I’ve uploaded my first version of a jQuery custom form control to github. Take a look if you’re that way inclined. It’s intended to provide and alternative to the rather heavy jQuery UI version by Filament group. I developed it because Filament’s plugin renders very slowly on older browsers, particularly on pages with many inputs as it replaces each select menu with a full control. My version only implements the parts which must be visible at any one time, thus saving much event binding and many DOM operations, which are the most expensive of any Javascript calls. My version is yet to be ported to the jQuery or jQuery UI module format but it should prove a relatively straightforward process once I get the time.
Check out the theory behind the flyweight design pattern.
Edit 20110726
Added an unstable branch and live demo to the github pages. All branches, including the live demo, are now implemented as a jQuery plugin.
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