaker. Another good example is Droplets that was included in the official package faster than any other module. And that was a very good decision for it brings WebsiteBaker to a higher level of easy usage.

So reliabilty is not a great argument if we are talking about library modules (such as pear, db_connect or others). Why not to use the module for those kind of additions for modules are incomparable easy to install and to update.

For that reasons WebBird developed the JQueryadmin module to make it more easy for everybody to use JQuery and its plugins. This module offers also a plugin upload function and installs neccessary droplets automatically. From my point of view the easiest way to make JQuery things work on WebsiteBaker sites. It is also that easy (even for unexperienced users or starting coders) to create new plugins for existing JQuery stuff.  See how it is working and use it on a test page.

The result

I don't really know if there is a  closing result.

The common aim should be to make the JQuery world available for all WebsiteBaker users: from core developer to cms user (or the other way round).

From my  point of view the module way is the right way. But I am not the one to decide on this. And at the end of the day it is not really important to me, as long as modules like JQueryadmin are released and maintained by active community members. This ensures much faster providing of JQuery updates and motivates other community members to provide  more and new JQuery Plugins.

And this is one unbeatable advantage of open source software.

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