Switching a DIV background image with jQuery

$('#divID').css("background-image", "url(/myimage.jpg)");  

Should do the trick, just hook it up in a click event on the element

$('#divID').click(function()
{
  // do my image switching logic here.
});

I personally would just use the JavaScript code to switch between 2 classes.

Have the CSS outline everything you need on your div MINUS the background rule, then add two classes (e.g: expanded & collapsed) as rules each with the correct background image (or background position if using a sprite).

CSS with different images

.div {
    /* button size etc properties */
}

.expanded {background: url(img/x.gif) no-repeat left top;}
.collapsed {background: url(img/y.gif) no-repeat left top;}

Or CSS with image sprite

.div {
    background: url(img/sprite.gif) no-repeat left top;
    /* Other styles */
}

.expanded {background-position: left bottom;}

Then...

JavaScript code with images

$(function){
    $('#button').click(function(){
        if($(this).hasClass('expanded'))
        {
            $(this).addClass('collapsed').removeClass('expanded');
        }
        else
        {
            $(this).addClass('expanded').removeClass('collapsed');
        }
    });
}

JavaScript with sprite

Note: the elegant toggleClass does not work in Internet Explorer 6, but the below addClass/removeClass method will work fine in this situation as well

The most elegant solution (unfortunately not Internet Explorer 6 friendly)

$(function){
        $('#button').click(function(){
            $(this).toggleClass('expanded');
        });
    }

$(function){
        $('#button').click(function(){
            if($(this).hasClass('expanded'))
            {
                $(this).removeClass('expanded');
            }
            else
            {
                $(this).addClass('expanded');
            }
        });
    }

As far as I know this method will work accross browsers, and I would feel much more comfortable playing with CSS and classes than with URL changes in the script.

There are two different ways to change a background image CSS with jQuery.

1. $('selector').css('backgroundImage','url(images/example.jpg)');
2. $('selector').css({'background-image':'url(images/example.jpg)'});

Look carefully to note the differences. In the second, you can use conventional CSS and string multiple CSS properties together.

If you use a CSS sprite for the background images, you could bump the background offset +/- n pixels depending on whether you were expanding or collapsing. Not a toggle, but closer to it than having to switch background image URLs.

Here is how I do it:

CSS

#button{
   background-image: url("initial_image.png");
}

#button.toggled{
  background-image:url("toggled_image.png");
}

JS

$('#button').click(function(){
  $('#my_content').toggle();
  $(this).toggleClass('toggled');
});