Difference Between JQuery and JQuery UI

JQuery vs JQuery UI

Client side scripting has really moved to the forefront of web development in the last few years with many developers adding interactive elements to their sites. JQuery and JQuery UI are two tools that simplify the task of client side scripting. The main difference between JQuery and JQuery UI is their order. JQuery was developed first and is the basis for many plugins that are available today. JQuery UI was subsequently created on top of JQuery to provide specific functionalities. The first major implication of this is the need to have JQuery installed if you want to use JQuery UI. But, you do not need to have JQuery UI if you just want to use JQuery.

JQuery was developed to cater to a wide range of needs so that you do not have to script each function in Javascript every time you implement them in a page. On the other hand, JQuery UI caters to a specific need, which is the creation of an interactive user interface that is powerful and flexible yet simple to manage.

The entirety of JQuery UI revolves around three categories; interactions, widgets, and effects. Interactions are best for changing the behavior of certain page elements. You can make them draggable, droppable, resizable, selectable, and sortable, thus vastly increasing what you can do within a page. The widgets are pre-made elements that can be dropped directly into your page. This includes buttons, datepickers, dialog, autocomplete, progress bar, sliders, tabs, and even accordion containers. The widgets can be themed so that it will match the appearance of your page.

Lastly, JQuery UI also has effects that do not perform any function aside from adding eye candy to the page. Effects like fade-in or out, slide, explode, appear, and the like can be applied to the elements on page. The effects can be controlled via scripting and can even be switched from one class to another.

JQuery is basically the base of JQuery UI and is the more powerful between the two. It should be used for more advanced work that requires custom code and interactions. For basic user interface needs, using the JQuery UI is very beneficial as it reduces the complexity of coding and speeds up the entire process.

Summary:

1.JQuery UI is built on top of JQuery
2.JQuery is necessary to use JQuery UI but you can use JQuery without JQuery UI
3.JQuery can do a wide variety of things while JQuery UI has its own set of features

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