jQuery, YUI updates

February 20, 2009

We have updated versions of jQuery and YUI on our CDN. jQuery is now at version 1.3.2 which will be what version 1 and 1.3 aliases point to.

YUI's new version, 2.7.0, includes a new stylesheet utility to do dynamic CSS without looping through DOM nodes as well as some enhancements to existing functionality such as charts, DOM collection, and tree view. Furthermore, YUI is maintaining their image as a library for professionals by beginning to add IE8 support in preparation for Microsoft's upcoming launch.

I'd also like to remind you that all public updates to our APIs can be followed on our Google AJAX API Alerts blog. That blog is meant for minor API additions/updates/fixes, and in the future these alerts will only be posted there.

Adding Google News to Your Website

February 3, 2009

Today we are launching a new extension to the AJAX Search API, a Google News-based element. This element embeds a news slideshow on your site, letting your users see headlines and previews from Google News based on queries that you've selected. Here is an example of the NewsShow in action:



It couldn't be easier to add this to your site. Simply include this iframe:


<iframe src="http://www.google.com/uds/modules/elements/newsshow/iframe.html?format=300x250"
frameborder="0" width="300" height="250"
marginwidth="0" marginheight="0">
</iframe>


The element comes in two standard sizes: 728x90 and 300x250.

Adding a NewsShow to your site in this way allows you to customize its shape and content with URL arguments. Simply input your parameters into our wizard and we'll build the code for you. Or, for greater control over the NewsShow's look and feel, you can call the classes directly. Check out the documentation for details and the Code Playground to try your hand at customizing.

As always, let us know what you think in the Google AJAX API developer forum.

Note: Earlier this evening a reader pointed out a typo in the iframe snippet which has since been corrected.