Highslide JS is a brilliant open source image, media and gallery viewer. It is written in JavaScript, is highly configurable and offers a Web 2.0 approach to popup windows. One of the goals of Highslide is to provide anyone, regardless of their skill level, with the extensive functionality of the plugin and reduce the need in coding. There is opportunity to use the visual Highslide Editor to configure installation without writing code.
Highslide provides basic features needed for image viewing. When the user clicks on the thumbnail, a full-size image appears in a popup window. This image adjusts automatically to the monitor's resolution. There is a slideshow for images on page with Prev/Next navigation, optional captions and headings, custom overlays, positioning the expanded content, and image maps.
Highslide main advantages are:
- Small size, speed and elegant look.
- Supports display of images, flash, video, html content, ajax and iframe content.
- No additional libraries, or plugins like Flash or Java required.
- Compatible with all popular browsers. In case the user uses an old browser or JavaScript has been disabled, the browser redirects directly to the image itself or to a given HTML page.
- While it streamlines the use of HTML popups on web pages, the content opens within the active browser window, so Highslide is not stopped by popup blockers.
- Reduces mouse clicks. After opening the image, the user can scroll further or leave the page without closing it.
- Is easy in usage, but provides scalability and a lot of configuration options.
- Supports a wide range of languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Polish, Serbian, and Turkish.
Highslide in use
Highslide JS can be used under two licenses. You can use its open code for any non-commercial purposes, like a personal website, a school site, or a non-profit organization. To use Highslide JS for a commercial or governmental website, web application or SaaS project, you need to buy a commercial license.
Highslide JS can be integrated into Plone via collective.js.highslide. It registers this plugin in the Plone's resource registry. There is another similar add-on - collective.plonetruegallery. It implements a very customizable and sophisticated gallery. This Plone package provides “Gallery View” for Folder and Collection content type. Among the various extra display types there is Highslide (after installation of dependent package collective.ptg.highslide).
Highslide JS is a powerful yet simple JQuery plugin that provides image viewer functionality. To get more information on its features, application and licensing visit Highslide website.