An alternative to jQuery's ajax load() function that has the same interface except it does not take a callback function, bit instead it returns a promise.

loadThen.js

(function ($) {
    var _loadThen = $.fn.loadThen;
    
    /**
     * An alternative to jQuery's ajax load() function that has the same interface 
     * except it does not take a callback function, but instead it returns a promise.
     * The promise will be resolved when the content are loaded into the set of matched elements.
     * @param url {string} A string containing the URL to which the request is sent.
     * @param params {object or string} A plain object or string that is sent to the server with the request.
     * @returns {jQuery Promise} with params (html, status, jqXHR). 
     * When the promise is resolved, functions The [this] object is the set of matched elements.
     */
    $.fn.loadThen = function (url, params) {
        if (typeof url !== "string" && _loadThen) {
            return _loadThen.apply(this, arguments);
        }
        
        if(this.length <= 0) {
            return jQuery.Deferred().resolveWith(this, ['']);
        }

        var selector, type, response,
            self = this,
            off = url.indexOf(" ");

        if (off >= 0) {
            selector = jQuery.trim(url.slice(off));
            url = url.slice(0, off);
        }

        if (params && typeof params === "object") {
            type = "POST";
        }

        return jQuery.ajax({
            url: url,
            type: type,
            dataType: "html",
            data: params
        }).then(function (responseText) {
            self.html(selector ? jQuery("<div>").append(jQuery.parseHTML(responseText)).find(selector) : responseText);
            return self;
        });
    };
}(jQuery));