Lightbox (JavaScript): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|JavaScript library}}

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[[File:Lightbox mockup.jpg|thumb|A typical lightbox image display]]

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{{Infobox Software

| name = Lightbox

| screenshot = [[Image:lightbox2.png|225px]]

| caption = A webpage showing a Lightbox 2 window.

| developer = Lokesh Dhakar

| latest release version = 2.04

| latest release date = March 9, 2008

| operating system = [[Cross-platform]]

| language = [[English language|English]]

| status = [[Software_release_cycle#Stable.2Funstable|Stable]]

| license = [[Creative Commons|Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License]]

| website = [http://www.lokeshdhakar.com/projects/lightbox2/ lokeshdhakar.com/projects/lightbox2]

}}

'''Lightbox''', and the newer '''Lightbox 2''', is a [[JavaScript]] application used to display large images using [[Modal window|modal dialogs]]. The script has gained widespread popularity due to its simple yet elegant style and easy implementation. While it was initially developed from scratch, Lightbox has since been modified to use a number of JavaScript libraries (such as the [[Prototype Javascript Framework]]<ref name="Herrington">{{cite web | last = Herrington | first = Jack D | date = | title = Ajax and XML: Ajax for lightboxes | work = [[IBM DeveloperWorks]] | url = http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/x-ajaxxml6/ | accessdate = 2008-05-21 }}</ref> and [[script.aculo.us]]<ref name="Schmitt">{{cite book | last = Schmitt | first = Christopher | year = 2006 | title = CSS Cookbook | publisher = [[O'Reilly]] | isbn = 0596527411 | pages = p. 204 }}</ref> for its animations and positioning), in order to reduce the size of the code.<ref name="Resig">{{cite book | last = Resig | first = John | year = 2006 | title = Pro JavaScript Techniques | publisher = [[Apress]] | isbn = 1590597273 }}</ref> The release of Lightbox encouraged other developers to work on similar projects, resulting in products such as the later Thickbox.<ref name="Resig" />

'''Lightbox''' is a [[JavaScript]] library that displays images and videos by filling the screen, and dimming out the rest of the [[web page]].<ref name="useit">{{Cite web|url=http://www.useit.com/alertbox/application-design.html|title=10 Best Application UIs|author=Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox}}</ref>

== How it works ==

The original JavaScript library was written by Lokesh Dhakar.<ref>{{cite web | accessdate=2012-12-17 | first=Lokesh | last=Dhakar | title=Lightbox JS | url=http://lokeshdhakar.com/projects/lightbox/}}</ref> The term Lightbox may also refer to other similar JavaScript libraries. The technique gained widespread popularity due to its simple and elegant style.

On a Lightbox-enabled page, a user can click an image to have it magnified in a Lightbox window, which resizes itself according to the size of the image using a gliding animation. Lightbox determines which images will be shown in the modal window through the XHTML "rel" attribute, which is used on an &lt;a&gt; tag wrapped around the &lt;img&gt; tag. Lightbox also provides a way to attach captions to images and to run a slide show, which can be navigated using the arrow keys.

'''Lightbox''',The andoriginal the newer '''Lightbox 2''', is a [[JavaScript]] applicationlibrary used to display large images using [[Modal window|modal dialogs]]. The script has gained widespread popularity due to its simple yet elegant style and easy implementation. While it was initially developed from scratch, Lightbox has since been modified to use a number oftwo JavaScript libraries (such as the, [[Prototype Javascript Framework]]<ref name="Herrington">{{cite web | last = Herrington | first = Jack D | date = | title = Ajax and XML: Ajax for lightboxes | work = [[IBM DeveloperWorks]] | url = http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/x-ajaxxml6/ | accessdate = 2008-05-21 }}</ref> and [[script.aculo.us]],<ref name="Schmitt">{{cite book | last = Schmitt | first = Christopher | year = 2006 | title = CSS Cookbook | publisher = [[O'Reilly Media|O'Reilly]] | isbn = 05965274110-596-52741-1 | pages = p. 204 }}</ref> for its animations and positioning),. inIn orderApril to reduce2012, the size[[Plug-in of(computing)|plugin]] thewas coderewritten for [[jQuery]].<ref name="Resig">{{cite bookweb | last accessdate= Resig2012-12-17 | first = JohnLokesh | year last= 2006Dhakar | title = Pro JavaScript TechniquesLightbox2 | publisher url= [[Apress]] | isbn = 1590597273 http://lokeshdhakar.com/projects/lightbox2/}}</ref> The releaseopen-source nature of Lightbox encouraged other developers to workmodify onand similarfork projectsthe code, resulting in productsplugins such as theColorbox, laterMagnific Popup, Slimbox or Thickbox.<ref name="Resig" />

== Advantages ==

Lightbox permitsscripts usersare todependent viewupon largera versionsbrowser's of[[JavaScript]] imagessupport.<ref withoutname="Schmitt2">{{cite havingbook to| last = Schmitt | first = Christopher | year = 2006 | title = CSS Cookbook | publisher = [[O'Reilly Media|O'Reilly]] | isbn = 0-596-52741-1 | pages = 207 }}</ref> Browsers that do not leaveload the currentscript for whatever reason can instead simply load the image as a separate page load, losing the Lightbox effect but still retaining the ability to display the image.<ref name="Zervaas">{{cite book | last = Zervaas | first = Quentin | year = 2007 | title = Practical Web 2.0 Applications with PHP | publisher = Springer | isbn = 15905990631-59059-906-3 | pages = p[https://archive.org/details/practicalweb20ap0000zerv/page/423 423] | url = https://archive.org/details/practicalweb20ap0000zerv/page/423 }}</ref>

While Lightbox is dependent upon a browser's compatibility with Prototype to function,<ref name="Schmitt">{{cite book | last = Schmitt | first = Christopher | year = 2006 | title = CSS Cookbook | publisher = [[O'Reilly]] | isbn = 0596527411 | pages = p. 207 }}</ref> Lightbox is trigged through a standard link tag. Thus browsers that do not support JavaScript simply load the image as a separate file, loosing the Lightbox effect but still retaining the ability to display the full-sized image.<ref name="Zervaas" />

== References ==

{{reflistReflist}}

== External links ==

* {{Commons category inline|Lightbox (JavaScript)}}

*[http://lokeshdhakar.com/projects/lightbox2/ Official Lightbox website]

* [http://www.nickstakenburg.com/projects/lightview/ Lightview] Handles images, slideshows, videos, flash, iframes, Ajax and inline content.

* [http://mjijackson.com/shadowbox/ Shadowbox Media Viewer] A “cross-browser, cross-platform, cleanly-coded and fully-documented media viewer application written entirely in JavaScript”. It can be used to extend the Prototype+ Scriptaculous, as well as [[Yahoo! UI Library|YUI]], [[Ext (javascript library)|Ext]], [[jQuery]] and [[MooTools]] frameworks.

* [http://www.synapsesinc.com/lightbox Synapses Lightbox] A PHP Based lightbox solution that uses one image, and one image directory for your lightbox gallery. As opposed to having a thumbnail image for previewing, Synapses Lightbox auto resizes proportionately on the fly with the use of the PHP GD technology.

* [http://www.digitalia.be/software/slimbox Slimbox] A lightweight alternative based on the [[MooTools]] framework.

* [http://planetozh.com/projects/lightbox-clones/ The Lightbox Clones Matrix] A matrix comparison of 30+ lightbox alternatives, based on various Javascript frameworks ([[jQuery]], [[MooTools]], Prototype...)

[[Category:JavaScript programming languagelibraries]]

[[Category:Web design]]

[[Category:Web development]]

[[Category:Web 2.0]]

[[Category:Ajax (programming)|Category:Ajax]]