Site Switcher (jQuery)

Introduction

The Site Switcher is a powerful jQuery plugin that allows you to easily switch between different versions of a website or application. It's a great tool for developers who need to manage multiple versions of a site, such as a staging site, a production site, or a test site. With the Site Switcher, you can quickly switch between these versions without having to manually update the URL or reload the page.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to use the Site Switcher plugin to switch between different versions of your website. We'll cover the basic usage of the plugin, as well as some advanced features and customization options.

Step 1: Including the Plugin

To use the Site Switcher plugin, you'll need to include it in your HTML file. You can do this by adding the following line of code to the head of your HTML file:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/sit-switcher@1.2.3/dist/sit-switcher.min.js"></script>

This will load the latest version of the plugin from the CDN. If you want to use a specific version of the plugin, you can modify the URL accordingly.

Step 2: Initializing the Plugin

To initialize the Site Switcher plugin, you'll need to create a container element on your page where the plugin will render the switcher. You can do this by adding the following code to your HTML file:

<div id="site-switcher"></div>

Then, you'll need to initialize the plugin by calling the siteSwitcher function and passing in the container element as an argument:

<script>
  $(document).ready(function() {
    $('#site-switcher').siteSwitcher({
      // Options go here
    });
  });
</script>

Step 3: Defining the Switcher Options

The Site Switcher plugin has several options that you can customize to suit your needs. Here are some of the most commonly used options:

• sites: An array of objects that define the different versions of your website. Each object should have the following properties:
  • name: The name of the site (e.g. "Staging", "Production", etc.)
  • url: The URL of the site (e.g. "https://staging.example.com", "https://example.com", etc.)
  • css: An optional CSS file that will be loaded for the site
• defaultSite: The default site that will be loaded when the plugin is initialized
• switcherTemplate: An optional template that will be used to render the switcher UI
• switcherButton: An optional button that will be used to trigger the site switch

Here's an example of how you might define the switcher options:

$('#site-switcher').siteSwitcher({
  sites: [
    {
      name: 'Staging',
      url: 'https://staging.example.com',
      css: 'https://staging.example.com/css/staging.css'
    },
    {
      name: 'Production',
      url: 'https://example.com',
      css: 'https://example.com/css/production.css'
    }
  ],
  defaultSite: 'Staging',
  switcherTemplate: '<button>{{site.name}}</button>',
  switcherButton: '<button id="site-switcher-button">Switch Site</button>'
});

Step 4: Using the Switcher

Once you've defined the switcher options, you can use the switcher to switch between different versions of your website. You can do this by clicking on the switcher button, which will trigger the site switch.

Here's an example of how you might use the switcher:

$('#site-switcher-button').on('click', function() {
  $('#site-switcher').siteSwitcher('switch', 'Production');
});

This code will switch the site to the "Production" version when the button is clicked.

Step 5: Customizing the Switcher

The Site Switcher plugin is highly customizable, so you can tailor it to fit your specific needs. Here are some examples of how you might customize the switcher:

• Changing the switcher template: You can customize the switcher template by modifying the switcherTemplate option. For example, you might want to add a dropdown menu instead of a button:

  $('#site-switcher').siteSwitcher({
  switcherTemplate: '<select>{{sites.map(function(site) { return '<option value="' + site.name + '">' + site.name + '</option>'; })}}</select>'
  });

• Adding custom CSS: You can add custom CSS to the switcher by modifying the css option. For example, you might want to add a custom class to the switcher button:

  $('#site-switcher').siteSwitcher({
  css: '.site-switcher-button { background-color: #ccc; }'
  });

• Using the switcher programmatically: You can use the switcher programmatically by calling the switch method and passing in the name of the site you want to switch to. For example:

  $('#site-switcher').siteSwitcher('switch', 'Staging');

  This code will switch the site to the "Staging" version.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we've shown you how to use the Site Switcher plugin to switch between different versions of your website. We've covered the basic usage of the plugin, as well as some advanced features and customization options. With the Site Switcher, you can easily manage multiple versions of your website and switch between them with just a few clicks.