Apply jQuery "highlight" theme styles using javascript?

Question

I'm using jQuery UI Themes with one of my web applications.

If I want to apply button styling, I add the following jquery code:

$(".button").button();

Where .button is a class on the button I wish to style with jquery themes.

---

How can I do a similar thing to apply theme styles to an element which I want to style as a "highlight"?

I tried .highlight();, but this hasn't worked.

Note: I'm aware that I can manually add the CSS classes to my elements, but I wish to apply this with jQuery as this would save me adding the span element which displays the icon.

Therefore I want to be able to have the following HTML code:

<div class="highlight">
   <strong>Warning!</strong> Lorem Ipsum
</div>

Which is then converted, using jQuery, into:

<div class="highlight ui-state-highlight ui-corner-all" style="margin-bottom:20px">
   <p><span class="ui-icon ui-icon-info" style="float: left; margin-right: .3em;"></span>
   <strong>Warning!</strong> Lorem Ipsum</p>
</div>

---

Or, have I misunderstood what the use of the "Highlight" example is on the Theme roller page? I've assumed this is a warning box, considering its next to an error example.

Answer 1

http://jsfiddle.net/mTu2R/3/

$.fn.highlight = function() {
    return this.each(function() {

        var elem = $(this), p = $("<p>", {
            html: '<span class="ui-icon ui-icon-info" style="float: left; margin-right: .3em;"></span>' + 
                  elem.html()
        });

        elem.empty().addClass("ui-state-highlight ui-corner-all").append(p);

    });
};

$(".highlight").highlight();

Answer 2

Plugin keeps existing ID and classes

(function($){
$.fn.highlight=function(){
     return this.each(function(){                              
            var text=$(this).text();
            var id=this.id;
            var thisClass=$(this).attr('class');
            var $el=$('<div class="highlight ui-state-highlight ui-corner-all" style="margin-bottom:20px">\
                   <p><span class="ui-icon ui-icon-info" style="float: left; margin-right: .3em;"></span>\
                   <strong>'+text+'</strong> Lorem Ipsum</p>\
                </div>').attr(id, id).addClass( thisClass);

             $(this).replaceWith($el);
        });

};
})(jQuery);

$(anyElement).highlight();

Answer 3

I feel like I may be missing the point here, but you've said you want to do this "with jQuery", so:

$(".highlight").each(function() {
    var elm, p;

    elm = $(this);
    // Create the new paragraph and span
    p = $('<p><span class="ui-icon ui-icon-info" style="float: left; margin-right: .3em;"></span></p>');
    // Add the classes to the element
    elm.addClass("ui-state-highlight ui-corner-all");
    // Move the element's children into the paragraph
    p.append(elm.contents());
    // Append the paragraph
    elm.append(p);
});

Live example | source