The jQuery ui is essentially a set of pre built, ready to use JavaScript widgets based (obviously) on the jQuery framework. They can be really useful straight out of the box, or as the foundation for something more complex, and they also come packaged with a decent set of CSS themes.

According to Dan Wellman himself, his book is written for…

...front end designers and developers who need to quickly learn how to use the jQuery UI library. To get the most out of this book you should have a good working knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript ,and will need to be comfortable using jQuery, the underlying foundation of the jQuery UI.

Like he says, it assumes you have some jQuery experience, but I don’t think you need a lot: perhaps just a decent grasp of selectors. One thing I think the official jQuery and UI documentation lacks is real-world examples. That’s obviously a deliberate thing so as not to restrict your imagination, but it can make it hard to envisage any kind of practical application. I think the examples in this book are a great way to learn the limitations, and structure of the UI.

The book is separated into chapters covering the following:

1. Introducing the jQuery UI
2. The CSS framework
3. Individual widgets
4. Drag and drop
5. Resizing
6. Selecting
7. Sorting
8. UI effects

The chapters regarding the UI widgets are thorough and enormously useful, they’re structured so that if your experience level is greater you can skip to the bits you’ll find more useful. The widget chapters are structured thus:

1. Introduction to the widget with a nice diagram and an overview of it’s methods and properties
2. Implementation covering, the code you’ll need to get the basic widget up and running
3. Custom styling tells you what you need to do to extend or create a CSS theme
4. Configurable options explanation
5. Detailed explanation of the widget’s methods and applications with examples
6. Summary

I’d recommend the book to anyone who’s new to the jQuery UI, the practical examples are a far better way to learn than trawling through the docs on the official site. As your experience level increases the book will become more of a reference, it’s a handy thing to have around if you’re planning to use the UI. It’s well written and engaging, and the diagrams, examples and structure make it easy to pick up quickly. Similarly, if you are using it as a reference it’s easy to dip in and out without having to hunt around too much for what you’re looking for.

If you want more information about Dan Wellman or indeed the book, you can always visit Dan’s website. The book itself is available from Pakt Publishing for £25.19 (at time of publishing this review.)