Developing a jQuery plugin

I successfully developed a slider component using jQuery and now I'm interested in transforming it into a plugin for reusability across multiple projects.

However, I encountered some challenges when working with multiple instances of the slider within my HTML form. How can I identify which specific slider instance the user is interacting with?

I have reviewed resources such as:

https://learn.jquery.com/plugins/basic-plugin-creation/

https://learn.jquery.com/plugins/advanced-plugin-concepts/

HTML Form:

<body>
    <div id="myslider" style="position: absolute; top:20px; left:20px;"></div>
    <div id="myslider2" style="position: absolute; top:200px; left:200px;"></div>
<script>
    $("#myslider").vslider();
    $("#myslider2").vslider();
</script>

CSS Styling:

.slider_holder{
        height: 3px;
        width: 300px;
        position: absolute;
        float: left;
        left: 0px;
        top: 0px;
        background-color: #C2C2C2;
        border-radius: 3px;
}
.slider_holder span{
        height: 5px;
        position: absolute;
        width: 100%;
        top: -1px;
        background-color: #FF5A5F;
        left: 0px;
}
.slider_holder div{
        width: 16px;
        height: 16px;
        border-radius: 50%;
        border: solid 1px #333;
        background-color: #fff;
        position: absolute;
        top: -8px;
        cursor: pointer;
}
.slider_holder #fpoint{
        left: 0px;
}
.slider_holder_right_slider{
        right: 0px;
}

jQuery Plugin Script:

(function( $ ){

$.fn.vslider = function() {

var el = "";
var timer_handle;
var currentMousePos = { x: -1, y: -1 };
var min_val = 50000;
var max_val = 1000000;
var from_val = 0;
var to_val = 0;
var container;

    container = "#" + this.prop("id");
    // Implementation logic here...

  return this;
   }; 


})( jQuery );

Answer №1

How do I determine the specific slider instance that the user is interacting with?

Plugins should be context-sensitive, meaning they should know which element they are attached to and perform actions accordingly. The issue you're facing is that you are still accessing the element using selectors (as if it's not a plugin):

$(".slider_holder div")

This approach reduces your plugin to a basic jQuery function.

You need to modify your plugin to utilize the bound element. A good way to do this is by writing your plugin using boilerplate code (such as the one found here or here).

Following this structure will organize your plugin code like:

// Code for jQuery Plugin Boilerplate
// Facilitates the development of jQuery plugins
// Version 1.1, May 14th, 2011
// Created by Stefan Gabos

// Ensure to replace every instance of "pluginName" with the actual name of your plugin!
(function($) {

    // Let's begin!
    $.pluginName = function(element, options) {

        var defaults = {
            foo: 'bar',
            onFoo: function() {}
        }

        var plugin = this;

        plugin.settings = {}

        var $element = $(element),
             element = element;

        plugin.init = function() {
            plugin.settings = $.extend({}, defaults, options);
        }

        plugin.foo_public_method = function() {}

        var foo_private_method = function() {}

        plugin.init();
    }

    $.fn.pluginName = function(options) {

        return this.each(function() {
            if (undefined == $(this).data('pluginName')) {
                var plugin = new $.pluginName(this, options);
                $(this).data('pluginName', plugin);
            }
        });

    }

})(jQuery);

Source

Now, following the chosen boilerplate, you should have code similar to:

var $element = $(element),
    element = element;

With this, you now know which element your plugin is attached to - it's $element!

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