Beginning HTML, XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) [Paperback]

Jon Duckett (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470540702 | ISBN-13: 978-0470540701 | Publication Date: December 30, 2009 | Edition: 1

An indispensable introductory guide to creating web pages using the most up-to-date standards

This beginner guide shows you how to use XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create compelling Web sites. While learning these technologies, you will discover coding practices such as writing code that works on multiple browsers including mobile devices, how to use AJAX frameworks to add interactivity to your pages, and how to ensure your pages meet accessible requirements.

Packed with real-world examples, the book not only teaches you how to write Web sites using XHTML, CSS and JavaScript, but it also teaches you design principles that help you create attractive web sites and practical advice on how to make web pages more usable. In addition, special checklists and appendices review key topics and provide helpful references that re-enforce the basics you've learned.

• Serves as an ideal beginners guide to writing web pages using XHTML
• Explains how to use CSS to make pages more appealing and add interactivity to pages using JavaScript and AJAX frameworks
• Share advice on design principles and how to make pages more attractive and offers practical help with usability and accessibility
• Features checklists and appendices that review key topics

This introductory guide is essential reading for getting started with using XHTML, CSS and JavaScript to create exciting and compelling Web sites.

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

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Learn to create attractive web sites that are easy to use

Since the web was first created, the languages used to build web sites have been constantly evolving. Now a set of best practices has emerged using HTML or XHTML to create your basic web pages, CSS to control their appearance and make them look attractive, and JavaScript to add interactivity. Without assuming any previous experience, this valuable resource makes it easy to learn how to build web sites using the most up-to-date web standards. Whether you're a beginner eager to start writing your first web page or a more experienced programmer seeking to update your skills, you will find practical introductions to these essential languages, as well as invaluable tips and techniques used by experienced web professionals.

• How to create HTML and XHTML pages that incorporate links, images, tables, audio, and video

• Ways to use CSS to control text, colors, backgrounds, and page layout

• Design principles employed by experienced designers to create attractive layouts

• The basics of JavaScript and working with AJAX libraries

• How to build sites that are accessible, easy to use, and will work on a variety of devices including mobile phones

• How to test your web site and put it on the web

• First-hand experience of coding practices commonly used in the real world

• The elements of basic text formatting

• Text markup and character entities for special characters

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

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About the Author

Jon Duckett has spent over a decade helping a wide range of companies implement innovative web strategies. Taking a hands-on approach, he designs many of the projects he works on and helps to code them. During this time, Jon has written several books covering web design, programming, accessibility and usability.

Product Details

• Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: Wrox; 1 edition (December 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470540702
• ISBN-13: 978-0470540701
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > XHTML
  • #28 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > CSS

More About the Author

Jon Duckett has been helping companies create innovative digital solutions for over 15 years, designing and delivering web and mobile projects for small businesses and tech startups through to global brands like Diesel, Philips, Nike, Wrangler, and Xerox.

During this time, he has has written and co-authored over a dozen books on web design and programming.

Jon has not only written his his latest book HTML & CSS (design and build websites), but also designed the entire book from scratch. Dispensing with the traditional template of programming books, he wanted to present the information in a manner that is less intimidating and more relevant to those who have never tried to write code before. The result is a new, exciting way to learn about HTML & CSS presented in full-color, with plenty of info-graphics and photography that really make the title stand out from other books that cover the same topics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and instructive, November 27, 2010

By 

claude monet - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beginning HTML, XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

This is one of the best written technical books that I've read lately. If you've wanted to know, "how do I make a web page from scratch?" this book will explain how, step by step. I'm already comfortable with most aspects of HTML, so I'm moving on to the more interesting areas: CSS and JavaScript. One of of my frustrations with CSS is remembering what properties to use, and this book has nice tables, examples, and exercises on this topic. This is almost like a textbook, or a self-help book. You don't need to be an absolute beginner to appreciate the organization of this book! I'm also interested in reading about the various JavaScript libraries that are popular today, including YUI and scriptaculous, which are discussed briefly. I don't really have anything that I'd like to see changed about this book. It's really up to the reader to decide what area to learn about next.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written text, confusing examples, April 11, 2011

By 

Erik Moldovan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beginning HTML, XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

Overall, I really like this book. It's very practical and shows useful applications for each new thing taught. And the lessons do build on each other and flow together well. The exercises are helpful as well.

My problem comes from the "Example Cafe" website, which is the website you build and add to throughout the book. The code examples found on the publisher's website seem like they were made out of sync with the the book itself. A lot of examples include code never explained or shown before, code that's just plain wrong as well as things implemented but never requested from the website. I don't copy and paste, so these errors aggravate me. I almost spend as much time breaking down the example code and figuring out where the editors messed up as I am actually implementing features into my practice site. It's annoying and frustrating.

As a reference, very well structured and explained. As an exercise resource, aggravating and not worth using.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably good material; frustratingly careless errors in material, August 23, 2011

By 

James V. Sylvester (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beginning HTML, XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript (Wrox Programmer to Programmer) (Paperback)

This is a reasonably good text that balances a course of instruction with reference material that might be used in implementing the information the book presents. The text is comprehensive in that it provides, as promised, a solid introduction to HTML, XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript -- all of that is quite good.

There is, however, one huge and frustrating drawback. Either in the book or in the code that can be downloaded in tandem with the text, there are just too many careless errors and discrepancies. One can almost count on any exercise or example's having at least one misleading mistake. Many errors are just obvious looking at material on the printed page (as just typical examples: Why would there be two "TO:" boxes on an e-mail form? see page 212; why isn't there a "<" to start the first line of code on page 233?).

This is a text that has been through a number of editions; in light of that legacy, to find so many errata in a text for beginners is frustrating. It does not speak well of the editing precisions one would think a publisher seemingly as authoritative as Wrox would exercise.