jQuery Applications come handy in providing a funky yet usable component for websites. Here is a collection of the best usable and stylish jQuery applications.

1. jQuery Thumbs

jThumb dynamically wraps images and/or link images with a div. You can add them an specific size (width and height) inside the css file. And optionally it can automatically center the image inside the frame.

2.  jQuery Image Strip

The jQuery Image Strip has a lot of real uses, but the way I like too use it is for fancy visual effects.

3. Color Picker - jQuery plugin

A simple component to select color in the same way you select color in Adobe Photoshop.

4. jquery Hover Sub Tag Cloud

Here is a new approach: Using jQuery  to reduce the size of the tag cloud that you have on your sites, so our demo will introduce "Hover Sub Tags" under each main Tag, for example if you have Ajax as a tag, you can have jquery, mootools, etc… as sub-tags.  A Sub Tag  Cloud will appear when hovering over the main Tag links.

5. jQuery UI Datepicker Project

The jQuery Datepicker project has been donated to the jQuery UI project. However, since the jQuery UI team had a different direction in mind than Keith Wood (co-author of jQuery Datepicker), Keith Wood has created another implementation of, jQuery Datepicker.

6. jQuery Flickr 

jQuery Flickr plug-in is a JavaScript interface for Flickr Services API written on top of the jQuery library. It’s function is to process a Flickr API Standard Photo List returned in JSON and create a semantic gallery (unordered list) of thumbnail images (list items) with links to full size images. When combined with jQuery Litebox, a rich slide show, lightbox plug-in, jQuery Flickr provides a completely client-side solution, for integrating Flickr into your website, perfect for hosted blogs.

7. Building a better web forms: Context highlighting using jQuery 

When I discovered jQuery I decided to use it because of its powerful features. Since the forms were often very complex and had (too much I would say) controls on them, I needed to focus a user's attention on the current context. I first thought to highlight the current row.

8.  Web-based Chat Application with PHP and jQuery

In this tutorial we will be creating a simple web-based chat application with PHP and jQuery. This sort of utility would be perfect for a live support system for your website. The chat application includes a log in and log out system, AJAX-style features, and will also offer support for multiple users. Also, you can work off this and build a multiple chat rooms, add an administrative back end, add emoticons, etc.

9.  jQuery File Tree Demo

Create a Tree View using jQuery.

10. Autotab: jQuery auto-tabbing and filter plugin

Autotab has a new beta release. Read more here. Documentation changes will be forthcoming to this page once 1.1 has been tested and approved, but until I'm happy with the performance, this page will use 1.1b but contain 1.0 documentation.

Autotab is a jQuery plugin that provides auto-tabbing and filtering on text fields in a form. Once the maximum number of characters has been reached within a defined text fields, the focus is automatically set to the defined target of the element. Likewise, clearing out the text field's content by pressing backspace eventually places the focus on the elements previous target. The purpose of this script is to easily establish auto-tabbing between multiple text fields. It is not intended to support formatting a single text field to a specific need; an example of this is formatting a 10 digit US phone number as (800)555-1234 or a Social Security Number as (123-45-6789).

12. jQuery plugin: Autocomplete

Autocomplete an input field to enable users quickly finding and selecting some value, leveraging searching and filtering.

By giving an autocompleted field focus or entering something into it, the plugin starts searching for matching entries and displays a list of values to choose from. By entering more characters, the user can filter down the list to better matches.

This can be used to enter previous selected values, eg. for tags, to complete an address, eg. enter a city name and get the zip code, or maybe enter email addresses from an addressbook.

13. jGlideMenu

jGlideMenu is an updated version of the fastFind Menu that supports inline and AJAX menu definitions and uses an easier syntax than the original version.

14.  jQuery Plugin Page Peel

Create a page peel effect in jQuery!

15.  jQuery Portlets

A bit of a friendly challenge was put to me by Chris Heilmann, a London based Yahoo developer and JavaScript guru / author. So, I have updated this little demo with improved expand / collapse toggle behavior. I have also made it so that each portlet can be dragged and dropped, ala Netvibes. This was made possible using the Interface plugins for jQuery.

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this whole crazy notion about Ajax (it’s not an acronym), JavaScript and Web Standards is more than just a fad. In fact, I dare say that it is here to stay. Yes sir-ee, these Intarwebs are alive with so many flashy widgets, you’d swear we are in the 1990’s all over again. Recently, the man himself – Zeldman had this to say about it.