Amazon.com
Provides a rapid and thorough exposition of the JavaScript programming language, as well as an in-depth reference section covering each JavaScript function, object, method, and even handler. Experienced programmers will quickly find the information they need to start writing JavaScript programs.Book Description
JavaScript is a simple programming language from Netscape that can be embedded in your HTML web pages.It allows you to control the behavior of the web browser, add dynamically created text to your web pages, interact with the user through HTML forms (without CGI scripts), and, in version 3.0 of Netscape Navigator, even control and interact with Java applets and Navigator plugins.JavaScript is not an alternative to Java, but an ideal partner.The two languages have separate but very complementary features.Since JavaScript is a simple language that can be embedded directly into a web page, without need for compilation, it is accessible to more web page authors, and may actually have a larger short-term impact on the Web and on Internet computing than Java itself. This book is a definitive guide for JavaScript.The first eight chapters document the core JavaScript language, and the next six describe how JavaScript works on the client side to interact with the web browser and with the web page.These chapters are followed by acomplete reference section that documents every object, property, method, event handler, function, and constructor used by client-side JavaScript.This book also covers the use of JavaScript on web servers, as well as the object, properties, and methods of server-side JavaScript.A separate reference section documents the interaction between JavaScript and HTML -- mainly aspects of HTML that relate to JavaScript.

The book describes the version of JavaScript shipped with Navigator 2.0, 2.0.1, and 2.0.2, and also the much-changed version of JavaScript shipped with Navigator 3.0, 3.0.1, and 3.0.2.It also covers LiveConnect,used for communication between JavaScript and Java applets, and commonly encountered bugs on JavaScript objects. ... Read more

Book Description
So you're ready to make the leap from writing HTML and CSS web pages to creating dynamic web applications. You want to take your web skills to the next level. And you're finally ready to add "programmer" to the resume. It sounds like you're ready to learn the Web's hottest programming language: JavaScript. Head First JavaScript is your ticket to going beyond copying and pasting the code from someone else's web site, and writing your own interactive web pages.

With Head First JavaScript, you learn:

• The basics of programming, from variables to types to looping
• How the web browser runs your code, and how you can talk to the browser with your code
• Why you'll never have to worry about casting, overloading, or polymorphism when you're writing JavaScript code
• How to use the Document Object Model to change your web pages without making your users click buttons

Customer Reviews (8)

After Head First HTML/CSS could be better
I finished the HTML book from Head First and was immediately able to jump right into designing web pages. I assumed that Head First JavaScript would do the same for interactive web pages. Although this book may be the best book on Javascript? dont know? it has so far been a little disappointing after the very high standard that was set and the concepts are not getting into my head the same way. Not enough time is spent on some concepts and it is not laid out nearly as clear. Also the website code is all on one line so it can't be easily viewed and the different versions of each project are not indexed in the book. I understand that this subject is much more difficult but perhaps this could have been done better

It's HOW you learn, first.
The authors are all very well versed in the topics and content at hand.However, they are concerned with HOW you learn, first, and then WHAT you learn.The material is presented in an array of learning styles.There are positive, simple, hands on examples and all the support you could ask for via the publishers site from code to forums for questions.This book is NOT for someone looking for a quick refrence guide.But, if you really want to learn the topic in realistic terms then it's wonderful.As someone with a degree in Education I would say that this book is written with learning in mind... you will learn it if you committ to it.

A good book, but not all it could be.
Let me begin by saying that Head First Javascript is a good book, at least compared to any other JS books I've seen. It isn't, however, a particularly good "Head First" book.

What I mean by this is that the other Head First books I've used (XHTML & CSS, SQL, and C#) have been highly interactive, easy to use, and really got the concepts into my head. I was amazed that, after just a few days with these books, I could actually build professional-looking web pages that were rigorously standards compliant; or create complex applications in C# quickly and easily; or navigate the intricacies of building and using SQL databases. The Head First method certainly seemed to work.

So when I heard the HF people were producing a JS book, I was overjoyed. Sadly, it's been a bit of a letdown. The book smacks strongly of rushed production, lacking many of the features that makes the HF series special. For example, in the C# book, the authors take the reader through application construction in a step-by-step manner, carefully explaining everything as they go. The effect is of a very knowledgeable teacher standing over your shoulder and guiding you while you code. The reader is actively involved in every exercise, building their code from scratch. There are copies of every piece of code available for download at Head First's website, but these are merely tools for checking the reader's work.

In the Javascript book, however, much of the interactivity is missing. The book reads like a walkthrough of the code samples, with most of the user participation taking the form of pencil and paper exercises. The reader could actually complete the book without switching on her PC. Even the code solutions on the HF website seem to be just tossed up there, with the page numbers each example refers to contained in a Read Me file (the book itself just contains a general instruction to grab the code from the website, without any indication of which code).

This all sounds pretty negative, and I must confess to being somewhat disappointed with the book. That said, it's still far superior to any other JS book I've tried. By the end of Head First Javascript, I did feel that the general scope of Javascript had sunk into my brain. I had a feeling for its overall structure and the ways in which it could be applied. I know that I can now tackle a more advanced JS book and absorb the concepts much more easily.

What I don't feel is ready to sit down and write Javascript. The whole experience with this book was just too fragmentary and too lopsidedly didactic. The experience was insufficiently hands-on to enable me to become comfortable with the nitty gritty of JS scripting. When I finished HF's C#, XHTML, and SQL books, I could sit down and churn out code, with only a few O'Reilly Pocket Guides beside me to refresh my memory on syntax and structure. That's not been the case with Javascript.

Head First Javascript just seems to lack the "stickiness" of the other titles in the series.

I love Head First books, but...
I just received my copy if Head First JavaScript 20 minutes ago and I'm already a little disappointed because it's all on black and white and the paper quality is not as good as other Head First Books.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that Head First Series are the best way to learn anything because of the great examples and clever use of images, it's just that those images in Black and white aren't what I was expecting.

An Excellent Book to Learn JS
I am a self-taught web developer, and owned several books on HTML and JavaScript.I taught myself HTML easily as it is an easy coding material, and I used Head First series and Missing Manual, and both are fine.

However, I got no way for JS, even though I browsed several books, and always spent time in the library.With those books, I always got stuck after reading several chapters, or I was bored by the contents and won't find interest to go on.

But for HF JS, the approach is different, and I find the content more enjoyable with diagrams and teaching materials.Also, the teaching methods and style are totally different from other books, that a beginner should have interest to wade on.As well, the contents are related with web, unlike other books that chiefly aim to teach you programming language.I wish other computer books should be good for reading, rather than providing you with loath and heaps uninteresting materials, and try to stick into your mind.

A good place to start with, and a good buying.And I look forward to expect Head First PHP, that I found other books not come to my needs as a beginner. ... Read more

Book Description

Pro JavaScript Techniques is the ultimate JavaScript book for the modern web developer. It provides everything you need to know about modern JavaScript, and shows what JavaScript can do for your web sites. This book doesn't waste any time looking at things you already know, like basic syntax and structures.

Customer Reviews (15)

breadth but no Depth
Book has lots of examples.Many involve using libraries such as Prototype and JQuery.But, if you are not already familiar with using those libraries, the examples will not make much sense.And considering the typos in the straight JavaScript examples, it left me wondering about the validity of the library demos.Written in the style of a blogger where the author expects you to follow a link to a library's web page and then come back before you can understand the example.If I'm paying for a book to cuddle up with to read on a winter's night, I want it to be self contained - and not expect me to reach for the laptop to read up on the syntax of another library.It also didn't even touch upon one of the more difficult to grasp "Pro" techniques - scoping of "this" when using object methods during AJAX callbacks in the author's own code examples or the various libraries he touts.

If you want to know the next step
If you are an intermediate javascript developer, and you want to know what to learn next in the javascript language this book is for you. Inside you will find concise information about several obscure javascript elements which will make your coding more effective once you master them.

Ready for Level 2?
After writing disorganized (yet effective) JavaScript functions for seven years, I really wanted to get more out of the language.I wanted to code more efficiently.As each new project started, I found myself scurrying to find old functions strewn across different computers or servers.Even when I found this code, I would often need to make some significant changes to it.

So, I did what any self-taught front-end developer would do: I hit the online tutorials.Online tutorials didn't really do it for me, though.The good tutorials seemed too short, and I kept reverting back to sloppy coding after a few days.

Then I came across this book.

The examples are excellent in demonstrating how the language can really work for you if you're willing to put the time into it.That being said, this book is not for beginners.This book is probably best for three groups of people:

1) Intermediate JavaScript developers who are ready to finally adopt code reuse and reap the nice things a loosely typed, object-based language can give you.

2) Java/C++ programmers who need to pick up JavaScript for a project.These people are already familiar with OO concepts and will probably have an easier time learning the language from a book like this.

3) Ambitious beginners with a lot of patience.

After only 3 chapters, I started to think about JavaScript in a different way.For the first time ever, I found myself reusing code with little to no change required.My code was easier to read, too.

I'm a big proponent of activities that give back the time you invest.Bad books don't do this.Good ones, like this book, do.

Pro Javascript - the title says it all
How refreshing to finally get a book written by a pro for pros, one that does not spend the first half trying to teach one how to program. Instead, it is assumed you know your stuff, know languages in general, but need a deep reference for what makes Javascript different, and where its power lies. Even the introduction taught me stuff I needed to know, about Javascript, and not about how to write a program.

If you are an experienced pro, but in classical languages (C/C++/C# etc), but are moving into AJAX, this is the book to get. And use Firebug in Firefox to follow along. The debug environment that provides is an eye-opener in itself.

John Resig is brilliant and so is Pro JavaScript Techniques
Let me begin this review by mentioning, I've never had the desire to write a review for any of my 100+ owned technical literature pieces. John Resig's
Pro JavaScript Techniques (Pro) has inspired me to login and give three thumbs up for this phenomenal book.

Getting into John Resig's brain, author of the innovative library jQuery (www.jquery.com), has been nothing short of an exciting ride. The author makes Object Orientated JavaScript surprisingly simple to understand, as well as thorough understanding of the DOM, Events models, Ajax and many other contemporary styles of JavaScript as its written by professionals today.

I no longer reference any of my other JavaScript books. Instead opening up John's piece proves valuable over and over when in need of a refresher or a utility function for my web applications.

For any web developer who's serious about writing clean, powerful, unobtrusive JavaScript code -- look no further than John Resig's Pro JavaScript Techniques. ... Read more

Book Description
Need to learn JavaScript fast? This best-selling reference’s visualformat and step-by-step, task-based instructions will have you up andrunning with JavaScript in no time. In this completely updated editionof our best-selling guide to JavaScript, leading Web and computingexperts Tom Negrino and Dori Smith use crystal-clear instructions andfriendly prose to introduce you to all of today's JavaScriptessentials. Along the way, you'll find extensive coverage of Ajax andXML techniques, current browsers (Opera, Safari, Firefox), and more.

Visual QuickStart Guide--the quick and easy way to learn!

• Easy visual approach uses pictures to guide you through JavaScript and show you what to do.
• Concise steps and explanations get you up and running in no time.
• Page for page, the best content and value around.
• Companion Web site at www.javascriptworld.com offers sample scripts, updates, and more!

Customer Reviews (14)

All Examples - Not too Much Explanation
I'm an experienced procedural php, xhtml and css developer with litter foundational knowledge about javascript. I purchased this book to fill that gap and was a little disappointed. It's not a bad book but it assumes a lot and has little instructional flow. The book scrolls though one example after another without much explanation for the actual language constructs behind javascript.

The author states that this book is not for beginners and I don't consider myself to be one, however, I'd advise anyone looking to buy this book to have a solid understanding of object oriented programming principals before they do so.

Overall it's not a bad book for a certain audience but it lacks foundational, and in my opinion vital, information about javascript.

Not the best learning tool
This book gives some nice examples of usable code for a few common uses but doesnt give a very good explanation of what is being done and why. if you have great programming experience and a excellent knowledge of the DOM this book would be good way to get some javascript going, but for the average person looking to learn how javascript works and apply it in other ways than those shown in the book you are better off elsewhere.

Not for Dummies (ie me)
Ok, let me put it this way. If you don't understand what "concatenated" means or "string" (in the computing sense) or are iffy on whether or not you know what a "boolean" is, this book is not for you. I simply could not follow this book, as it briskly takes you through one example after another without really taking the time to stop and explain concepts. I can see how this format can be helpful for people who have at least some programming experience and don't need a whole paragraph devoted to the word "concatenate," but for dodos like me, this book is too hard. There are books out there that really take the whole process apart and explain underlying concepts in depth, and I'd recommend one of those over this for most people.

Easy to Understand
This book is really clear and easy to understand. Other programming books have left me with questions. Not this one!I am very satisfied with the purchase.

Great help for beginner javascript programmers
This book is great for beginner programmers who have little experience in javascript or any other scripting language. Out of the several books and resources I have read, this was by far the easiest to follow and work my way through. It takes a practical approach and shows you how to get things done. ... Read more

Book Description
In today's Web 2.0 world, JavaScript and Dynamic HTML are at the center of the hot new approach to designing highly interactive pages on the client side. With this environment in mind, the new edition of this book offers bite-sized solutions to very specific scripting problems that web developers commonly face. Each recipe includes a focused piece of code that you can insert right into your application.

Why is JavaScript & DHTML Cookbook so popular? After reading thousands of forum threads over the years, author and scripting pioneer Danny Goodman has compiled a list of problems that frequently vex scripters of various experience levels. For every problem he addresses, Goodman not only offers code, but a discussion of how and why the solution works. Recipes range from simple tasks, such as manipulating strings and validating dates in JavaScript, to entire libraries that demonstrate complex tasks, such as cross-browser positioning of HTML elements, sorting tables, and implementing Ajax features on the client.

Ideal for novices as well as experienced scripters, this book contains more than 150 recipes for:

• Working with interactive forms and style sheets
• Presenting user-friendly page navigation
• Creating dynamic content via Document Object Model scripting
• Producing visual effects for stationary content
• Positioning HTML elements
• Working with XML data in the browser

Customer Reviews (23)

excellent reference
I still have the first edition of this book but other than perhaps missing the chapters on ajax it's not outdated at all. This book has saved my life several times already.Almost every time I am looking to solve a tricky problem in javascript, I find that this book contains a well explained chapter with the exact solution that I was looking for. The authors often make a point of going through multiple iterations of a solution, to demonstrate what needs to be modified to support certain browsers, and at the same time ensure that the reader actually understands the code too.

This is a great book for experienced javascript developers who want to save time by using tried and tested code to solve common problems, but at the same time understand that code too.

Great!
This is a great book for beginners and experts. For beginners, he offers clear examples on how to get started in solving real world problems with Javascript. For experts, this offers a great refresher on how to do things right.

A lot of good information, time-saver
Problem solution format is ideal for the topic.DHTML is best served by this format.I was able to solve some problems I was working on and improve some of my existing code with the recipes presented.

A little more emphasis on cross-browser compatibility than I needed.

I would recommend this to developers who need examples of common page creation issues in JavaScript.

Another jewel from veteran tech writer Danny Goodman
This book is for people who already know the basics of Javascript/DHTML and are looking for examples of solving specific problems using the technology. If you've seen O'Reilly's programming cookbooks before, then you are familiar with the format. This book is separated into fifteen chapters of recipes. The recipes start out simple covering concepts such as strings, numbers, dates, arrays, and objects. They progress in complexity to browser issues and managing multiple frames. The book ends with recipes on creating dynamic content. Each recipe is divided into a problem statement, a brief paragraph describing the solution, and a detailed discussion of the solution including code and a breakdown of that code. Screenshots are shown if appropriate. At the end of the discussion, related recipes are mentioned if they exist. The book does not spend much time trying to differentiate between Dynamic HTML and Javascript since DHTML is basically Javascript. If you already have "The Definitive Guide" for these technologies, this is the perfect companion for finding the answers to specific problems. Highly recommended.

Forget the rest..............GET THIS BOOK!
In the world of .NET, there is asp.net Profressional from Wrox Press..........NOW, in the world of JavaScript, there is this book...........IT'S TREMENDOUS............it's NOT ONLY a Cookbook, it has the theory behind JavaScript ESSENTIALS (variables, strings, objects, windows, document, the list goes on and on) THAT YOU WON'T FIND ELSEWHERE.I can't say enough about this book.I have "dabbled" in JavaScript for years, NEVER feeling comfortable with it.........now, thanks to this book, I do! ... Read more

Book Description

As a web developer, you’ll already know that JavaScript™ is a powerful language, allowing you to add an impressive array of dynamic functionality to otherwise static web sites. But there is more power waiting to be unlocked&emdash;JavaScript is capable of full object-oriented capabilities, and by applying OOP principles, best practices, and design patterns to your code, you can make it more powerful, more efficient, and easier to work with alone or as part of a team.

With Pro JavaScript Design Patterns, you’ll start with the basics of object-oriented programming in JavaScript applicable to design patterns, including making JavaScript more expressive, inheritance, encapsulation, information hiding, and more. With that covered, you can kick-start your JavaScript development in the second part of the book, where you’ll find detail on how to implement and take advantage of several design patterns in JavaScript, including composites, decorators, façades, adapters, and many more.

Each chapter is packed with real-world examples of how the design patterns are best used and expert advice on writing better code, as well as what to watch out for. Along the way you’ll discover how to create your own libraries and APIs for even more efficient coding.

• Master the basics of object-oriented programming in JavaScript, as they apply to design patterns.
• Apply design patterns to your kick-start your JavaScript development.
• Work through several real-world examples.

What you’ll learn

• How to apply object-oriented programming techniques in JavaScript
• How to take advantage of inheritance, interfaces, and encapsulation and information hiding to kick-start your JavaScript development
• How to implement several design patterns in your JavaScript projects, including factory, façade, bridge, composite, adapter, decorator, flyweight, proxy, command, observer, and chain of responsibility
• How to make your code easier to manage in a team environment, as well as on your own
• How to create your own libraries and APIs

Who is this book for?

This book will be an invaluable learning tool for any experienced JavaScript developer.

Customer Reviews (3)

A more thorough treatment of advanced JS concepts would be hard to find
This book provides one of the more thorough treatments of some of the more advanced javascript idioms/concepts - it's not aimed at the beginner - and it does have some typos (for e.g defining functions as obj.fun() { } vs obj.fun = function() {...} - and while i haven't completed reading it (it is a design patterns book after all) - I have been quite impressed with it's initial chapters (encapsulation, inheritance, singletons etc.)
And as you would expect, this book does make it easier to follow library code written using the class-based OO pattern (such as extjs).

Want to be a JavaScript guru? Don't miss this one!
A bit hard to read unless you have the detailed knowledge of JavaScript and design patterns. Lack of figures to represent how things work and the idea behind all these.

Other than that, this is one of the GREATEST books about JavaScript you can find in the market, especially for those who want to know more about the JavaScript and design pattern.

An excellent title for experienced JavaScript developers
Design patterns, and particularly their application in dynamic languages can be a controversial topic, and every now and again another round of blog posts bubbles up appalled at the way a new group of programmers have become infatuated with design patterns. Applied without care design patterns can quickly lead to over-engineered code that seems designed as much to draw on as many of the established patterns as possible as to solve the intended problem. But if applied with care, and with consideration of how a pattern applies in the context of your chosen language they can be a helpful way to draw on the wisdom of the coders that came before you, and make your code easier to understand to those who may inherit it.

Written by Dustin Diaz (of Google) and Ross Harmes (of Yahoo), Pro Javascript Design Patterns builds on experience of building complex, high profile javascript applications. That experience shows as each pattern is introduced with solid examples and sample code and then refined to provide looser-coupling, more flexibility and/or better performance.

Early on in the book I was concerned that some of the solutions could become too heavy and the early introduction of interfaces hinted at something akin to the early approaches to pattern usage in PHP, which often looked more like an attempt to turn PHP into Java than a way to use PHP's own features better. As the book goes on the usefulness of those interfaces, particularly for large development teams, becomes clear and most of those concerns are allayed, especially as the authors offer pros and cons for the use of each pattern and are clearly focussed on how these patterns can help produce more robust solutions.

Most of the patterns will have a fairly immediate impact for developers new to them, and even for those who have used them in other contexts it is helpful to see how they have been applied in JavaScript. Most modern JavaScript libraries rely on several of these patterns to abstract out handling of different browser quirks or adding new event types, and even if you rely heavily on one or more of the major libraries this guide may well help you understand their internals better.

I've sometimes been skeptical of books claiming to be targeted at an advanced target. Labels like "pro" are often handed out far too easily. But in this case it seems deserved. While the book does a good job of quickly introducing approaches to object-oriented programming in JavaScript, that's based on an assumption of a solid knowledge of the language and of OO development in at least one language. If you're a newcomer to JavaScript or just looking for a way to add a few fancy features to your web pages this isn't be book for you. But if you have some serious JavaScript development experience and are needing a way to tighten up your code to make it more modular and more maintainable, this book is well worth your time.

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book for review by the publisher. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Suitable for learning basic programming for Web browsers, Beginning JavaScript is a patient, introductory tutorial on writing scripts successfully. It teaches you how to create client-side scripts (including full coverage of fundamentals like variables and flow control, plus plenty of screen shots.)

JavaScript is a good way to learn programming. It's powerful, of course, but the book takes small steps, using scripts that work with string and time data first, and then moving to manipulating browser objects like forms and windows. A running case study for a trivia game helps anchor the steps with a practical (and fun) example. There are plenty of tips on debugging your scripts (including how to use the Microsoft Script Debugger tool), and each section includes sample questions. (The book also offers extensive answers in over 80 pages at the end of the book.)

There's plenty of material on the differences between Internet Explorer and Netscape, especially when it comes to Dynamic HTML (DHTML). Coverage of the Document Object Model (DOM) for browsers helps bring the text up to date on some of the latest standards in Web browsers (including the new Netscape 6).

While the focus of Beginning JavaScript clearly is on the client, later sections turn to server-side ASP development (in which the sample trivia game is enhanced with ASPs written in JavaScript using ADO and Microsoft Access.) Reference sections on JavaScript and the browser object model for Internet Explorer and Netscape (through version 4.x) round out the material.

In all, with its approachable style and clearly rendered code examples, Beginning JavaScript makes for a worthwhile first book of programming for today's browsers. Even if you haven't programmed before, this text can give you the tools you need to bring your static Web pages to life. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction to JavaScript
• Cross-browser compatibility issues
• JavaScript data types and variables
• Displaying errors
• Calculations
• Operators
• String handling
• Flow control statements
• Loops
• Introduction to using objects
• The browser object model
• HTML forms (including types of input controls)
• Frames and windows
• Tutorial for regular expressions
• Advanced string methods
• Date, time, and timer objects
• Common errors
• The Microsoft Script Debugger
• Cookies
• Dynamic HTML (DHTML) on Internet Explorer 4.0 and Netscape Navigator 4.x
• The Document Object Model (DOM)
• ActiveX controls and plug-ins used with JavaScript
• Server-scripting
• Introduction to ASP and databases (including SQL basics and database design with Microsoft Access)
• Sample case study for a trivia game
• Sample exercises and answers
• References to JavaScript
• Internet Explorer 4 and 5 and Netscape Navigator 4 objects
• ASP object model reference

This book is for anyone who wants to learn JavaScript programming. You should have some understanding of HTML and how to create static Web pages, but no prior programming experience is necessary.Download Description
What is this book about? JavaScript is the preferred programming language for Web page applications, letting you enhance your sites with interactive, dynamic, and personalized pages. This fully updated guide shows you how to take advantage of JavaScript's client-side scripting techniques for the newest versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer, even if you've never programmed before.You begin with basic syntax and learn about data types and how to structure code for decision-making. Then you learn to use dates, strings, and other basic objects of JavaScript. Next, you see how to use JavaScript to manipulate objects provided by the browser, such as forms and windows. From there, you move into advanced topics like using cookies and dynamic HTML. After you have a solid foundation, you explore dynamic generation of Web content using server-side scripting and back-end databases. And you practice what you learn by building a sample application as you go. What does this book cover? Here are some of the things you'll find in this book: What types of data are used in JavaScriptHow to identify and correct flaws in your codeTechniques for programming the browserHow to use Microsoft Script Debugger and Netscape Script DebuggerWays to manage cross-browser issuesHow JavaScript interacts with XML and HTML ... Read more

Customer Reviews (78)

Beginning Javascript excellent book
Can't say enough about this book. Really outstanding in explaining the how-to of Javascript, especially for the beginner. Truly an outstanding book! Thnak you.

Domain Names, Domain Name Registration and Web Hosting | SeoSmith.Net
With this up-to-date guide, you'll find everything you need to know in order to develop interactive, robust, and personalized pages using JavaScript. It takes you step by step through this powerful scripting language so you can begin enhancing your site right away and increase visits. You'll learn how to take advantage of native JavaScript objects, manipulate objects that are available to you in the latest browsers, use cookies, and jazz up your web pages with Dynamic HTML. Great Update!!!
Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction to JavaScript and the Web.
Chapter 2. Data Types and Variables.
Chapter 3. Decisions, Loops, and Functions.
Chapter 4. JavaScript--An Object-Based Language.
Chapter 5. Programming the Browser.
Chapter 6. HTML Forms--Interacting with the User.
Chapter 7. Windows and Frames.
Chapter 8. String Manipulation.
Chapter 9. Date, Time, and Timers.
Chapter 10. Common Mistakes, Debugging, and Error Handling.
Chapter 11. Storing Information. Cookies.
Chapter 12. Introduction to Dynamic HTML.
Chapter 13. Dynamic HTML in Modern Browsers.
Chapter 14. JavaScript and XML.
Chapter 15. Using ActiveX and Plug-Ins with JavaScript.
Chapter 16. Ajax and Remote Scripting

information in this book is very very VERY old!
this book is a total waste of money. The things you learn are made for very old browsers. So if you want a book to learn js don't get this one, you would learn things as they where done 10 years ago.

Pretty good book on Beginning Javascript
I was required to purchase this book for a class that I was taking.It works well for the class, and I feel that the content has been thorough.The explanations have been very good.

For the JavaScript beginner this is for you
I bought this book for a class I was taking and it help me to better grasp the the subject of JavaScript with it's practical examples and quizzes.I am a better programmer now.I can't wait for their Advanced JavaScript book if there is one. ... Read more

Book Description
Everything you need to learn JavaScript from Scratch!

Packed with full-color examples, Simply JavaScript is a step-by-step introduction to programming in JavaScript the right way. Learn how easy it is to use JavaScript to solve real-world problems, build smarter forms, track user events (such as mouse clicks and key strokes), and design eye-catching animations. Then move into more powerful techniques using the DOM and Ajax.

Book Description
We've assembled seven of the greatest minds in modern JavaScript to teach you the most inspirational techniques you'll ever use. From creating impressive mashups and stunning, dynamic graphics, to more subtle user-experience enhancements, you're about to be amazed by the true potential of this powerful language.

With an all star line-up of authors including James Edwards, Michael Mahemoff, Ara Pehlivanian, Cameron Adams, Dan Webb, Christian Heilmann, and Simon Willison, this superb book will show you how to:

Book Description
Make your Web pages stand out above the noise with JavaScript and the expert instruction in this much-anticipated update to the bestselling JavaScript Bible. With renowned JavaScript expert Danny Goodman at your side, you’ll get a thorough grounding in JavaScript basics, see how it fits with current Web browsers, and find all the soup-to-nuts detail you’ll need. Whether you’re a veteran programmer or just starting out, this is the JavaScript book Web developers turn to again and again.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The best javascript book available
books on changing technologies are always out of date by6 months to a year (a book this size is probably closer to a year). i Google when i need the latest info, just like the rest of the planet apparently.

i understand other reviewer gripes about this book, but it is still the best printed resource available. the book weighs in at a hefty 35 chapters and 5 Appendices in about 1200 pages (and yes the print is small). i found the information well organized, with a decent layoutand a useable contents and index. this book tries to serve both the novice and the professional, and frankly does a pretty good job. a book this size obviously has errors, but nothing i would categorize a lethal (it's not a cookbook but has some decent template scripts to get you going). no one could write a book this size and comprehensive from scratch, this book is clearly an evolution and uses "revised" content from previous editions. i got the feeling reading this book that the authors write real code for real world apps. i thought about docking a star because it is has so much information. i seem to have got conditioned over the years to have a slight sense of dread when i have to open a large book to look something up. However, IMHO, the real value is searchable CD version of the book, hence back to 5 stars. this has 23 Bonus chapters! yes that's 23 bonus chapters which add over 500 pages. a nice touch was having references to the CD version (marked with a BC prefix) in the index of the print edition.

from a purist point of view some of the recommendations are wrong, but from a pragmatic point of view no one is going to be impressed with your W3C compliant script that runs 10-20x slower than the non-compliant one (and that's not just in IE).

inevitably a little dated but still the most comprehensive javascript book available.

This book is not up to date
I have a few javascript books already, but they are out of date. I bought this book, which claims to be published in 2007, to learn to be more DOM and W3C compliant. However, from reading this book so far, I find that the material in it are as outdated as my older books. For example, the book still encourages the use of the "innerHTML" method, which is neither a W3C recommendation, nor is it encouraged anymore. Furthermore, the book shows you to convert a "number" type to a string by doing this:

var num = 100;
num = "" + num;

That's just silly. What happened to the toString() method?How about doing this?

var num = 100;
num = num.toString();

Also the book doesn't encourage separation of structure from functionality. The book's examples have javascript all mixed together with the markup. This is clearly not the modern, correct, and recommended way to script a web page.

So far, these are the gripes I have about this book... and I'm only on chapter 6. It makes me feel like I don't want to finish this book, because I might adopt these outdated methods of scripting.

I do not recommend this book.

Good Reviews?
Just got started and got to Ch 3 and ran into a snag...page 22...lines 19 and 20 are duplicate as such:

Let's Script...

Excellent Book
The content of this book is Excellent, the wait was worth it. I'm glad someone finally consolidated all the JavaScript information into a publication, which brings me to acriticism, not about the content. The print is too small. I believe it would have been better to turn this into a two book publication and make the print bigger (and blacker), the paper could also be whiter for better contrast and a heavier weight. Yes it would have been more expensive, but you wouldn't go blind trying to read it. ... Read more

Book Description
Step-by-step instruction teaches beginning JavaScript programmers and Web designers to create windows, display moving text, and generate sound or other multimedia elements with ease. Uses the successful Beginner’s Guide teaching system, which countless new users have praised for giving them a solid foundation in technology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Good for beginners
This book was required reading material for a course I'm taking.That being said, the book is good for anyone who's a novice.The chapters are easy to read and provide a decent review section at their conclusion so you can quiz yourself if you like.If you already know the basics of JavaScript -- look elsewhere.

Clear, straigthforward explanations for a beginner
Concise descriptions of what happens inside the scripts. The author adresses JS matters without assuming previous knowledge on this subject, but he clearly makes you progress by invoking some math background (i.e. to explain functions ) and also involving the reader in logical deductions to make you think. Some hints of humour and lightweight prose are present along the book, without leaning too much towards the "for dummies" series. As an absolute beginner, it's more than enough.

Great for people with ZERO knowledge of basic programming, bad otherwise
I bought this book because even though I have knowledge about programming, I had no concept about JavaScript and needed to learn it. It gave me and introduction to JavaScript, but it also gave me a full recap about functions, constructors, etc. what they are, what they do, which I did not need. So if you are a programmer, I do NOT recommend this book. Instead buy "Simply JavaScript". If you are a newbie and don't know much about programming in general, I definitely recommend this book.

Eh
After all the great reviews I thought this book was going to be outstanding,so maybe that's why I was kind of let down. To be honest, I have not finished the book yet. At chapter 8 (which is where I think maybe he's starting to get into the meat of things) I was just so bored with the examples my enthusiasm for learning Javascript was starting to diminish. I want a little more variety than learning how to make EVERYTHING create a popup window. After reading several other more engaging programming books in the dummies and headfirst series, I think maybe I should've gone to them for my Javascript needs as well.

Great Starting book for people wanting to learn Javascript.
If you are new to Javascript, and know just a little HTML, than this book is perfect. I knew some HTML and wanted to make my page more interactive and this book goes through step by step and gives plenty of examples to guide you in the right direction. Sometimes it gets a little repetitve, but thats a good thing to ingrain the fundamentals of Javascript. A definate help to get me into the Javascript language in the fastest time. ... Read more

Book Description

Whether you're an old-school scripter who needs to modernize yourJavaScripting skills or a standards-aware Web developer who needsbest practices and code examples, you'll welcome this guide from aJavaScript master.

Other JavaScript books use example scripts that have little bearingon real-world Web development and are useful only in the chapter athand. In contrast, Peter-Paul Koch's book uses eight real-worldscripts he created for real-world clients in order to earn real-worldmoney. That means the scripts are guaranteed to do something useful(and sellable!) that enhances the usability of the page they're used on.

The book's example scripts include one that sorts a data tableaccording to the user's search queries, a form validation script, ascript that shows form fields only when the user needs them, adrop-down menu, and a data retrieval script that uses simple Ajax andshows the data in an animation.

After an overview of JavaScript's purpose, Peter-Paul providestheoretical chapters on the context (jobs for JavaScript, CSS vs.JavaScript), the browsers (debugging, the arcana of the browserstring), and script preparation. Then follow practical chapters onCore, BOM, Events, DOM, CSS Modification, and Data Retrieval, all ofwhich are explained through a combination of theoretical instructionand the taking apart of the relevant sections of the example scripts.

Customer Reviews (12)

From beginner to specialist
This book talks about scripting the DOM. Everything is clearly exposed : the history that make browsers like they are and not better, the tree behind an HTML document and the nodes behind tags and attributes, how to use css properties for the best, and how to manage events and their properties in all browsers, and of course the core of the javascript language.
There is nothing about objects and all other OOP stuff, so I think this book is very well suited for beginners. But specialist will also find a lot of interesting things.
One more advantage, the presentation and layout are really more pleasant than what is generally found in this category's books.

Solidify your javascript foundation
Javascript has been around for a while but it is still going places. ppk on Javascript sorts through all the fluff to deliver rock solid information. The author is using a very clear language to express his deep experience in this field.

Javascript is moving fast and the book does not cover some of the recent advances like the rise of Ajax, ActionScript, Tamarin. It is still a must read for any serious (javascript) programmer.

Most thorough walk through JavaScript in a book
PPK on JavaScript by Peter-Paul Koch might just be the most thorough JavaScript book I have read. Through the use of eight real-world example scripts, PPK walks us through JavaScript from the very beginning. Over the years JavaScript has had its ups and downs. This is mainly due to the flux of poorly optimized scripts that are scattered around the Internet. So how do you know what source to trust? What are some best practices for JavaScript? How can you utilize JavaScript to add enhancements to your site without breaking in the browser? How can you create scripts that will enhance the user experience and not hurt it? All of these topics and more are discussed in this book.

Throughout the ten chapters and 499 pages of this book, there is very little that isn't covered on the topic. Let's take a look at the organization and flow of the book:

Purpose
This chapter paints the big picture for us. There is no jumping into scripts or coding in the first few chapters. Here we get an overview of some important aspects of JavaScript. One of the most important aspects is the coverage of the history of JavaScript. Though some might find this to be boring, I believe it to be invaluable. Understanding the history of JavaScript gives you a better idea of how it has formed into the language it is today. This is one of the most valuable parts of the book. It sets a solid foundation for everything else that is covered.

Context
Along with understanding the history, it is good to see where JavaScript fits into the big picture of web development. Here we take an in-depth look at HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. There are many distinctions to be made here as each could potentially mix with the other. It is important to keep a clean separation of your structure (HTML), presentation (CSS), and your behavior (JavaScript). At some points the line may become blurry on mixing the two, which is why each aspect is discussed in detail. These include separation of presentation and structure, separation of behavior and structure, and separation of behavior and presentation.

Not every user or device has JavaScript enabled. Moving forward we look at the impact on accessibility and how it affects things such as no mouse, screen readers, and usability. These are all important pieces that must be addressed as we begin adding advanced functionality to our website.

Lastly we are introduced to the eight example scripts that we will encounter: Textarea MaxLength, Usable Forms, Form Validation, Dropdown Menu, Edit Style Sheet, Sandwich Picker, XMLHTTP Speed Meter, and Site Survey.

Browsers
This chapter provides a little more context and history into the different browser families. We look not only at browsers but other devices such as mobile phones and screen readers. We look at each of these and are then shown some of the incompatibilities that they suffer. We address the problems and look to build solutions to patch the holes. Next we look at solving problems by using two different techniques: object detection and browser detection. Object detection works by checking if the methods you are using are supported before you use them. Browser detection tries to detect the current User Agent and then build from there. Browser detection has many flaws associated with it. One specifically is browser spoofing where you can send a different User Agent string to the server, lying to the application about the available technology. There are correct uses, but this should mostly be avoided.

If you have been developing JavaScript for a while then you are probably used to using the alert method to help in the debugging process. Here were are introduced to debugging, figuring out some of the cryptic messages returned by the browser, and how we can deal with browser bugs.

Preparation
Planning is important for all projects. Here we are introduced to preparing our application for enhancements. This involves having the proper placements of hooks. Hooks are found by using an ID, class, custom attributes (not a widely accepted solution), and name/value pairs.

Once we have our hooks in place, we have to get access to them to make our modifications. Having access is only part of the process. We also have to learn how to generate content when necessary and understanding the relationships inside of the DOM. We get a brief primer on setting up our script tag and how we can utilize multiple scripts if necessary.

Our hooks are in place, and we know where we want to apply our effects. How and when should they fire? We stop to take a look at the initialization of scripts and the load event. This method has its pitfalls, which are discussed and alternate solutions are addressed. We take a look back to the example scripts for some more insight and real-world use cases.

Core
Everything we have done to this point hinges on our ability to actually program the functionality we are trying to achieve. This section walks through the basics of programming in JavaScript. We look at statements, comments, code blocks, operators, values, and case sensitivity. Next we look at the six different data types that are available to us, and how JavaScript handles conversion and concatenation. We look at ways to explicitly convert our data types when necessary. After looking at the data types we look at some of the common operators. These are inherent to every programming language, so there isn't much new in this area. We've looked at the constructs, now we move to discussing variables: proper naming, the var keyword, and variable scope. This is very important to grasp as we move forward and create our own functions to achieve our tasks. Next we look at working with numbers, strings, and booleans inside of our scripts. We have a good foundation, now we move to control structures such as if, switch, for, while, do/while, break and continue, and try/catch. The next few sections focus on defining and working with custom functions, creating and defining objects and their methods and properties, and finally dealing with arrays. The section on arrays is especially helpful as it discussed how you can loop over them and how you can add, delete, and locate specific sections inside of an array.

BOM
This section looks at the Browser Object Model and the window object. We take a look at the global window object and its impact on creating new pages and cross communication between windows. We then look at navigation within the window and the location and history. We learn how to manipulate the geometry of the window, and how to retrieve information about the current window dimensions.

The chapter rounds off with discussion of some miscellaneous functions such as alert, confirm, prompt and timeouts and intervals. We take a closer look at some of the available methods for the document object. Finally, we take a look at working with cookies and utilizing/managing them within our application.

Events
This is probably one of the most important sections of this book. This section gives a thorough look at all of the available events. The chapter first starts by looking at some compatibilities and how to resolve them case by case. We take an in-depth look at all of the available events at our disposal and how they work. We look at event registration and the best way to handle it. The rest of this chapter discusses event bubbling and capturing and the browser support related to each, the event object and its properties available to us, targeting your elements, and then implementing some of our new-found knowledge in the example scripts. Sometimes grasping events and event registration can be tough, but this chapter makes it easy through illustration and the example scripts.

DOM
We have come a long way to this point. We have set our foundation, looked at the core of JavaScript, examined the browser window and its properties, and learned how to set our events in motion. Now it is time to look at the Document Object Model. The DOM holds all of the information inside of our pages. It is comprised of all elements and attributes and their relationship to one another. They are commonly referred to as nodes that build the family tree. Understanding of this structure is what gives us the power to build elements and insert them or delete them. We have full control over our internal structure.

However, it is never that easy. Traversing the DOM can sometimes be painful, especially when you see some of the differences between browsers. We take a look at how to find our nodes, how we can retrieve information about those nodes, and how we can change our document tree through appending, inserting, removing, and replacing. We are also introduced to creating elements and creating text nodes, and then how we can achieve some of the above tasks.

This chapter rounds off with the always heated discussion of the use of innerHTML, finding attributes and setting their values, dealing with text nodes - even empty text nodes that sometimes cause confusion, understanding and traversing the nodeLists, and dealing with forms and the Level 0 DOM. All of these pieces help us put together the big puzzle as we are using JavaScript to manipulate our pages.

CSS Modification
Earlier we discussed the aspect of keeping your presentation separate from your behavior. This chapter discusses best practices for working between the two. We learn how to get style information from our elements, and then how we can add classes dynamically. We take a brief look at the possibility of changing the entire stylesheet via JavaScript. While this is a nice introduction, I think it would require a specific project.

The last parts of this chapter look at some examples of keeping the clean separation, but applying some visual enhancements. We work through some examples of toggling display of elements, animating elements, and changing the dimensions and position of elements.

Data Retrieval
This chapter is all about AJAX. We look at the XMLHttpRequest object and how to make it work cross browser through some conditional checks. Once we have sent the request, we need to know how to handle the response. We look at the different statuses and response codes that we will be dealing with and how to set callback functions to handle the response. We look at the available return formats such as XML, HTML, JSON, and CSV. The final part to this chapter looks at the impact that AJAX has on accessibility.

This review alone does not do this book justice. This book thoroughly discussed each and every aspect to JavaScript, from its history to looking to its future. The example scripts helped to grasp the different concepts, but the real meat of the book was in the specific coverage of each aspect. There are many books about specific aspects of JavaScript, but this book combines them all into one resource. If you are just getting your feet wet in JavaScript, then this book is the perfect book to help take you to the next level.

Good website, bad book
PPK's website is probably the most authorative and up-to-date ressource on internet, but when it comes to JavaScript, one could not be less interesting. The book contains a few tips on accessibility but look no further.

PPK makes Javascript readable
Good concise walkthrough of Javascript, it's structure, quirks and possibilities. Experienced programmers from other languages can pick up Javascript pretty quickly using ppk's descriptive style. ... Read more

Book Description
As web browsers have become more capable and standards compliant, JavaScript has grown in prominence. JavaScript lets designers add sparkle and life to web pages, while more complex JavaScript has led to the rise of Ajax -- the latest rage in web development that allows developers to create powerful and more responsive applications in the browser window.

Learning JavaScript introduces this powerful scripting language to web designers and developers in easy-to-understand terms. Using the latest examples from modern browser development practices, this book teaches you how to integrate the language with the browser environment, and how to practice proper coding techniques for standards-compliant web sites. By the end of the book, you'll be able to use all of the JavaScript language and many of the object models provided by web browsers, and you'll even be able to create a basic Ajax application.

Customer Reviews (16)

Too many errors
I am an experienced software engineer who has worked in many languages and is trying to get up to speed with JavaScript(JS).I am a novice when it comes to JS but I have used it in a commercial environment before.

I have returned this book since the number of errors in the examples and question sections are far too many.These sections are the important part of the book that one learns from.I got halfway through Chapter 3 and gave up since almost half of all the examples are incorrect.For example an alert("some string") call was listed with three different strings in the example, a reference to it in the text and the expected outcome.

Also for anyone who is not a developer or has little knowledge of common terms in development this book is NOT for you.Shelly assumes you know what a strongly/loosely typed language is and other such concepts.

Not for n00bs
As a n00b to web development, this book was not appropriate for me, and in retrospect, I realize I must not have been the intended audience.As a person who has taught and practiced technical writing and composition in the past, I would say that this book was intended for someone who was already familiar with other scripting languages and was looking for a quick entrance into Javascript.For my part, I was hoping for more explanation of the basic mechanics of Javascript and the DOM than this text offers.I haven't gotten past the initial chapter on defining variables and DOM, as both chapters used unfamiliar technical terms and concepts without explaining them.Why have an introductory chapter on DOM without explaining, step-by-step, what the explanatory terms mean? In other words, each concept could and should be further disaggregated and explained. This is NOT a book for the beginner!!

However, beginners take heart! I'm happy to report that I have found a truly helpful line of books with which to compare this book (and the O'Reily line of books, in general).After purchasing and reading through a couple of books from this aforementioned line (including one on CSS and XHTML), which ARE suited for the beginner, I can say with confidence that a beginner's book can be written and is available. I won't name the line (as I don't intend for this review to be an advertisement), but I will say that it is associated with a popular on-line development website and forum, and one can find it by looking around the developer forums. (One can even download free chapters of these books for personal review!!) If the books give you hangups -- which I doubt -- then one can easily go to the forum (which is quite hospitable to n00bs!!) and tune in to some truly "open-source" learning.Ask an intelligent, thoughtful question and the forum will respond.

As far as _Learning Javascript_, I would say that perhaps someone already initiated into the developer scene could benefit from this book.But, then, why bother when more comprehensive references are available?For my part, I'll reread the book when I have a basic working knowledge of Javascript and see what I can pick up. After all, I do own it, now. It will make an alright back-up reference.Best wishes, fellow n00bs!!

Great Book
"Learning JavaScript by Shelley Powersis great reference for beginners to learn JS and then get involve into AJAX world later , Shelley Powers did great job the book is well written and explain JavaScript from programmer viewpoint.

this book covers all fundamentals of Javascript, the book contain 14 chapters and broken into four section :

Chapter 1 through 3 provide an introduction to the structure o JavaScript application.

Chapter 4 through 8 introduce the main JavaScript objects, including the all important functions.

chapter 9 through 11 covers the browser object model and the newer document object model .

chapter 12 through 14 get into the advanced uses JavaScript including DHTML and AJAX.

Every chapter contain questions and the answer available in the appendix ."

Learn Javascript Like A Pro!!
'Learning JavaScript' by Shelley Powers is an exceptional book for becoming a Javascript superuser TO-DAY!!With over 300 pages of content written in a manner that is perfect for newbies and even experienced developers looking to pick up something new.The latest edition of this fantastic book covers the newest hot fad technology AJAX and the information is spread out over 14 chapters.I absolutely love the 'Learning' books by O'Reilly, as these books do exactly that.When I see the word 'Learning' in front of a technology, I want to be able to envision said book being like starting a course taught in the classroom.With this book I can do exactly that, taking my skills to the next level!

If you are a web developer and use Javascript on a daily basis in your life, this is the perfect starting point for you to become a better programmer.If you are an experienced programmer and want to start using Ajax, this is also a wonderful option for you.Fantastic O'Reilly styling, great writing, and easy content, this is awesome!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

NOT for beginners!
I recently purchased this book based on a lot of the positive feedback it had received in comparison to other JS books. However, after reading the book I was sorely disappointed and here's why:

1. Book is Full of Errors -- Over 400 Errors to be Exact...
This book is full of errors, both in the code samples as well as in the explanations. This is further solidified by the fact that the book's accompanying errata page (found via the O'Reilly web site) currently lists 400+ official and user-submitted errors and amendments to the book. I think I speak for every consumer when I say that purchasing a technology-based book with a bunch of errors is simply unacceptable and a total waste of money.

While many of the errors are simple and are relatively easy to fix if you're an experienced programmer, most of them may vex readers that are new to JS and programming in general. I buy a book of this caliber to learn and NOT to fix somebody's code samples.

2. JavaScript...What JavaScript?
The majority of this book deals mainly with programming practices and standards, most of which you can find online or in other manuals. I purchased this book to learn more about JavaScript but instead got a manual on object-oriented scripting, and many techniques that are impractical when applied to JS.

3. Vague Code Samples
The book suffers greatly from ambiguous code samples that introduce concepts that are not clearly explained or not explained at all. Again, if you're an intermediate programmer or have had experience with JS in the past, you may be able to decipher the cryptic code samples in this book. Otherwise, seek another source to truly learn JS from the start, such as "The Book of JavaScript, 2nd Edition: A Practical Guide to Interactive Web Pages."

Overall, this book had a couple of decent chapters that answered some questions that I had about JS. But the reason I purchased the book was to learn JS from the start. I made the safe assumption that this book would help me accomplish my goal since it's clearly called "Learning JavaScript." Ultimately, I learned only one new thing (towards the end of the book) that dealt with some AJAX and DHTML. I highly suggest reading another book first then perhaps revisiting this one later. ... Read more

Book Description
* Dispels the myth that JavaScript is a "baby" language and demonstrates why it is the scripting language of choice used in the design of millions of Web pages and server-side applications
* Quickly covers JavaScript basics and then moves on to more advanced topics such as object-oriented programming, XML, Web services, and remote scripting
* Addresses the many issues that Web application developers face, including internationalization, security, privacy, optimization, intellectual property issues, and obfuscation
* Builds on the reader's basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and the Web in general

This book is also available as part of the 4-book JavaScript and Ajax Wrox Box (ISBN: 0470227818). This 4-book set includes:

• Professional JavaScript for Web Developers (ISBN: 0764579088)
• Professional Ajax 2nd edition (ISBN: 0470109491)
• Professional Web 2.0 Programming (ISBN: 0470087889)
• Professional Rich Internet Applications: Ajax and Beyond (ISBN: 0470082801)

Customer Reviews (36)

Handle with extreme care
I have enormous problems with this dated, confused and 'gappy' book, and advise would be readers to exercise _extreme_ caution with it, particularly with the examples, a great number of which are a long, long way from currently accepted best practice.

I don't believe that "Programmer to Programmer" describes this book well. The author's confusing and patchy descriptions of language fundamentals are not useful to those readers who are highly experienced in other programming languages such as C or C++. Neither does it seem that the author has clearly identified the target reader, as I imagine that the book will bewilder some beginners too. For example, for reasons unknown the author seemed to feel the need to embark on a "fundamentals of OOP" tutorial, a subject quite inappropriate for a "programmer-to-programmer" text as it should be taken as read, and one which is in any case too large to be adequately covered in a few pages. I imagine this may merely succeed in confusing novice programmers, who really do need to consult a proper introduction elsewhere. And why on earth did the author feel that a quick descent into UML was appropriate at the start of the third chapter? Another short section is devoted to explaining bit pattern operations, a subject that is arguably best left to real textbooks on programming fundamentals for beginners. At the same time, in many, many cases discussions of basic topics that experienced programmers would expect to find are simply absent. Javascript is in many ways highly unusual as a programming language, and because of the familiar syntax, C, C++ or Java programmers may be initially led to believe that its behaviour will be close to their expectations, yet this is not the case. For this reason it is crucial for a reference text to take care to tick off these crucial language-conversion issues properly.

Returning to the code examples, I have many problems with their poor quality. A sizeable number do not conform to current "unobtrusive" best practise. I can understand why this might have been done for reasons of brevity, but that doesn't excuse the poor example this sets. There is no discussion of accessibility, which is unforgiveable. And some of examples feature outdated, broken or deprecated techniques. The discussion of hacks to bolster up browser support for addEventListener, for example. Browser-sniffing, a deprecated technique features far too much, indeed a worrying number of examples rely on it. The author of this review is nowhere near competent to comment in detail on the quality of every code example, but the poor techniques clearly visible in some have the effect of casting doubt on the whole.

Despite being published in 2005, the book is simply too old to cover the recent tidal wave of high quality libraries which are now available, and which properly deal with some of the most difficult issues in basic javascript development, issues which this book simply does not acknowledge. The book deserves criticism for being yet one more contributor to the vast amount of poor quality javascript code on the web, yet of course it has to be said that any paper book will inevitable be vulnerable to the problem of obsolescence, since javascript support in browsers is so poor currently and techniques are changing rapidly right now.

This review is unapologetically harsh, yet I am not going to say "do not buy this book" outright. Although dated and harmful for beginners, there is a lot of material in this book, and for very experienced programmers in other programming languages who are forewarned about the book's unreliability it will at least give some idea of the issues and will provide a starting point for gathering a list of topics to be researched. But many readers may be simply better off consulting the blogs of the various acknowledged javascript gurus instead. Reading Brendan Eich's own articles would be a start.

Javascript Overload
This book is perfect!I have been needing a book that gives a complete study of Javascript as a programming language and this is it.Where most books discuss how to make a popup window, this book explains objects and inheritance and other concepts that take Javascript from being a basic dynamic script into a full featured one that is capable of doing practically anything you want.

The book is well written with both hypothetical and real-world examples.For each example there is a discussion about what is going to happen, the example that is notated for what is going on, and a post-example where it explains what basically happened.

If you are trying to learn on your own instead of taking a class, you may want to buy this book as it will probably meet/exceed your needs.

Best Pro JavaScript book on the market
JavaScript has progressed from a nice little scripting language for some neat effects to a widely used programming language that is used in internal and external web applications.Not that it happened over night, but it eventually did happen and knowing and learning JavaScript is a desired skill in the web community.

This book by Nicholas Zakas goes language concepts such as ECMAScript basics, using objects, inheritance, the DOM, regular expressions and events.Basically everything you need to know about JavaScript to get a good handle on practical implementation such as form validation, browser detection, image roll-overs, sorting tables, drag and drop, error handling and XML handling, and flash embedding.This is a very complete book on almost every topic you can think of when dealing with JavaScript and current uses.

Chapter 1 - JavaScript History
Chapter 2 - ECMAScript Basics - Variables, Reference types, Operators, Statements, and Functions.ECMAScript - The core language JavaScript is based on.
Chapter 3 - Object basics - Working with objects, Creating objects, and Practical examples
Chapter 4 - Inheritance - Foundation of an object oriented language
Chapter 5 - Using JavaScript in the browser; basic JavaScript objects: window, document, location, navigator, screen
Chapter 6 - DOM basics
Chapter 7 - Regular expressions - Simple and complex patterns, understanding the RegExp object
Chapter 8 - Browser and Object detection
Chapter 9 - Events - Event flow, listeners, types of events, and cross browser events
Chapter 10 - Advanced DOM techniques
Chapter 11 - Forms and Data Integrity
Chapter 12 - Sorting tables
Chapter 13 - Drag and Drop - Learn how to simulate Ajax techniques
Chapter 14 - Error Handling - Try/Catch/Finally
Chapter 15 - XML in JavaScript - XPath, XSLT and support in browsers
Chapter 16 - Client-Server Communications - Cookies, HTTP requests, hidden frames, GET/POST differences
Chapter 17 - Web Services - SOAP, WSDL, practical examples
Chapter 18 - Interacting with Plugins - Embedding ActiveX, Flash, Applets and plugin detection
Chapter 19 - Deployment issues - Security and international concerns
Chapter 20 - Future of JavaScript

I've never seen a more complete book on JavaScript to date.If you are new to JavaScript or need a great reference or need to learn some advanced techniques (DOM, drag and drop, XML, web services) this is the book for you.

JavaScript Professional
I purchased Beginning JavaScript and learned a lot even though I have a good programming background (Java, C++, Q-Basic, HTML, CSS, PHP). The Beginning JavaScript helped learn all of the quirks of the Browser Object Model and Document Object Model (the basic programming skills lessons did were too easy). The Professional JavaScript is great because it gets to the point with the "basic" programming and then teaches you some of the more advanced concepts/methods. It also goes into more depth of the BOM and DOM. There are NOT a lot of coding examples like the Beginning JavaScript (which I like because they take up space making the book large and are often too easy or obvious). If you have programming experience (particularly any JavaScript programming), then the Professional JavaScript book is for you- you should still learn plenty without having to deal skip over all of the basics.

A VERY GOOD BOOK
I'm not an expert Web developer, till now I developed many C/S application but only few Web application. This book helped me in this task. I've found everything I need to develop my application. But way there isn't a CD.
Heida Pierpaolo ... Read more

Book Description

• Responding to reader feedback, the author has thoroughly revamped the book with more step-by-step coverage of JavaScript basics, an exclusive focus on Internet Explorer, and many complete sample scripts
• Updated to cover JavaScript 1.5, the latest release of this popular Web scripting language
• Using lots of examples, including a sample working Web site, the book shows how to create dynamic and interactive pages, build entire sites, and automate pages

Customer Reviews (69)

Good intro book!
This book is good for a quick introduction to JavaScript.There's lots of general tricks and techniques, plenty of ideas, and code snippets to reuse (on the CD).However, the descriptions of HOW the code worked I found lacking.There were various details about exactly WHAT the Js interpreter was doing to parse the code.The book left me feeling that I had lots of great ideas, but that when I sat down to apply them and make something original--there'd be lots of bugs based on details that I wasn't told about.Good starter, good reference--definitely not "text-book" quality--but it was fun to play with.

There are definitely better books out there.
I've been learning and using JavaScript for quite some time, and of all of the books I've used, this one has by far been the worst. The examples that the author uses are not very helpful, and often concepts are poorly explained. A lot of the code you will need to write will require you to creatively use the skills you've acquired to solve a problem; this book, however, likely won't equip you with the tools you need to be able to do this. If you're looking for a good place to start, I'd start with JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David Flanagan. It does have flaws of its own, but it is a good place to start.

I'll Stick With the Moron's Edition
I have several complaints about this book.Firstly, the author assumes you don't even know how to turn on a computer.Who would be bothering to learn about JavaScript if they don't even know how to power up a PC?Come on!The author should spend less time detailing the basic boot up process on the PC and how to open your text editor, and more time explaining the way JavaScript works, and how it depends on the browser that the person visiting your website is using to work correctly.Also, a lot of the examples given in this book don't work.(Unfortunately, I've found that is common with JavaScript books.)Also, the book seems to waste a lot of time going on and on about useless nonsense.I know it's a "dummies" book, but this book expects its readers to truly be morons.

I'm only thankful I purchased the book at a discount bookstore for only $3.99.

A big disappointment
I bought this book with a basic knowledge of HTML but very little knowledge of Javascript. Being a fan of other "Dummies" books, I thought this would be a great place to start learning Javascript. Do I feel ripped off! In the Introduction, the author states the book is for those with little or no knowledge of Javascript, which I don't think at all to be the case. She claims to use "real-world examples", most of which I find to be fairly abstract and very poorly explained. She also claims that all the sample codes are contained on the CD-ROM, which is a flat out lie, the applications are similar but the coding is very different from the book, which combined with the author's hard-to-follow explanations leaves the reader very confused and frustrated. On top of all that there are several typos, one of which refering to Microsoft Windows as a word processing program, and poorly written HTML, missing several tags. The author definately knows Javascript, but how good she is as an author is questionable.

Missed it
Not to sound trite, but this book was written by Dummies.... the examples are not true to life, there are too many mistakes and the explaination of JavaScript is too complicated and overblown. ... Read more

Amazon.com
At 4.5 by 7 inches in size and only 89 pages long, the aptly named JavaScript Pocket Reference will really almost fit in your pocket. Use this guide as a companion to turn to when you're in doubt about that function syntax or you're drawing a blank on the JavaScript object model.

The book concisely packs together the syntax of the scripting language, including summaries of expression and statement style. The real meat of the tiny title is an alphabetical listing of JavaScript objects, along with their associated methods, properties, and events. One nice feature of this section is the attention to the varying support between Microsoft and Netscape browser versions. However, this listing is useful only if you know what object you want to work with. Missing from the reference is a solutions-based reference to let you refresh your memory about how to do a particular task, such as validate a form field or roll over a graphic when the user moves the mouse.

One drawback is the book's illustration of the object model--done only in a small diagram. This is a bit of a shame since this is one of the key topics most developers need help with. If you're rather familiar with JavaScript, this pocket reference will be helpful. New coders, however, will likely find it insufficient. --Stephen W. PlainBook Description
JavaScript--the powerful, object-based scripting language that can be embedded directly into HTML pages--has earned its place in the web developer's toolkit, to the extent that it's now considered required knowledge for web developers.You can use JavaScript to create dynamic, interactive applications that run completely within a web browser.JavaScript is also the language of choice for developing Dynamic HTML content.Because its syntax is based on the popular programming languages C, C++, and Java, JavaScript is familiar and easy to learn for experienced programmers. At the same time, it's an interpreted scripting language, providing a flexible, forgiving programming environment for new programmers.

The JavaScript Pocket Reference, 2nd Edition, provides a complete overview of the core JavaScript language and client-side scripting environment, as well as quick-reference material on core and client-side objects, methods, and properties.The new edition has been revised to cover JavaScript 1.5, and is particularly useful for developers working with the standards-compliant web browsers, such as Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 7, and Mozilla.Ideal as an introduction for beginners and a quick reference for advanced developers, this pocket-sized book is easy to take anywhere and serves as the perfect companion volume to the bestselling JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 4th Edition.

O'Reilly's Pocket References have become a favorite among developers everywhere.By providing a wealth of important details in a concise, well-organized format, these handy books deliver just what you need to complete the task at hand. When you've reached a sticking point and need to get to the answer quickly, the new JavaScript Pocket Reference is the book you'll want close at hand.Download Description
JavaScript is a powerful scripting language that can be embedded directly in HTML. It allows you to create dynamic, interactive Web-based applications that run completely within a Web browser.

The JavaScript Pocket Reference is a companion volume to JavaScript:The Definitive Guide. This small book, covering JavaScript 1.2,is a handy reference guide to this popular language for Web development. Itprovides a complete overview of the core JavaScript language and contains summaries of both core and client-side objects, methods,and properties. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Where's the rest?
I realize it's a pocket reference, but this is a brief guide to syntax and then the DOM for the rest of the book. It doesn't cover any of the API stuff like the Date class. It'd be nice to have more information at the price of needing slightly larger pockets.

Moderately good.
I am not a big fan of these 'Pocket Reference' books by O'Reilly.Although I have 8 of them, I find them too brief to be very helpful as a reference.Usually they come up short on many parts of the language.

Recently I needed a refresher in JavaScript, and turned to Flanagan.I read the first part of the book to the API Reference on page 52.This seemed like a concentrated and intense refresher.For that one purpose, I think I received good value for my time.I would never use it as a real reference because each subject is just barely mentioned, not covered in any kind of detail.There is no index, plus examples are too few and short to learn from it.So for my limited purpose, I liked it, but would never consider it as a learning tool or actual reference.If this meets your need, fine.Otherwise do not expect too much from this book.

This is an un-paid real opinion.Not all ratings and opinions are honest or unbiased.Some are bought and paid for.Follow the 'See all my ...' and judge for yourself.Learn the industry secret when you see many such high score opinions from one person particularly right after the dates of publication.Educate yourself before you rely on someone who has been paid to deceive you.

Missing the Point
If you are new to JavaScript and looking for a helper title, this isn't it.If you're already familiar with JavaScript, and need specific information, you probably need more than an extremely condensed pocket reference is going to provide. There really isn't anything wrong with the pocket reference - it has correct information, formatted pretty well, and contains the most common parts of the core language as well as the common DHTML references one needs for general use.What it doesn't have, and shouldn't for a pocket reference, are complete explanations for the components, or any usage examples - two things needed by people who are turning to a reference book.JavaScript is really too complex to be summarized along with DHTML elements in 127 half-sized pages.If you're looking for a JavaScript reference, purchase the authors full-sized reference guide, "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" (ISBN: 0596000480) instead.

printing error
The copy I have contained printing errors. the first 66 pages was the beginning section to "vi editor pocket reference" then it picks up on page 73 with what seems to be the rest of the javascript pocket reference.

I'm new to javascript and programming in general.. and took me couple of days of trying to understand it before someone pointed out to me that i was trying to make sence of the wrong content.

This is the first time I have seen errors of this sort from a major publisher.

thanks o'reilly, for wasting hours out of my life.

If you've already got the "Definitive Guide", skip this
I was hoping and expecting that this little book would be the same quick-and-easy reference book that e.g. the "VBScript Pocket Reference" is -- I was sadly disappointed.

Since "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" is by the same author and publisher, I also expected this book to be a (somewhat) boiled-down version of the very thorough JavaScript Reference from that much larger book. I was even more disappointed there.

In a "pocket reference" such as this I want and need nothing more or less than an alphabetical listing of the JavaScript universe. However, this book is divided into numerous chapters that require you to already know what category the thing you seek belongs to. Since there's no index in these little books, it is useless to me as someone who's still learning this stuff. I've set my copy aside and use the "Definitive Guide" exclusively. ... Read more

Book Description
Even if you have no programming experience, you'll learn to create dynamic, interactive Web pages with help from this easy-to-use, self-teaching guide. Author and programming instructor Jim Keogh covers the basics of this leading Web development language and explains how to write cross-browser JavaScript programs in no time.Download Description
Even if you have no programming experience, you'll learn to create dynamic, interactive Web pages with help from this easy-to-use, self-teaching guide. Author and programming instructor Jim Keogh covers the basics of this leading Web development language and explains how to write cross-browser JavaScript programs in no time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Very good introduction!
Clear and concise, done with not one wit of 'speaking down' to you, and the explanations are straightforward.The material is introduced a piece at a time, and with reasonable review questions that are surprisingly thorough.
I would suggest it to anyone who wants a good reference to JavaScript as well.Buy it you won't be disappointed.

Very Good Book
I felt that this book was very good for beginners as well as a good reference for those that have a strong background in html and JavaScript.

A great introduction for novices
This is a great book to start with for those who want to learn JavaScript. It has excellent discussion of the basics of the language with plenty of examples to follow along with. Most of the example scripts are small and basic in nature. But, they can still make useful additions to any website that might need image rollovers, cookies or pop-up windows. In the later chapters there are a few larger and slightly more complicated scripts like an image slide show. The book also has thorough coverage of basic programming concepts like variables, arrays, loops and such. Therefore, any prior programming or scripting knowledge is not an absolute requirement. All the code in this book worked smoothly with errors found only in the HTML code. The minor, and somewhat strange, errors in the HTML code really didn't create any problems. The multiple choice final exam did provide a descent review of the material at the end of the book. However, I would have preferred answers with a little explanation rather than just the correct letter.

The only issue I had with this book is the final chapters. I did expect a little more exposure to advanced scripts and concepts. There were only a few examples and most were scripts from dynamicdrive.com with little or no discussion of new concepts. Much of the final two chapters were just descriptions with URL's of sophisticated scripts that can be downloaded from Dynamic Drive. This was a bit disappointing since most designers/developers probably know how to find and install scripts from the many code libraries on the web.

Overall, JavaScript Demystified is a great book for a true beginner with no prior experience with scripting or programming. This is not the best book for those who just want to copy scripts or who are expecting advanced topics. This is a book for those who want to actually learn JavaScript. I definitely would look forward to a new book by the same author in the same format that covers advanced JavaScript.

I learned all the tricks I see on the web
I you ever wondered how the professional web page developers dress up their web pages, then take a look at this book. Every trick that I've seen on commercial web pages are revealed in this book. I easily copied code from the book into my web pages and made mine work like a pro web page. Good book.

Very understandable
I recently attended a JavaScript course where the instruct have a difficult time explaining JavaScript in clear Englishing. I'm not a programmer, so I needed someone to explain this in simple English. This book make JavaScript clear enough so that I passed the course. ... Read more

Amazon.com
JavaScript is great, but at best it is a complementary language for Web development. JavaScript for the World Wide Web offers a productive, how-to style that lets you solve a problem or pick up a trick and then move on with the rest of your work.

Consistent with other members of Peachpit's Visual QuickStart Guide series, this title makes wise use of side-by-side explanations and screen shots, as well as code snippets and their analysis. This approach gives readers the feeling that the authors are sitting by their side and showing them how to code scripts. Most subjects are handled with numbered steps, such as "Validating Zip Codes," and useful tips punctuate the text.

The book introduces the whole concept of JavaScript in a fast-moving but readable chapter and then moves into solving real-world challenges. The authors do a good job of covering JavaScript's capabilities, from eye-catching graphics tricks to data-entry form processing and cookie management. Particularly enjoyable is the way the book spells out many of the differences between Netscape and Microsoft dynamic HTML approaches.

The JavaScript object model is laid out in an appendix, along with object compatibility between various browser flavors. To complement the book, the publisher offers a Web site that makes all of the example code easily downloadable for your use. This is a great little guide for both busy coders and JavaScript novices. --Stephen W. PlainBook Description
The Web doesn't stand still—not even for a minute—and neither do the languages that Web pages are based on. That's why you need this eagerly anticipated update to the popular JavaScript for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide. Through a combination of task-based instruction and strong visuals, best-selling authors and Web gurus Tom Negrino and Dori Smith take you step by step through all of today's JavaScript essentials: creating navigation bars and other user interface elements, producing dynamic images and smart forms, controlling and detecting browsers, creating and manipulating windows, validating user entries in Web forms, and more. Whether you're a beginning scripter who wants a thorough introduction to the topic or a more advanced scripter who needs a convenient reference, you'll find what you need here—in straightforward language peppered with tips and techniques drawn from the authors' years of experience. By the end of the volume, you'll be able to smoothly integrate HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to bring your Web sites to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (229)

Excellent Material
This book was well packaged for delivery. I like it for the clarity with which the authors present the various lessons.

I hope to derive a lot from it and to add to my skills.

I am still going through it and so far it has been very exciting. Thank you for the good business. A value for the money.

Useful
This is useful as a reference book or to learn JavaScript.I do not use it often, but when I need it I am very glad to have it on my shelf.Good examples.

Not very good explanations
The authors are not very good at explaining things, even relatively simple things such as the prompt() method or the dot syntax. It could be much clearer and they could do it with fewer words. The authors take a rambling tone that doesn't quite give you the information you need. You can't depend on the authors to give you meaningful explanations. You have to experiment and try different things.
It's possible to learn JavaScript with this book, but it will take much more time than is necessary. In five editions, why couldn't they have improved this book? What are they doing? Other Visual Quickstart Guides are the same way. I hope the Visual Quickstart Guides go out of business and some other company takes over the market share. They've been cavalier toward their customers and don't deserve to be in business much longer.
Other books like JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by Flanagan, and JavaScript: The Complete Reference by Powell and Schneider are better at explaining the language even though they are considered to be more advanced books.
The same authors have published JavaScript & AJAX for the Web, which has almost the exact same content only it has a couple of AJAX chapters thrown in. Check out the review by another customer (at this point it is the only review). His critique is very similar to this one.
On the positive side, the authors manage to get most of the information across and the content is relevant for the majority of users.
If you choose to buy this book, use it as more of a guide and do not depend on it. Purchase other books to supplement it.

This book is OK
Believe it or not, this book is an acutal textbook for a course I am taking in college. I was hoping for a book better than this for a college course.

As always a great product from QuickStart
I have used QuickStart books for a number of years to get into/get started with new technology and software, and they have consistantly impressed. This book keeps up the tradition. I highly recommend it. A great resource for anyone getting into, or improving their knowledge of JavaScript. Go buy it, you won't be sorry. ... Read more

Book Description

Practical JavaScript, DOM, and Ajax Projects is ideal for web developers already experienced in JavaScript who want to take their knowledge to the next level. It presents ten complete example projects for you to learn from and adapt for use in your own work.

Customer Reviews (3)

Saved my ***
It was one of those Friday afternoon surprises. Rewrite the code in a customer facing document and it needs to go out on Monday. The problem was that I had never written an AJAX program and hadn't written much JavaScript. This book really helped me to put together simple and correct examples over the weekend and inspired this ASP.NET bigot to keep learning more about these technologies. I owe the author a big one!

It filled a niche I didn't know existed!
To be honest I wasn't expecting too much from Practical JavaScript, DOM Scripting and AJAX Projects, I was anticipating a cut down version of the AJAX part of his Practical Ajax Projects with Java Technology book, but it was so much. In fact it has taught me so much that I'm still trying to work out why some of the concepts weren't in some other AJAX/JavaScript books I have read and how I had gone for so long without encountering them.

Usually AJAX in Action is given as the yardstick for measuring AJAX books, and I found Frank's first book a good compliment for AiA when you're integrating with Java, but Practical JDAP (if I may call it that) is something else again, and still a very strong contender for the web-developer's bookshelf. The main reason is that while it provides coverage of JavaScript with a view towards use of the latest technologies and practices in web development, its approach is complimentary rather than overlapping. For example only the last chapter covers AJAX explicitly, with the main focus of the book being the manipulation of the data on the client.

On the down side, most of the hints and gems in the book are hidden in the text and are not marked up to bring them to your attention. If you browse the book or only implement parts of the examples you may miss some of these items.

So while I wasn't expecting to learn from this book, I found it filled a niche between general JavaScript and AJAX that I wasn't aware existed.

Another great coding book by Zammetti
I've been a fan of Frank Zammetti's writing since the first book I read of his.I was browsing through a local bookstore one day, taking a look at the Javascript and AJAX-related books available, and ran into another book by Frank Zammetti on a similar topic.One of the things I like to do when looking over technical books is read the dedication... authors tend to express themselves more openly in the dedication.In that book's dedication, I saw a Babylon 5 reference.That really caught my attention, and I pulled the book out to read more.It really paid off.


The Pros

Zammetti has a very "friendly" style of writing.His writing seems like he was actually speaking to the reader, and it's like he's talking to a friend.He intersperses humor into his writing rather regularly, in such a way that reading never becomes boring.His writing style makes the book very accessible, regardless of programming experience.

Mr. Zammetti is a proponant of the "hands-on" approach.This book is all practical projects, all with full source code.(The source code is available from the publisher's web site.)Each chapter essentially breaks down a project, explaining why each section was written the way it was, and how to apply the theory behind it.This means a programmer can get a project working using the included source code, and then go through Zammetti's text to learn how it works.Working with this book feels like a hands-on project with a teacher available, as opposed to some other technical books which feel like a lecture.

Despite the emphasis on getting hands-on with projects, this book can be utilized easily even without working with the included code, as Zammetti's descriptions and examples are all very well written for accessibility and ease of understanding.The selection of projects is varied and has a pretty wide range of subjects, and includes building your own Javascript library early on which contains many helpful functions not available in stock Javascript.Also, the introductory chapters of the book have a very good "refresher" on basic Javascript concepts and best practices.This section has a good deal of information I found valuable.(For instance, which string concatenation method takes 3000 milliseconds longer in IE than in Firefox?)


The Cons

Both of Zammetti's books showcase a wide variety of frameworks and extensions.This is a good thing and a bad thing.It's good in that it gives the reader knowledge about a large number of different frameworks (prototype, Dojo, etc).The downside is that it may result in reliance upon one or more of those frameworks.

The other downside about this specific book is that it's hard to track down specific techniques within the projects themselves.For instance, an autocomplete field with a "drop-down" list of recommendations.This is only a minor inconvenience, as the goal of the book is on full working projects, not just the elements inside of the projects, and it's organized accordingly.

Both of the aforementioned cons are really more a matter of personal preference than a problem with the book itself.I only use frameworks when absolutely necessary, for instance.


Summary

I'm very impressed with both of Frank Zammetti's coding books.This one was on pre-order for a good long while, and it was completely worth the wait.The focus is very tightly upon web applications independant of server backend, and it's a great read.I highly recommend picking this book up if you're wanting to improve your understanding of DOM and Javascript techniques. ... Read more

Book Description
Create dynamic Web pages using the popular Web scripting language, JavaScript!Building on the successful philosophy of prior editions, this market leading text is perfect for beginning programmers with prior knowledge of HTML.This text features hands-on projects, a step-by-step methodology, as well as additional end-of-chapter exercises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Not the best book for JavaScript
I agree with some of the other reviews in that this is not the best book to learn JavaScript without any prior knowledge of the language. I am using the book for a JavaScript class, but I am having to supplement it with other books on the subject. Gosselin's explanations are not that clear, and I am finding myself lost at times.

The Standard
I must say I was very excited to read this book and throughout the book I was explained in great detail all that JavaScript has to offer. I concur with everyone here this is a must have for anyone planning to learn JavaScript. This book will show you how to use all the math functions, string function, perform complex calculations, manipulate array's, security and even database connectivity!

3rd Edition is still full of errors & Gosselin is still confused.
It is amazing to me that a third edition could contain as many errors as this book has!There are even errors in the exercises, which could have been tested easily by cutting and pasting from the publisher's layout program (e.g. QuarkExpress) to an actual web page.My suspicion, given the discussion of objects in chapter 6 and cookies in chapter 9, is that the publisher never bothered to correct the errors because the book is so bad that HUGH sections would have to be totally re-written.I agree that the publisher, Course Technologies does a bad job of editing in the 2 books I have studied, but I also agree with another reviewer that this author doesn't have a clue.I emailed the publisher's tech support to ask for an errata list, and the tech emailed back "if there is an errata sheet, you instructor should have a copy in the instructor's package."The tech didn't even check if there WAS one.There wasn't.Great service, fine editing, genius author.Don't think so.

A good book
This is a well written book covering (almost) all areas of JavaScript. A lot of excercises and MCQ's are also available. But, beware of some printing errors.

Worked for me!
I used this book for a web development class on JavaScript. I felt that it was a good book and overall I have little ill to say about it. The examples are well written and do a good job of reinforcing what you read in the chapter. You read a little then do an example, then read some more, then add to the example and so on. You don't need any Programming experience to use this book just a decent understanding of HTML.
The only criticism I could offer is that the editor should have used arrows when content is being continued on a new line for reasons of page space so that readers will know and understand (beginners can have trouble with this). It's a good book for learning the whole language from the ground up and for this reason it's worth the money. It's not an overnight crash course (if that is what you are looking for). ... Read more