JavaScript: The Definitive Guide

Since the earliest days of Internet scripting, Web developers have considered JavaScript: The Definitive Guide an essential resource. David Flanagan's approach, which combines tutorials and examples with easy-to-use syntax guides and object references, suits the typical programmer's requirements nicely. The brand-new fourth edition of Flanagan's "Rhino Book" includes coverage of JavaScript 1.5, JScript 5.5, ECMAScript 3, and the Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 standard from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Interestingly, the author has shifted away from specifying--as he did in earlier editions--what browsers support each bit of the language. Rather than say Netscape 3.0 supports the Image object while Internet Explorer 3.0 does not, he specifies that JavaScript 1.1 and JScript 3.0 support Image. More usefully, he specifies the contents of independent standards like ECMAScript, which encourages scripters to write applications for these standards and browser vendors to support them. As Flanagan says, JavaScript and its related subjects are very complex in their pure forms. It's impossible to keep track of the differences among half a dozen vendors' generally similar implementations. Nonetheless, a lot of examples make reference to specific browsers' capabilities. Though he does not cover server-side APIs, Flanagan has chosen to separate coverage of core JavaScript (all the keywords, general syntax, and utility objects like Array) from coverage of client-side JavaScript (which includes objects, like History and Event, that have to do with Web browsers and users' interactions with them. This approach makes this book useful to people using JavaScript for applications other than Web pages. By the way, the other classic JavaScript text--Danny Goodman's JavaScript Bible--isn't as current as this book, but it's still a fantastic (and perhaps somewhat more novice-friendly) guide to the JavaScript language and its capabilities. --David Wall

Advanced Javascript

Product Description

Advanced JavaScript 3rd Edition is an in-depth examination of the most important features of JavaScript. The book assumes readers have a basic understanding of web development, but includes a review of JavaScript fundamentals in Chapters 1 through 3. This book gives the reader a comprehensive look at the fundamentals of JavaScript by examining objects, arrays, date and time functions, math, and all the essentials that are needed for complex yet robust JavaScript scripts. Topics are thoroughly examined with several complete examples.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1588141 in Books
* Published on: 2007-11-25
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 616 pages

Customer Reviews

Advanced?1
This book is not advanced, it doesn't mention even current techniques used in the language, AJAX, JSON, libraries, etc. I has microsoft-tunnelled vision, it does not show the use the language has right now.
It seems the author just updates a couple of sections to create a new edition, please look further for a good javascript book.

Advanced ???1
Not sure why this book is called Advanced ... it is no more advanced than my basic Javascript bible book. The object oriented section of the book is a whole 6 pages !! Are you kidding me?

Not impressed.

JavaScript & DHTML Cookbook: Solutions and Examples for Web Programmers

Product 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

Recipes in this Cookbook are compatible with the latest W3C standards and browsers, including Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2, Safari, and Opera 9. Several new recipes provide client-side Ajax solutions, and many recipes from the previous edition have been revised to help you build extensible user interfaces for Web 2.0 applications. If you want to write your own scripts and understand how they work, rather than rely on a commercial web development framework, the JavaScript & DHTML Cookbook is a must.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #41424 in Books
* Published on: 2007-08-08
* Format: Illustrated
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 604 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...does for web scripting and dynamic HTML what the best cookbooks do for food...The best cookbooks distil the wisdom of an experienced and skilled master - and this is precisely what Danny Goodman does here. " TechBook Report

About the Author
Danny Goodman has been writing about personal computers and consumer electronics since the late 1970s. A freelance writer and programmer, he's published hundreds of magazine articles, several commercial software products, and three dozen computer books. His most popular book titles -- on HyperCard, AppleScript, JavaScript, and Dynamic HTML -- have covered programming environments that are both accessible to non-professionals yet powerful enough to engage experts. His "JavaScript Bible" (Wiley) book is now in its fifth edition. Danny is also a programming consultant to some of the industry's top intranet development groups and corporations.
Customer Reviews

Not what I thought it would be.2
The book doesn't go in-depth in it's explainations. It is written more for the seasoned script writer and not the beginner. I found it very confusing and not enough detail to be of any use to me. I preferred "Javascript, Demystified".

A Good Book to Learn The Basics4
Like most web developers, I typically will reach for one of the many JS libraries when it comes time to add client-side enhancements to my web applications. This is usually the obvious choice for the sake of saving time on projects, and keeping costs down... but quite often, many libraries are simply overkill for a simple little js/dhtml enhancement.

As such, that is what lead me to this book. I was hoping the cookbook format would give me some fresh ideas on doing some simple js/dhtml work and it most definitively delivered.

Perhaps the most valuable parts of this book for me were the aspects of working on the DOM. Additionally, I always enjoy reading different techniques for dealing with client-side form validation.

To me the coverage on loading dynamic data/ajax was good, but I still think that when entering into that realm of JS, it is usually time to deploy one of the libraries I mentioned earlier.

All in all this has become a valuable resource that I often refer to during my daily work.

Great book5
I really like this book. The format of each technique demonstrated is

Problem- Solution- Discussion

The nice thing is that you can get a quick explanation from the solution, and a more in depth response in the discussion. The author presents complete code which is easily built upon and customized.

I knew a bit of Javascript when I started, but I think this would be an excellent book even for a complete beginner.

Beginning Groovy and Grails: From Novice to Professional (Beginning from Novice to Professional)

Product Description

Web frameworks are playing a major role in the creation of today's most compelling web applications, because they automate many of the tedious tasks, allowing developers to instead focus on providing users with creative and powerful features. Java developers have been particularly fortunate in this area, having been able to take advantage of Grails, an open source framework that supercharges productivity when building Java–driven web sites. Grails is based on Groovy, which is a very popular and growing dynamic scripting language for Java developers and was inspired by Python, Ruby, and Smalltalk.

Beginning Groovy and Grails is the first introductory book on the Groovy language and its primary web framework, Grails.

This book gets you started with Groovy and Grails and culminates in the example and possible application of some real–world projects. You follow along with the development of each project, implementing and running each application while learning new features along the way.
What you’ll learn

* Understand the fundamentals of the open source, dynamic Groovy scripting language and the Grails web framework.
* Capitalize upon Grails’ well–defined framework architecture to build web applications faster than ever before.
* Improve your web application with cutting–edge interface enhancements using Ajax.
* Use Grails’ object–relational mapping solution, GORM, to manage your data store more effectively than ever before.
* Take advantage of Groovy to create reporting services, implement batch processing, and create alternative client interfaces.
* Deploy and upgrade your Grails–driven applications with expertise and ease.
* Discover an alternative client in Groovy as well.


Who is this book for?

Java and web developers looking to learn and embrace the power and flexibility offered by the Grails framework and Groovy scripting language
About the Apress Beginning Series

The Beginning series from Apress is the right choice to get the information you need to land that crucial entry–level job. These books will teach you a standard and important technology from the ground up because they are explicitly designed to take you from “novice to professional.” You’ll start your journey by seeing what you need to know—but without needless theory and filler. You’ll build your skill set by learning how to put together real–world projects step by step. So whether your goal is your next career challenge or a new learning opportunity, the Beginning series from Apress will take you there—it is your trusted guide through unfamiliar territory!

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #25369 in Books
* Published on: 2008-06-18
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 440 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Christopher Judd is the president and primary consultant for Judd Solutions, LLC, an international speaker, an open source evangelist, the Central Ohio Java Users Group leader, and the coauthor of Enterprise Java Development on a Budget (Apress, 2003). He has spent 12 years architecting and developing software for Fortune 500 companies in various industries, including insurance, retail, government, manufacturing, and transportation. His current focus is consulting, mentoring, and training with Java, Java EE, Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME), mobile technologies, and related technologies.

Joseph Faisal Nusairat is a software developer who has been
working full time in the Columbus, Ohio, area since 1998, primarily focused on Java development. His career has taken him into a variety of Fortune 500 industries, including military applications, data centers, banking, internet security, pharmaceuticals, and insurance. Throughout this experience, he has worked on all varieties of application development, from design and architecture to development. Joseph, like most Java developers, is particularly fond of open source projects and tries to use as much open source software as possible
when working with clients. Joseph is a graduate of Ohio University with dual degrees in computer science and microbiology and a minor in chemistry. While at Ohio University, Joseph also dabbled in student politics and was a research assistant in the virology labs. Currently, Joseph works as a senior partner at Integrallis Software (http://www.integrallis.com). In his off-hours, he enjoys watching bodybuilding competitions and Broadway musicals, specifically anything with Lauren Molina.

Jim Shingler is a senior consulting IT architect for a major midwestern insurance and financial services company. The focus of his career has been using leading-edge technology to develop IT solutions for the insurance, financial services, and manufacturing industries. He has 11 years of large-scale Java experience and significant experience in distributed and relational technologies.

Customer Reviews

Great Start5
This book is an excellent way to get started with grails development. This book provides a solid foundation and excellent coverage of the grails framework.
The book starts out with a 3 chapter overview of the groovy language. After that starts the Grails Sections, Which are very fluid working though one application (Collab-todo) from start to finish. Showing you how to use features such as plugins, ajax frameworks, security and web services. This book will really get you going with grails fast.

A Beginner's View5
As a Java developer who is a true beginner with Groovy and Grails, I found Beginning Groovy and Grails an excellent starting point. The book's strength is providing a core structure for the Groovy language and the Grails framework, then building on them.

I had read other Groovy books, and still use them as a reference. But BGG kept Groovy at the right level for me to start -- showing the core features without getting bogged down in the details. I was able to work through the examples and get an excellent feel for the power and elegant simplicity of the language.

The Grails overview is an excellent start to understanding the framework. I appreciated the step by step introduction to setting up and evolving a simple web application.

In terms of writing, I found this book very readable. I wish that the copy editors had helped out a bit more in spots, and the errata pick up some glitches in code, but overall I truly appreciated the authors' efforts and have learned a great deal.

Great read!5
I concur with the previous reviews. I've been looking to dive deeper into Groovy and Grails for a while now. I'm hoping this is the first of many new titles to come on this subject. I would really like to see the language and the framework take off as it should. There are many people out there doing cool things with both like Graeme Rocher, Guillaume LaForge, and one of the above reviewers (Scott Davis....you gotta see this guy talk about Groovy if you can!). People who work in the Java space really should give these technologies a look. This book should really get you going. I would also suggest looking at some of the book offerings by the contributors mentioned above. Good stuff. Buy this book!

Pro LINQ Object Relational Mapping in C# 2008

Product Description

It is nearly impossible today to write enterprise software without the use of one or more relational databases. Granted, there are cases when the data is transient and not stored in a database, but for the most part, software needs to consume and manipulate data in a database. It sounds easy, but there are hundreds of ways to connect software systems to databases and thousands of people who think they have the skeleton key for data access layers. Pro LINQ Object Relational Mapping in C# 2008 explains an efficient, repeatable way to apply industry design patterns to build scalable object–oriented data access layers.

Object relational mapping (OR/M) has been a gray area in Microsoft development for many years. It’s not that Microsoft language developers don’t understand OR/M; in fact, the opposite is true, as is exemplified by the glut of third–party .NET OR/M tools on the market. The struggle has come more from the lack of native tools with the object–oriented and object persistence capacity to effectively work in this arena. With the inception of .NET, Microsoft overcame the first obstacle by developing an object–oriented environment and framework. The second obstacle, the native object persistence layer, is only now being realized with the introduction of Language Integrated Query (LINQ) and LINQ’s children, the Language Integrated Query for Relational Databases (LINQ to SQL) and the Language Integrated Query for the ADO.NET Entity Framework (LINQ to Entities). The gray area no longer exists, and the .NET developers of the world finally have the native tools required to build modular, reusable data access layers.
What you’ll learn

* The powerful advantages that OR/M can bring to your code
* The native tools that are now available within Visual Studio 2008 for OR/M
* How to build scalable object–oriented data access layers that take advantage of OR/M’s flexibility
* How LINQ fits into this picture, together with the advantages and disadvantages that it can bring
* How the concepts work in the real world by examining a fully worked and detailed case study, created with an architecture than can be easily applied to a wide range of other situations

Who is this book for?

This book is intended for Microsoft .NET developers who are using or evaluating Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 to build data–aware applications, and it will provide patterns and resources that can be used to build enterprise class software.
About the Apress Pro Series

The Apress Pro series books are practical, professional tutorials to keep you on and moving up the professional ladder.

You have gotten the job, now you need to hone your skills in these tough competitive times. The Apress Pro series expands your skills and expertise in exactly the areas you need. Master the content of a Pro book, and you will always be able to get the job done in a professional development project. Written by experts in their field, Pro series books from Apress give you the hard–won solutions to problems you will face in your professional programming career.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #165714 in Books
* Published on: 2008-07-03
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 408 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Vijay P. Mehta has been working as a software engineer and architect for the last 12 years. Starting off in the VC++/ATL, MFC, Win32, and VB6 worlds, Vijay later moved on to Java and .Net development. With his current focus on C# and .Net, Vijay holds a number of Microsoft certifications and has written a number of articles on .Net and Microsoft–focused development. Currently working as an Architect for a financial services software company in Indianapolis, Vijay spends the bulk of his time designing and implementing large, cutting-edge software systems.
Customer Reviews

Excellent, easy-to-follow, and complete guide to ORM with Visual Studio5
Object relational mapping (ORM) and LINQ are new, important topics that every enterprise .NET developer should take note of, and Mr. Mehta delivers with this very informative, thorough, and approachable book on the subject. Written for the intermediate-to-advanced C# developer, the author begins with a discussion on the general aspects of ORM and how it can simply the programmer's life by consolidating _all_ business logic into the tier it belongs, the business logic tier, making your overall codebase more organized and easy to maintain.

Two Microsoft ORM technologies are presented: the simple LINQ to SQL system, and the more advanced "enterprise" level Entity Framework. As an experienced C# developer, I found the introductory material on LINQ to SQL especially helpful and easy to follow, and the material timely and directly applicable to a CRUD application i'm currently working on (a school library system). Although Visual Studio wizards are simple enough to figure out, I appreciated Mr. Mehta's step-by-step walk-through of the VS wizard generated code, giving me a complete understanding of the underpinnings of the LINQ to SQL ORM technology. After reading chapters 3 and 4, i had all the information I needed for developing my school library application. I was pleasantly surprised how much development time i saved, now that i don't have to write my own data access layer and decipher the MSDN LINQ to SQL documentation on my own.

Mr. Mehta approaches the Entity Framework with a complete sample application, "The Bank of Pluto". This is a favorite approach of mine to learning, as i get a good idea of what to expect when developing an enterprise application and how it relates to the Entity Framework.

A couple of very minor improvements i would make to this already excellent text: a quick introduction to LINQ (which the author assumes the reader already knows) and an up-front comparison of LINQ to SQL and the Entity Framework (why choose one over the other, etc.) Although the comparison of the two technologies appears in the book, it isn't encountered until the end in chapter 12. If you read the book from beginning to end as i have, I would have gotten a better sense of what technology to use for my project at the start. This is just some minor nit-picking; these gaps can be filled with the existing MSDN documentation or other texts.

Overall, Vijay Mehta has delivered a very successful book and has become my first "go-to" source for information on this important subject. I will recommended it to any C# developer!

Awesome Book5
I am not sure what the 2 and 3 star reviews are about, because I thought this book was excellent, and considering the book says "intermediate"
I'm not sure why people were expecting a "deep technical ORM, LINQ to SQL, or EF" book.

The book is broken into 5 different parts:
Part 1 - ORM Concepts - This is really good background for people who don't understand ORM patterns, and DDD, but it is a bit dry. If you are familiar with pattern based development and ORM you can probably skip over this section. I give this section 4 stars

Part 2 - LINQ to SQL Examined - This is a solid overview of LINQ to SQL. The author goes through all of the basics of LINQ to SQL and gives you just enough to move into more complex LINQ to SQL development. My biggest complaint is that there are a few left-over Beta2 errors but I contacted the author and he told me that an errata had been submitted. Overall I give this section 5 stars.

Part 3 - Entity Framework Examined - Again, this section is a good overview of EF. I like this section because the author really explores all of the meta-data behind the Entity Framework. I would have to say my biggest complaint is that there isn't enough content here on EF, but what is available in the book is a good starting point for EF developers. I think this section deserves 4 stars because I longed for more

Part 4/Part 5 - The Bank of Pluto Case Study/Building on the Bank of Pluto Foundation - I combined these sections because in my opinion they should be a single section. This is the heart of the book where the other goes through in detail a real world case study using POCO and DAO with LINQ to SQL and EF. I think this section really make the book a winner and a must read for all. 5 stars on these sections.

Overall Pro's - Great, easy to read book that covers ORM patterns, the basics of LINQ to SQL and EF, and the inner-workings of building a real world ORM data access framework.

Overall Con's - Needed a little more information in sections, and is heavily DDD focused.

I'm giving this book 5 stars because I think it brings something to MS development that other books haven't.

Strong inspiring start but continues as a boring and incomplete ref manual3
Very strong start giving a DDD recap but
LINQ to SQL and LINQ to entities chapters are boring and incomplete.
I have the impression that these chapters are not written by the same person ...

Head First JavaScript

Product 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

If you've ever read a Head First book, you know what to expect -- a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Head First JavaScript is no exception. It starts where HTML and CSS leave off, and takes you through your first program into more complex programming concepts -- like working directly with the web browser's object model and writing code that works on all modern browsers.

Don't be intimidated if you've never written a line of code before! In typical Head First style, Head First JavaScript doesn't skip steps, and we're not interested in having you cut and paste code. You'll learn JavaScript, understand it, and have a blast along the way. So get ready... dynamic and exciting web pages are just pages away.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #9558 in Books
* Published on: 2008-01-11
* Format: Illustrated
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 650 pages


Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Michael Morrison is a writer, developer, toy inventor, and author of a variety of books covering topics such as Java, Web scripting, game development, and mobile devices. Some of Michael's notable writing projects include JavaScript Bible, 6th Edition (Wiley, 2006),Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours, 7th Edition (Sams Publishing, 2005), Beginning Mobile Phone Game Programming (Sams Publishing, 2004) and Java Unleashed (Sams Publishing, 1997). Michael is the intructor of several Web-based courses, including DigitalThink's Introduction to Java 2 series, JavaBeans for Programmers series, and Win32 Programming series (www.digitalthink.com).

In addition to his primary profession as a writer and technical consultant, Michael is the founder of Stalefish Labs (www.stalefishlabs.com), an entertainment company specializing in games, toys, and interactive media. When not glued to his computer, skateboarding, playing hockey, or watching movies with his wife, Masheed, Michael enjoys hanging out by his koi pond.
Customer Reviews

Head First Javascript1
If you are expecting the same detailed, coherent, basics-to-details approach that has been so successful in other Head First publications, forget it. It's as if this book's authorship was outsourced to someone who is unaware of what has made Head First one of the premier names in technical education. Poor overview of basic concepts, rambling examples, confusing diagrams, etc. I own at least five other Head First publications and this one it not even close to them. Spend you money elsewhere.

Good starting place... 3
This is a good "first book" on JavaScript. It's not nearly as good as the HF Java books, which clearly are the forte of the whole series. I have moved on to a more advanced JS book, but I felt this one really was a useful introduction that definitely made me feel better about wading in deeper. If you are looking for a decent kickboard and doggy paddle type of book that will keep you interested (and the rhino book can induce a coma), it's a good one. You'll get some DOM manipulation examples, basic form validation, and a handy introduction to object oriented JavaScript. I'm only giving it three stars because it's not one stop shopping, you will want to follow up with a more advanced book immediately after.

Easy to follow and good condition5
For the JavaScript beginner this was an easy to follow book with good exercises and explanations relating to things us non-computer geeks will recognize. The book also arrived on time and in excellent condition.

Professional JavaScript for Web Developers (Wrox Professional Guides) by Nicholas C. Zakas

Product 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)
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #60052 in Books
Published on: 2005-04-22
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
672 pages
Editorial Reviews

Download 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

From the Back Cover
Professional JavaScript for Web Developers

JavaScript is an important feature of every major browser because it enables enhanced user interaction on both Web sites and Web applications. While exploring everything from its history to today's advanced features, this book shows you how to use this powerful language to its full potential in order to develop your own applications that solve the business problems facing Web developers today.

You'll gain a clear understanding of the components that make up a JavaScript implementation, plus you'll examine critical areas including events, regular expressions, and browser detection techniques so that you can build dynamic user interfaces. You'll also learn how to extend the language to meet your specific requirements as well as create seamless client-server communication without intermediaries such as Java or hidden frames.

What you will learn from this book
ECMAScript basics, object-oriented programming techniques, and important Document Object Model (DOM) concepts
How to implement regular expressions for data validation and string manipulation
Methods for handling events to tie JavaScript to a Web user interface
Techniques for validating data, sorting tables, and dealing with errors
How to communicate between JavaScript and browser plugins
All about security issues, optimization, and intellectual property protections

Who this book is for

This book is for Web developers who want to use JavaScript to dramatically improve the usability of their Web sites and Web applications.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

About the Author
Nicholas C. Zakas has a BS in Computer Science from Merrimack College and an MBA from Endicott College. He is the author of Professional JavaScript for Web Developers (Wiley 2005), Professional Ajax (1st and 2nd editions, Wiley 2007 and 2007) as well as several online articles. Nicholas works for Yahoo! as a frontend engineer and has worked in web development for more than 6 years, during which time he has helped develop web solutions in use at some of the largest companies in the world. Nicholas can be reached through his web site at www.nczonline.net.
Customer Reviews

I have yet to find a better Javascript Resource
A lot of books I see maintain a single focus (Firefox or IE JS) this book does a good job of providing a large array of knowledge with proper labels as to what will and will not work with the browser your programming for (or tips to program for all of them ;) )

This i it!!!!!!
Want to really lean Javascript? this is the book for you, an indepth coverage, once you know what's under the hood, all the rest becomes a piece of cake, this what Nicholas did in this amazing book, first things first folks, this is the one you start with!!!!!

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.

The Book of JavaScript, 2nd Edition: A Practical Guide to Interactive Web Pages by Dave Thau!

Product Description

The Book of JavaScript teaches readers how to add interactivity, animation, and other tricks to their web sites with JavaScript. Rather than provide a series of cut-and-paste scripts, thau! takes the reader through a series of real world JavaScript code with an emphasis on understanding. Each chapter focuses on a few important JavaScript features, shows how professional web sites incorporate them, and takes readers through examples of how they might add those features to their own web sites. This thoroughly updated 2nd edition includes new chapters on Ajax, revised appendices, and new examples throughout. Summary sections and assignments close each chapter, making the book perfect for use in college courses or independent study. CD includes code and images for every example, answers to assignments, script libraries for hard-to-program applications, and many useful software programs.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #238032 in Books
Published on: 2006-12-15
Format: Illustrated
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
528 pages
Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
With JavaScript, you can add interactivity, animation, and other tricks to your web pages quickly. But this isn't just a book of scripts for you to cut and paste into your HTML, only to find out later that nothing works as you'd expected. Using real-world examples as the starting point, author thau! walks you step by step through various scripts and explains how they produce the effects you want.

Because no discussion of JavaScript today is complete without coverage of Ajax, this thoroughly updated second edition includes new chapters on Ajax, so you can get up to speed with this valuable method for creating truly dynamic web pages. This second edition of the best-selling The Book of JavaScript also features revised appendices and new examples throughout to reflect today's web environment. Inside, you'll learn to:

* Work with frames, forms, cookies, and alarms
* Use events to react to a user's actions
* Perform image swaps and rollovers
* Program your own functions to produce customized solutions
* Store user preferences and build a shopping cart
* Use Dynamic HTML to turn web pages into multimedia applications

If you need to spruce up tired-looking pages, The Book of JavaScript, 2nd Edition will help take your site from bland to brilliant.

BONUS: Includes a complete reference to all JavaScript objects and functions, including examples, properties, methods, handlers, and browser compatibility!


About the Author
Thau! has been creating Internet applications since 1993, starting with bianca.com, the first web-based community on the Internet. He was Director of Software Engineering and Senior Scientist at Wired Digital, and has taught programming languages to hundreds of artists, engineers, and children. He is currently creating data sharing platforms for people studying biodiversity and working towards a PhD degree in computer science at UC Davis.
Customer Reviews

THE Book to get if you want to learn Javascript quickly
I looked at this book, the Visual QuickStart Book (Negrino/Smith), and the Dummies book (Vander Veer). I also looked at a couple of other basic books. This is by the far the best. This one will get you up and running doing some basic, though nifty, Javascript tasks. And it is very well written.

It was better organized than the Dummies book, and much more clear than the Visual Quickstart Guide. It was also more advanced than books like 'Javascript Demystified' or the Sam's Teach Yourself. The only bad thing I could say about the book is that it is a bit wordy at points.

If you need to do more advanced stuff, you can get one of the more advanced books.


Well-Written, Sane Examples and Fun to Read
If you want to learn Javascript, this is an excellent book. It's a good read. Even though thau is an internet god, there's no ego in this book. It's clear he only wants to share his knowledge and bring more people into the web development fold.

I hope he's getting rich.

If you're more advanced this book is not for you...
I bought this book becuase I read several reviews that stated this book would be great for those who are more advanced in scripting as well as the beginner. I did not find that to be the case. The one good thing I will say is that it was clear and easy to read, so if you're new to the world of JS, this book will suit your needs.