Websites using Blocku

Let s break down BlockUI, a popular jQuery plugin, covering its overview, revenue aspects (or lack thereof), alternatives, pricing (again, or lack thereof), and customer care details.

BlockUI Overview

• What it is: BlockUI is a jQuery plugin that allows you to block user interaction with parts or the entire web page. Essentially, it creates an overlay that prevents users from clicking, typing, or otherwise interacting with the elements you ve blocked. It s commonly used to:

  • Show Loading Indicators: While an AJAX request is in progress, you can block the UI and display a Loading... message or spinner, preventing users from submitting forms multiple times or clicking around while waiting.
  • Prevent Accidental Actions: Temporarily disable interactive elements to guide users through a specific flow or prevent unintended clicks during critical operations.
  • Overlay Content: Create modal-like popups or overlays to display messages, forms, or other content without navigating away from the current page.

• Key Features:

  • Simple to Implement: Easy to integrate into jQuery-based projects with minimal code.
  • Customizable: Offers a wide range of options to customize the blocking message, styling, and behavior. You can control:
    • Message: Text displayed in the overlay.
    • CSS Styling: Appearance of the overlay, message box, and spinner.
    • Overlay Opacity and Color: Adjust the visual impact of the block.
    • Z-index: Control layering relative to other page elements.
    • Focus Handling: Manage focus during blocking.
    • Message Animation: Control how the message appears.
  • Flexible Blocking: Block the entire viewport or specific HTML elements.
  • Callback Functions: Execute code when blocking or unblocking occurs.
  • Unblock Programmatically or Automatically: Remove the block after a certain time or based on events.
  • Cross-Browser Compatibility: Works well across modern browsers and older versions.

• Technology: Built using JavaScript and relies on the jQuery library.

• Use Cases: Web applications, dashboards, forms, any interactive web interface where you need to temporarily disable or overlay the UI for user experience purposes.

Revenue

• Free and Open Source: BlockUI is completely free and open-source software. It s licensed under the MIT License. This means you can use it for personal and commercial projects without any cost or licensing fees.

• No Revenue Stream: BlockUI, as a standalone jQuery plugin, does not generate revenue directly. It s a community-supported project primarily maintained by the original author and contributors.

• Monetization (Indirect/Developer): The developer who created BlockUI (M. Alsup) might indirectly benefit from its popularity in terms of reputation and potential opportunities. However, BlockUI itself is not a commercial product designed to generate profit. The author also offers other jQuery plugins, and their portfolio might contribute to their professional standing.

Alternatives to BlockUI

If you re looking for similar UI blocking or overlay functionalities, here are some alternatives, categorized by approach and technology:

• Pure JavaScript/CSS Solutions (Framework Agnostic):

  • CSS Loaders/Spinners: Many CSS-only or lightweight JavaScript libraries provide visually appealing loading spinners and can be combined with CSS overlays to block the UI. Examples:
    • Spin.js: (Though slightly older, still functional for basic spinners)
    • Loaders.css: A collection of CSS-based loaders.
    • Various CSS Loader Generators: Online tools that generate CSS for loading animations.
  • Custom JavaScript Overlays: You can create your own basic overlay functionality using JavaScript and CSS to manipulate DOM elements and control visibility and interaction. This gives you maximum control but requires more coding.

• JavaScript Framework Specific Libraries (React, Angular, Vue):

  • React Block UI (react-blockui): A React component wrapper for BlockUI, making it easier to use in React applications.
  • Ngx-BlockUI (Angular): An Angular library providing similar UI blocking capabilities within Angular projects.
  • Vue-BlockUI (Vue.js): A Vue.js component for UI blocking in Vue applications.
  • Framework-Specific Modal/Overlay Components: Most modern JavaScript frameworks have their own built-in or popular community libraries for modals and overlays that can also be used to block user interaction while displaying content.

• More Feature-Rich UI Libraries:

  • jQuery UI Dialog: (If you are already using jQuery UI) Offers modal dialogs that can act as blocking overlays, but it s a broader UI component than just blocking.
  • Bootstrap Modals: (If using Bootstrap framework) Bootstrap s modal component can be used to create overlays that effectively block the background UI while the modal is open.
  • Materialize CSS Modals: (If using Materialize CSS framework) Similar to Bootstrap modals, providing modal functionality with Material Design styling.
  • Other UI Component Libraries: Many UI libraries (like Ant Design, Material UI, Vuetify, etc.) provide sophisticated modal and overlay components that can be used for UI blocking and display.

Why Choose an Alternative?

• No jQuery Dependency: If your project doesn t use jQuery, or you are trying to minimize dependencies, you ll want to use a pure JavaScript or framework-specific solution.
• Framework Integration: If you are heavily invested in a particular framework (React, Angular, Vue), using a library specifically designed for that framework will often provide a more seamless and idiomatic development experience.
• More Advanced Features: Some alternatives might offer more advanced features beyond basic UI blocking, such as more sophisticated animation options, accessibility considerations, or tighter integration with specific UI patterns.
• Performance (in some cases): For very performance-sensitive applications, minimizing library dependencies and using lightweight, targeted solutions might be preferred.

Pricing

• Free: As emphasized earlier, BlockUI is free to use. There are no paid versions, licenses, or subscriptions.

Customer Care Details

• Community Support: Because BlockUI is free and open-source, customer care is primarily through the community. This means:

  • Documentation on the Official Website: The official BlockUI website (https://malsup.com/jquery/blockui/) provides documentation, examples, and options details. This is the primary resource for learning how to use BlockUI.
  • Stack Overflow: A popular Q&A site for developers. You can search for blockui or related tags to find answers to common problems, or ask new questions.
  • GitHub Issues (Unofficial): While there isn t an official GitHub repository explicitly for BlockUI itself maintained by the original author that s readily discoverable, you might find forks or discussions on GitHub related to BlockUI. However, official support primarily comes through the website and broader web development communities.
  • No Dedicated Support Team: Do not expect dedicated phone, email, or live chat support like you would get with a commercial software product. Support is based on community contributions and self-service resources.

• Self-Service Resources: The best approach to customer care for BlockUI is to leverage the available self-service resources:

  • Read the Documentation Thoroughly: The documentation is your first and best source of information.
  • Explore Examples: The website provides examples of BlockUI usage.
  • Search Online Forums: Use Stack Overflow and other developer forums to search for solutions to problems or questions.
  • Experiment and Debug: Set up a test environment to experiment with BlockUI and debug any issues you encounter.

In Summary

BlockUI is a valuable, lightweight, and free jQuery plugin for adding UI blocking and overlay functionality to web projects. It s excellent for simple loading indicators and basic UI control in jQuery-heavy applications. While it s free and easy to use, remember that support is community-driven. For projects without jQuery or needing more advanced features, consider exploring the available alternatives.