jQuery makes several things MUCH easier when adding scripting to a web site. With jQuery you can accomplish, with less code than what it would take with JavaScript alone, a lot of effects such as drop down menus, drag and drop elements, animations and form validation. jQuery is a JavaScript library which means the underlying language is still JavaScript but it adds usability and ease of use. Here are some of the reasons I use jQuery:
- First of all, it handles the vast majority of the browser compatibility issues, so you don’t spend large amounts of time rewritting code to work in every possible browser.
- The selectors allow you one simple way to browse the dom tree in a cross-browser compatible way that actually works. If you know how to select elements in CSS you know how to find them in jQuery!
- If you’re using AJAX it provides an easy to use method that works elegantly without having to code your own library.
- It’s easy to extend, and there are lots of add-ons that will handle most of the basic tasks you might run into.
If you have a understanding of JavaScript, jQuery will be easy to get a hold of as it adds easier to impliment functionality than hand coding everything in JavaScript.