Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference [Paperback]

Danny Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 1998 | ISBN-10: 1565924940 | ISBN-13: 978-1565924949 | Edition: First Thus

If you are a Web content developer these days, you have a lot of information to keep track of. You need to stay current on the relevant Web specifications, like HTML, CSS, DOM, and ECMAScript. You also need to know how the latest Web browsers from Netscape and Microsoft actually implement these standards, since browser implementations of the standards are less than perfect. Right now, you're forced to keep multiple reference books open on your desk (or multiple browser windows open on your screen), just to develop a simple dynamic Web page that works properly under both Navigator and Internet Explorer.

Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference changes all that. This book is an indispensable compendium for Web content developers. It contains everything you need to create functional cross-platform Web applications, including:

• A complete reference for all of the HTML tags, CSS style attributes, browser document objects, and JavaScript objects supported by the various standards and the latest versions of Navigator and Internet Explorer. Browser compatibility is emphasized throughout; the reference pages clearly indicate browser support for every entity.
• Handy cross-reference indexes that make it easy to find interrelated HTML tags, style attributes, and document objects.
• An advanced introduction to creating dynamic Web content that addresses the cross-platform compromises inherent in Web page design today.

If you have some experience with basic Web page creation, but are new to the world of dynamic content, Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference will jump-start your development efforts. If you are an experienced Web programmer, you'll find the browser-compatibility information invaluable. This book is the only DHTML reference that a Web developer needs.

Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference is designed to work in conjunction with HTML: The Definitive Guide and JavaScript: The Definitive Guide. HTML: The Definitive Guide teaches you about every element of HTML in detail, with explanations of how each element works and how it interacts with other elements, as well as numerous examples. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide provides a thorough description of the JavaScript language, complete with sophisticated examples that show you how to handle common Web application tasks. Together, these three books provide a complete library for Web content developers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Danny Goodman felt that he couldn't trust any of the documentation on Dynamic HTML (DHTML) that he read (too many contradictions), so he wrote this book as a reference for working with his own clients. After testing tags and techniques on multiple releases of the main browsers, Goodman came up with very practical information--some of which you may not find in any other resource.

Goodman assumes a solid foundation, if not expertise, in basic HTML and an understanding of what DHTML is all about. From those assumptions, he presents a meaty, information-dense volume. The first of the book's four sections discusses industry standards and how to apply the basic principles of DHTML. He emphasizes the differences in Web browsers and discusses how to build pages so that they work well in both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The second section is an extensive, quick reference of all the tags, objects, and properties of HTML, cascading style sheets, Document Object Model, and core JavaScript. A particularly handy cross-reference guide to this information follows, helping you locate it in alternate ways. The final section contains appendices, with useful tables of values and commands. --Elizabeth Lewis

About the Author

has been writing about personal computers and consumer electronics since the late 1970s. In 2001, he celebrated 20 years as a free lance writer and programmer, having published hundreds of magazine articles, several commercial software products, and three dozen computer books. Through the years, 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 book is now in its fourth edition. To keep up to date on the needs of web developers for his recent books, Danny is also a programming consultant to some of the industry's top intranet development groups and corporations. His expertise in implementing sensible cross-browser client-side scripting solutions is in high demand and allows him to, in his words, "get code under my fingernails while solving real-world problems." Danny was born in Chicago, Illinois during the Truman Administration. He earned a B.A. and M.A. in Classical Antiquity from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He moved to California in 1983 and lives in a small San Francisco area coastal community, where he alternates views between computer screens and the Pacific Ocean.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1456 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; First Thus edition (July 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565924940
• ISBN-13: 978-1565924949
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (158 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,443,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

215 of 217 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You wanted DHTML? You got DHTML! February 24, 2000

By Scott Cherkofsky

Format:Paperback

I've purchased several books (Javascript: the Definitive Guide, Netscape ONE Developers Guide, etc) relating to Javascript and Web development. I recently became interested in the functionality that DHTML provides and although I have several books on Javascript, I had nothing which directly references DHTML techniques. This is the book if you want to learn BOTH Javascript AND DHTML - the two are linked inextricably as you'll find if you purchase this book.

On the cover, you'll see in smallish lettering "A Comprehensive Resource for HTML, CSS, DOM & JavaScript" - they're not kidding.

Section one contains Applying Dynamic HTML information and covers everything from cross-platform techniques to actual scripting of dynamic events on your webpages.

Section two contains all the reference sections - HTML, Document Objects, Style Sheet Attributes, and a Javascript Core Language reference. This provides everything from supporting browser versions to reference examples, properties and methods for each element - it is exhaustive.

Section three provides cross references so you can find objects or HTML attributes and what elements support them. Ever want to know exactly which objects support the ONCLICK event handler? - here's where you'd go...

Even the 4 appendixes are useful and include a table of color names and RGB values, HTML character entities (special characters), a listing of keyboard events and their character values (useful for initiating code when specific keys are pressed), and finally a reference area for Internet Explorer commands not specifically covered by the document object model.

This is a must buy book for any HTML developer out there - even if you're not at the DHTML level yet.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great manual on portable modern HTML June 1, 2000

By Robert D. C. Shearer

Format:Paperback

While this book may be a bit intimidating for first-time web authors, it is an incredibly useful manual for those who know the basics of HTML and need a reference to newer features and standards.

The first section is an extremely well-written overview of modern HTML: the history and philosophies behind CSS, javascript, the Document Object Model, and the designs of the two major browsers, as well as some excellent examples of writing portable code to access these features from different platforms and browsers. The clarity of the writing here is a very pleasant surprise from what is really just a reference manual and simply doesn't need to be this good. This section alone is probably enough to bring most "tag-only" authors up to date on the newer dynamic technologies.

It is the reference sections, however, for which most readers will buy this book, and they are excellent. There are comprehensive listings of HTML tags (including rendering behavior as well as scriptable attributes), javascript primitives, and DOM structures. Most importantly, every entry in the reference section is labelled very clearly with which browser and/or standards versions support it, a crucial piece of information to cross-platform authors which is left out of many similar books.

All in all, this book may be the only reference a developer really needs on his bookshelf for writing dynamic HTML. The only major complaint I have is that the author is (understandably) very script-centric, and never sufficiently discusses the down side of using heavily scripted pages when static pages or server-side scripts may suffice.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Web Author Should Have One! January 3, 2000

By "ranger_fox"

Format:Paperback

As a "reference" book (that is, not a tutorial or manual or *dummies* book) is meant to be used by people already familiar with what they are doing and need a comprehensive source to look something up, this book is the perfect model of a great reference work and belongs on every web deleloper's desk. It offers detailed info on HTML elements, DOM, CSS, and JavaScript. As this is a DHTML reference, the Javascript section is sorely lacking, though. A great feature is that for each element, property and attribute, it tells you which versions of Netscape and IE supports that element. Descriptions and examples are also provided for each entry. It also briefly explains how to use DHTML and cross-platform problems. Another consideration is that since this is such a large reference, it takes a little time to get used to its organization and how to look things up. But this is the one web book I keep referring back to all the time.