Converted CSS/HTML theme to D7, .js files ignores integrated jQuery and works only with jQuery imported via .info

Question

I got a basic static CSS/HTML theme which is using some .js like jcarousellite.js and it has a jquery file together which is jquery-1.4.2.min.js

So I import that jcarousellite.js via theme's .info:

scripts[] = js/jcarousellite.js

Then there is some inline script which goes with that template, so I pasted that to my html.tpl.php

    $(function() {
         $(".carousel").jCarouselLite({
                    btnNext: ".next",
                    btnPrev: ".prev"
         });
});

Now, to make it all work, it needs jQuery. So since D7 loads jQuery by default from its core (and it does load it and current version is 1.4.4 that comes with Drupal 7.21) I understand that the jquery-1.4.2.min.js which comes together with static template is not needed right? So I do not add it to my .info and after flushing caches and everything, it loads my jcarousellite.js and it loads inline .js, but it doesn't work.

If I load that jquery-1.4.2.min.js via .info then all .js is working on the website. So what I am missing? How to make it work without importing that older jquery library via .info and using the jQuery from Drupal's core? Now both and core jQuery and that custom jQuery libraries are loaded at same time.

Answer 1

add a anther js file via theme's .info;

scripts[] = js/mycustomscript.js

dont add your inline script in html.tpl.php , add it in mycustomscript.js file like

(function ($) {

  Drupal.behaviors.exampletheme = {
    attach: function (context, settings) {
      $(".carousel").jCarouselLite({
                btnNext: ".next",
                btnPrev: ".prev"
     });
    }
  };

})(jQuery);

Answer 2

The $ global will no longer refer to the jquery object. However, with this construction, the local variable $ will refer to jquery, allowing your code to access jQuery through $ anyway, while the code will not conflict with other libraries that use the $ global.

http://drupal.org/update/modules/6/7#javascript_compatibility