Facebox vs Fancybox?

[EvanGR]

[joomla 2.5.14, VM 2.0.24]

I am working on a site which uses the 'facebox' script for the images. In VM, the options says "we recommend fancybox", without detailing why. The site I am working on is on a responsive bootstrap template, and I am doing several optimization tasks on it. I am new to VM, and I would like to know if there are good reasons to go for fancybox. Thanks!

[jenkinhill]

Fancybox provides better functions for image display, especially with multiple product images, and facebox is available for use where the template supplier has included conflicting scripts. In reality in the current versions either can be used.

[PRO]

fancybox uses jQuery and virtuemart will not need to add Mootools.

It is faster with Just the jQuery library

BUT if you have to add mootools on product pages, then it really does not matter

[Jumbo!]

Fancybox and Facebox both are jQuery Plugins.

Facebox: http://defunkt.io/facebox/
Fancybox: http://fancybox.net/

Fancybox plugin is more robust, more stable and faster. So Virtuemart recommends use of the same.

[EvanGR]

Thank you all.

It seems that neither has been updated in a long time. Last version for Fancybox dates back to 2010, according to your links Jumbo.

Perhaps the VM team should also consider more modern and actively developed alternatives? Or is there a way for us users to go for a different option, that we can use straight away?

[jenkinhill]

The licence for using fancybox has changed since the older versions, which I believe would now require payment. Changes have been discussed by the developers but J3.5 compatibility is probably more important at the moment.

[Jumbo!]

FancyBox 2 needs commercial license to use. http://fancyapps.com/fancybox/ It brings few many new features.

However as far as VirtueMart is concerned FancyBox 1 is sufficient and stable enough to use. The same is even used by many other open source eCommerce platform like Magento, PrestaShop, Shopify etc.

However changing the jQuery plugin should not effect anything with Joomla 3.5. Unlike Joomla 2.5 jQuery is a built in library in Joomla 3. We just need to ensure that it is compatible to Bootstrap which is the main layout framework since Joomla 3.

[AH]

 

[EvanGR]

Changes have been discussed by the developers but J3.5 compatibility is probably more important at the moment.

I understand. Perhaps there could be an (advanced) option to allow any custom 3rd party library then (left to the users to implement)? Doesn't sound like an urgent issue at the moment, I agree, but a little more flexibility and clarity would be nice.

Here's an opinion from someone (me) who is not very familiar with VM.... instead of the more cryptic "Use Fancybox", VM could use a dropdown box with the integrated libraries (state version numbers).... "Fancybox 1.x", "Facebox 1.x" and "Custom" and "None". Perhaps add in a "Boostrap 2" option, in case a bootstrap native version is available. Also state, in label or tooltip, that this is the javascript library to be used for image pop-ups (just to have more clarity).

Hope this is useful to somebody in charge. Thanks.

[jenkinhill]

VirtueMart is a project to which everyone can contribute code for testing and approval by the devs so feel free to work on it and post it in http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?board=139.0 for consideration.

The use fancybox switch is there for those users on templates with too many bells & whistles to be able to turn it off if they see conflicts.