jquery.pageloader

jquery.pageloader is a jQuery plug-in which implements Ajax loading of multiple content pages into the DOM, and offers a variety of page transitions to move from page to page with animated real-time response to swipe gestures.

jquery.pageloader is designed for use in a mobile or tablet webapp to provide a native-like page-flipping experience. Pages may be flipped programmatically, or using touch or mouse swipe gestures. Browser history is supported using HTML5 popstate events.

Invocation

jquery.pageloader is invoked as a jquery plugin as follows:

$('#pageloader').pageloader( [{ options }] );

Options

The following options are available:

• transition -- The transition effect to use: slide, flip, fade, reveal, spin, or none. Default: slide.
• duration -- Number of milliseconds for each page transition. Default: 300.
• enableSwiping -- Whether to respond to swipe gestures. Default: true.
• enableMouseSwiping -- Whether to respond to swipe gestures based on mouse evvents (in addition to touch events). Default: true.
• urlPrefix, urlSuffix -- Used to map page names into URLs for ajax endpoints. This will depend on your server platform. Default: blank.
• idPrefix -- Used to generate unique element IDs from page names. Default: pageloaded-
• swipeMinOffset -- Number of pixels a gesture must travel before qualifying to be a swipe. Default: 5
• swipeMaxSlope -- Maximum slope (from horizontal) which a swipe gesture may travel before being disqualified as a swipe. Default: 0.2.

Methods

Once initialized, a pageloader will respond to a number of method calls of the form

$('#pageloader').pageloader('method-name' [, args...] );

Available methods are:

• configure -- Change the options used to configure the instance.
• load -- Load a page using ajax, and transition to it.
• post -- Like load, but use a POST method.
• forward -- Transition to the next page forward.
• backward -- Transition to the previous page.
• goto -- Go to a page, load it if it does not yet exist.
• fetch -- Download and install a new page into the DOM, but do not transition to it

See the source code for more information on these methods, including applicable arguments.

Markup

jquery.pageloader expects to be run on a div with the following stucture:

<div class="pageloader">
    <div class="_sequence">
        <!-- pages go here -->
    </div>
</div>

(These class names are only required by the default CSS file, and can be changed there if necessary.)

Every child element of the _sequence will be considered a page. The _sequence may be preloaded with zero or more pages; the first page will be initially visible by default. Additional pages are loaded programmatically using the load method, or automatically by data-next and data-prev links on each page element.

CSS

The file jquery.pageloader.css provides the CSS which is required for proper functioning of the plug-in. The pageloader and its pages may also be styled more specifically for the particular application.

Events

jquery.pageloader triggers a ready event on each page, once the DOM is ready.

Dependencies

jquery.pageloader requires the animateWithCss method as defined by Aza Raskin's jquery.css-transitions. A copy is provided in the /lib folder for the purposes of running the demo.

Demo

A demo is provided in the demo directory.