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Material-Preloader

CSS

A jQuery plugin that recreates the Material Design preloader animation seen in Google's Inbox.

GitHubGitHub
362 stars73 forks0 contributors

What is Material-Preloader?

Material Design Preloader is a jQuery plugin that recreates the animated multi-color loading bar from Google's Material Design, specifically as seen in the Inbox application. It provides a visually appealing way to indicate loading states in web projects with customizable colors, position, and animation speed.

Target Audience

Frontend developers and web designers building websites or web applications who want to implement Material Design-inspired loading indicators.

Value Proposition

It offers an easy-to-integrate, customizable solution for adding the distinctive Material Design preloader animation without requiring complex custom code or design work.

Overview

A jQuery plugin that recreates the Material Design pre-loader (as seen on inbox).

Use Cases

Best For

  • Adding Material Design loading animations to jQuery-based websites
  • Creating visually engaging loading states for single-page applications
  • Enhancing user experience during AJAX requests or page transitions
  • Implementing customizable preloaders without writing CSS animations from scratch
  • Projects needing a lightweight loading indicator with minimal dependencies
  • Websites aiming for a Google Inbox-like visual aesthetic

Not Ideal For

  • Projects built with modern JavaScript frameworks like React or Vue.js, where native component libraries are preferred over jQuery plugins.
  • Applications requiring server-side rendering with minimal client-side JavaScript, as this preloader relies on jQuery and client-side execution.
  • Teams needing preloaders with built-in accessibility features, as the plugin documentation does not address ARIA roles or screen reader compatibility.
  • Environments where Internet Explorer support is critical, since the README explicitly states it has not been tested in IE.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Easy Integration

The plugin offers simple methods like `.on()` and `.off()` for controlling the preloader, making it straightforward to add to existing jQuery projects with minimal code, as shown in the usage examples.

Customizable Appearance

It allows detailed customization of colors, position, height, and animation speeds through options such as `col_1` to `col_4` and `fadeIn`, enabling visual alignment with various design schemes.

Distinctive Animation

It replicates the unique Material Design loading bar from Google Inbox, providing a polished and modern loading experience that enhances user engagement compared to generic spinners.

Lightweight Setup

With only a CSS file and a JS file required, plus minimal configuration, it's a lightweight solution for adding animated loading indicators without building custom animations from scratch.

Cons

jQuery Dependency

Being a jQuery plugin, it ties the project to jQuery, which can be a drawback for modern web development where jQuery usage is declining in favor of vanilla JavaScript or frameworks.

Limited Browser Support

The README admits it has not been tested in Internet Explorer, indicating potential compatibility issues with older browsers, making it risky for projects requiring broad browser coverage.

Basic Functionality

It only provides on/off functionality without features like progress tracking or seamless integration with AJAX libraries, limiting its usefulness in complex loading scenarios.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Stats

Stars362
Forks73
Contributors0
Open Issues4
Last commit9 years ago
CreatedSince 2014

Tags

#jquery-plugin#loading-animation#frontend#ui-components#preloader#material-design#web-development

Built With

J
JavaScript
j
jQuery
C
CSS

Included in

jQuery978Material Design649
Auto-fetched 1 day ago

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