JavaScript Demystified (Paperback)

by James Keogh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product 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.

From the Back Cover
THE FAST AND EASY WAY TO LEARN JAVASCRIPT

If you're looking for an easy way to learn JavaScript and want to start creating interactive Web pages right away, this is the resource you need. The hands-on approach and step-by-step instructions guide you through the basics of this leading Web development tool with easy-to-understand language from start to finish.

Whether or not you have previous JavaScript experience, you’ll get an excellent foundation here, discovering how Web applications and programming languages work. Next, you’ll learn the essentials of JavaScript -- what variables, operators, expressions, statements, arrays, and strings are and what they do, then on to forms, event handlers, cookies, frames, rollovers, banners, DHTML, and more. With end-of-chapter quizzes and a final exam, this book will have you creating dynamic, feature-rich Web pages in no time at all. Simple enough for a beginner, but challenging enough for an advanced student, JavaScript Demystified is your shortcut to mastering JavaScript.

This one of a kind self-teaching text offers:

• An easy way to understand JavaScript
• A quiz at the end of each chapter
• A final exam at the end of the book
• No unnecessary technical jargon
• A time-saving approach

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Product Details

• Paperback: 375 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (May 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007226134X
• ISBN-13: 978-0072261349
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,641 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction for novices, October 29, 2005

By	Akm (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

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.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wasn't disappointed at all, June 17, 2005

By	Benny "Benny" - See all my reviews

If you're experience is like mine, you'll be building sophisticated JavaScript and DHTML very quickly if you follow along with this book. I found this book very easy to read. There's enough technical jargon to get the job done without confusing you. Guess why they called it demystified. I had my doubts when I purchased the book because of the price and size. I don't have any doubts now. Don't expect to get into all the fine points of JavaScript because you won't find them here. But if you want to be productive right away without the hassles of learning the minutia, then give this a try.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good introduction!, May 19, 2007

By	Manuel C. Hernandez "fromthewoods" (Deer River, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.