2.2. Converting into a jQuery Plug-in

Converting the bouncy sprite application into a jQuery plug-in adds functionality that takes advantage of jQuery’s ability to easily search for DOM elements via CSS selectors and return them as a list for further processing. The plug-in will search for any specified elements and attach multiple bouncySprite instances to them via the bouncyBoss object. It will also allow you to change the background color of the elements being attached to and the number of bouncySprite instances being attached.

Although converting the bouncy sprite application into a flexible jQuery plug-in may sound like a substantial job, there’s actually less work involved than you might expect. Because of the modular and self-contained way in which the DHTMLSprite, bouncySprite, and bouncyBoss objects were developed, they will slip unobtrusively into a jQuery plug-in structure.