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When looking for jQuery plugins, I always try to do the research to find simple to use, compact plugins. Most of the time, for Drupal sites, I will take the minimized version and throw it into the themes folder, or a module's "includes" folder. Here is a list of jQuery plugins that I have used multiple times, on various websites, and are probably the easiest to use.

1. jTabber

Most clients want some type of paging, or slide show, or tabbing interface, so they can put content in a more compressed area. My choice is to go with jTabber. It does what us themers need, add an active class to a selected tab. It also allows us to separate the tabs and content in different areas if needed, and the css of it is simple. Above all, it's flexible enough so that I can make it look like a slide show of images rotating with an additional Ajax code.

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2. Coda Slider

Drupal is into using jCarousel, but on the designer's end it is actually quite tedious to theme, and make it look good cross browser (IE6 is the worst). A more elegant and easier approach is to use Coda Slider. If you can set it up properly you will understand where I'm coming from. You can add "next" and "previous" buttons, or you can throw in the paging. That is when you can jump to any slide number, at any one point.

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3. Lazy Load

If your site is heavy on images, which is creating a problem with performance, Lazy Load is the choice for you. Basically it is the opposite of image preloading. It loads images after all your other content has been loaded. This is great because users can still read content while their images are loading up. I have tested multiple image preloaders, and you must take my word, this one seems to get it right with css selectors.

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4. jHint

You don't want labels on your forms, but you want a different font color. For instance, you want a lighter gray when its prompting you to type your name. Then look no further, this is the ultimate simple input box hint plugin that I have seen and used.

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5. Easy Tooltip

Tooltips, or mouseover cloud hints are hard to find, and they break easily on specific requirements. Out of all the ones I've tried, Easy Tooltip is the best one. There is some simple CSS too it, but it seems to work across browsers every time. If anyone out there has a better suggestion feel free to leave a comment.

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New jQuery 1.4

• jQuery 1.4 Released: Sneak Peek on New Features and Enhancements
• jQuery 1.4 Released: The 15 New Features you Must Know

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