| Overview
JavaScript is essential for creating modern, interactive Web sites.
But, unlike HTML and CSS, JavaScript is a true programming language
with complex rules that are challenging for most Web designers to
learn. In JavaScript: The Missing Manual, bestselling
author David McFarland teaches you how to use JavaScript in
sophisticated ways -- even if you have little or no programming
experience.
In a clear, entertaining way, the book starts out by teaching you
how to build a basic JavaScript program. Then, once you've mastered
the structure and terminology, you'll learn how to use advanced
JavaScript tools to add useful interactivity to your sites quickly
and painlessly, rather than scripting everything from
scratch.
To jump-start your progress, the book offers several "living
examples" -- step-by-step tutorials for building Web site
components with JavaScript using raw materials, such as graphics
and half-completed Web pages, that you can download from the book's
companion Web site.
In this book, you will learn:
How to get started. The book introduces the building
blocks of JavaScript, and general tips on computer programming.
Learn to add scripts to a Web page; store and manipulate
information; communicate with the browser window; respond to events
like mouse clicks and form submissions; and identify and modify
HTML. How to build Web Page Features. McFarland provides
real-world examples of JavaScript in action. Learn to create pop-up
navigation bars, enhance HTML tables, build an interactive photo
gallery, and make Web forms more usable. Create interesting user
interfaces with tabbed panels, accordion panels and pop-up dialog
boxes. How to troubleshoot and debug. The book will teach you
how to avoid the ten most common errors new programmers make, and
how to find and fix bugs. How to communicate with the Web server. In addition to
basic JavaScript, this manual covers Ajax, the approach that made
JavaScript glamorous. Learn to use JavaScript to communicate with a
server so that your Web pages can receive information without
having to reload.
If you want to put JavaScript to work right away without getting
tangled up in code, JavaScript: The Missing Manual is the
best book available.
Editorial ReviewsProduct DescriptionJavaScript is essential for creating modern, interactive Web sites. But, unlike HTML and CSS, JavaScript is a true programming language with complex rules that are challenging for most Web designers to learn. In JavaScript: The Missing Manual, bestselling author David McFarland teaches you how to use JavaScript in sophisticated ways -- even if you have little or no programming experience. In a clear, entertaining way, the book starts out by teaching you how to build a basic JavaScript program. Then, once you've mastered the structure and terminology, you'll learn how to use advanced JavaScript tools to add useful interactivity to your sites quickly and painlessly, rather than scripting everything from scratch. To jump-start your progress, the book offers several "living examples" -- step-by-step tutorials for building Web site components with JavaScript using raw materials, such as graphics and half-completed Web pages, that you can download from the book's companion Web site. In this book, you will learn: How to get started. The book introduces the building blocks of JavaScript, and general tips on computer programming. Learn to add scripts to a Web page; store and manipulate information; communicate with the browser window; respond to events like mouse clicks and form submissions; and identify and modify HTML. How to build Web Page Features. McFarland provides real-world examples of JavaScript in action. Learn to create pop-up navigation bars, enhance HTML tables, build an interactive photo gallery, and make Web forms more usable. Create interesting user interfaces with tabbed panels, accordion panels and pop-up dialog boxes. How to troubleshoot and debug. The book will teach you howto avoid the ten most common errors new programmers make, and how to find and fix bugs. How to communicate with the Web server. In addition to basic JavaScript, this manual covers Ajax, the approach that made JavaScript glamorous. Learn to use JavaScript to communicate with a server so that your Web pages can receive information without having to reload. If you want to put JavaScript to work right away without getting tangled up in code, JavaScript: The Missing Manual is the best book available. |
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Reader Reviews From Amazon (Ranked by 'Helpfulness') Average Customer Rating: based on 19 reviews. David McFarland's books are a joy to read, 2009-05-27 Reviewer rating: I have read David McFarland's CSS book from cover to cover almost twice and I loved it. I was then ready to move on to JavaScript, so I purchased JavaScript and Ajax for the Web: Visual QuickStart Guide (7th Edition). That was a very bad choice. It was extremely confusing and almost made me feel dumb. It explained nothing.
So I decided to pick up McFarland's JavaScript book and was amazed with the quality of it. David has a talent for writing these books and knows exactly what needs to be explained and when. The order he presents things in is perfect, and makes me feel so encouraged to learn. Anytime I have a question about something that was just written, it is always explained in the next paragraph. He also always includes page numbers when he references a different topic in the book which is very helpful.
The part that explained regular expressions made something that I had been a bit intimidated by a total breeze, as well as every other thing he explains. He also made a really great choice with working with jquery and presents it in a very clear and reasonable way.
I am very thankful that David McFarland is writing web development books and I look forward to his next one. | Webmaster, Website Development, 2009-05-19 Reviewer rating: One of the poorest Javascript books I have ever encountered. I RETURNED IT for refund because it was not Javascript application instructive but merely a self-serving and confusing promotion of Jquery website linking. A more accurate title would be: "JQuery-The Missing Manual." Lacking in practical code examples and code application. Very poorly written. Definitely of little or no hands-on use to anyone interested in exploring the depths of practical down-to-Earth Javascript code authoring. I was surprised at the book's low technical informational quality because most O'Reilly books I have ever bought before were good. I commend Amazon on their friendly return policy allowing me to obtain a superior WROX book. | Great tutorial, 2009-05-02 Reviewer rating: This book had received excellent review so I bought it. I can hardly think of a book that explains this topic in a better way. | Great JavaScript Book, 2009-04-23 Reviewer rating: There are lots of JavaScript books on the market now. Most of the time they are the same as any other book. With the recent influx of JavaScript books focusing on Ajax its difficult to find a book that focuses on the basics as well as showing you how to use a library in effective and practical ways.
JavaScript: The Missing Manual is really 2 books in one. The first part of the book (up to Chapter 5) focuses on teaching the reader the basics of JavaScript. From the basic syntax to conditional statements to objects. Then the book switches gears a bit and talks about JavaScript libraries and the most popular library so far: jQuery.
jQuery is a very popular and powerful library that many commercial websites now use (including Google) and should be understood by anybody wanting to further develop their JavaScript skills. The author talks about jQuery and how it can be used and then shows the reader in a couple chapters how it can be used in practical examples.
Examples are such as automatic pull quotes, event listeners, Page FAQ, effects, adding search in forms, form validation, and much more. I've never seen a jQuery book that the author uses so many practical examples. There are a few jQuery books by Packt publishing, but they are mainly reference books re-stating the jQuery documentation.
This book really goes into detail of how and why jQuery would be useful instead of just showing you how to do something and then moving on.
The author goes into detail about the jQuery UI project and then the last 2 chapters talks about how you can use jQuery with Ajax.
No JavaScript is perfect, but his book comes very close.
A great buy and I highly recommend it. | This Book is Full of Misiformation, 2009-04-03 Reviewer rating: Another book chock-full of misinformation. Examples:-
"What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a programming language that lets you supercharge your HTML with animation, interactivity, and dynamic visual effects."
--
JavaScript Doesn't Stand Alone
JavaScript isn't any good without the two other pillars of Web design - HTML and CSS.
--
A dissertation on misconceptions of HTML:-
"It doesn't really matter which type of HTML you use. All current Web browsers understand each doctype and can display Web pages using any of the four document types without problem."
--
None of this should come as a big shock, as the author advocates the use of jQuery (one of the largest all-time disservices to the web). At the time of publication, the version of jQuery was so buggy that it was virtually impossible to look at any one function within that library and not find a bug.
The author fails to introduce HTML without serious error and fails to explain the javascript programming language and what a host object is.
My recommendation is to not buy this book. |
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