LightWindow is a JavaScript framework based on Prototype and Scriptaculous. If you aren't familiar with these two amazing resources, it is definitely worth your time to become familiar with them. They are two of the most useful resources available for Web 2.0 developing. LightWindow takes the combination of those two frameworks and adds some really cool things to it. The reason I decided to use LightWindow the first time was to embed media easily into my website. I needed to show some videos and wanted a better way to do it than just embedding it into the page (I hadn't designed a good spot on the page for a video). LightWindow was not only able to meet the needs of the video I wanted to show, it ended up meeting needs I didn't even have at the time. Here is a listing of all the great features that LightWindow boasts.

• Media - You are able to load various types of media, including YouTube videos, Flash videos (SWF), QuickTime videos, and Flash Paper PDFs. There is support for all and every media type; that's pretty hard to beat.
• External Websites - You are able to load an external source as well as an internal source. This creates a type of pop-up window, but it is much cooler!
• Images - You are able to load images from internal or external sources. You can also load image galleries for viewing multiple images in a nicely laid-out design.
• Forms - You are able to load and use forms within the LightWindow. Full functionality is provided with easy to follow instructions for setup.
• Pages - You are able to load various page types, including fluid, fixed, and specific dimensions.
• Inline Content - You are also able to load basic content from a container. (The author calls this one a "gimme.")
• Themes - You can create your own theme for colors, styles, and animations. This is not easy to accomplish however. The author has not released any tutorials or help files for this, but says that it is possible.
• On the Fly - You can create and instantiate a window on the fly without needing to create it first when the page loads.
• Parameters - You can use various parameters to customize your window. Some examples are title, author, and caption.

This is one of the easiest frameworks to learn and to use. At the cost of free, I don't think there is a better choice out there that boasts all the features, ease of use, and quality of LightWindow.

You can visit the LightWindow website and download your copy of the framework (v2.0). If you like what Kevin has done, be sure to donate and show your appreciation!

I have been designing and programming on the web for 10 years and still have so much more to learn. I hope to use what I have learned from my MBA to mix business with web technologies in future endeavors.