Professional JavaScript 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Nigel McFarlane (Author), Paul Wilton (Author), Cliff Wooton (Author), et al (Author)

Book Description

Series: Programmer to Programmer | Publication Date: October 2001

JavaScript is the language of the Web. It has an intuitive, accessible nature and is available with most modern browsers. JavaScript is used for making dynamic, interactive web pages - from form validation to creating games to dynamic menus - but its uses also go much further. Hardly a single commercial web page exists today that does not contain some JavaScript.

This second edition of Professional JavaScript provides comprehensive coverage of the JavaScript language, its syntax and uses. We look at the latest web browsers and web standards, and move on to examine practical techniques in the form of short examples and more in-depth and complex case studies. This book will focus entirely on the use of JavaScript within the web browser, since this is predominantly where it is used.

This book covers

Core JavaScript programming
Scripting browser objects
Working with multimedia
Web standards, including XML, CSS, & W3C DOM
Dynamic HTML
Debugging techniques
Regular expressions and form validation
Real world case studies
The ECMAScript Edition 4 proposal

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This book is for anyone who needs to use JavaScript for client-side web development. You may already be familiar with JavaScript, and need an up-to-date advanced guide, or have experience in another programming language and need to pick up JavaScript as a new skill.

About the Author

Nigel McFarlane, Paul Wilton, Cliff Wootton, Mark Baartse, Stuart Conway, Jean-Luc David, Sing Li, Sean B Palmer, Jon Stephens, Margie Virdell, Stephen Williams, Jeff Yates.

Nigel McFarlane lives in Melbourne where he studies science, teaches and consults in the programming industry and slips in the occasional bit of writing. He's worked extensively with database, telecommunication and Web technology software.

After an initial stint as a Visual Basic applications programmer at the Ministry of Defence in the UK, Paul Wilton found himself pulled into the Net. Paul's main skills are in developing web front ends using DHTML, JavaScript, VBScript, and Visual Basic, and back-end solutions with ASP, Visual Basic, and SQL Server.

Cliff Wootton works on multimedia systems and content management software for large data-driven web sites. Recent work includes architectural design and development of components for several award-winning broadcast/entertainment websites, and the BBC News Interactive TV service.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1088 pages
• Publisher: Peer Information Inc.; 1st edition (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861005539
• ISBN-13: 978-1861005533
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,196,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enormous Accurate, insightful and specific, October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Professional JavaScript with DHTML, ASP, CGI, FESI, Netscape Enterprise Server, Windows Script Host, LiveConnect and Java (Paperback)

I am your typical Web architect. Not really a pro, but knowledgeable enough to make me one of the best people in my company to work with consultants and do a certain amount of pre-visualization and early prototyping.

My project is to get an Intranet/Extranet completed using either Microsoft or alternative products. I have to research and oversee (with others) implementation of both visual design and user functionality, for client (Intranet and Extranet clients) and server ends (including administrative tools).

I know the tools I "want" to use and the strategy I want to take, but I need some hard facts and intermediate to advanced descriptions of implementations.

This book has what I need.

Facts. Loads of example scripts. Analysis of using Java and Javascript. Analysis of extending application functionality through standalone script interpreters. Security issues. Client issues (for all relevant browsers) Server issues (for all relevant servers).

Awesome. Definitely the fruit of an enormous (there's that word again) amount of expertise and trial and error development.

If you have a little bit of knowledge about Web technologies (graphics, databases, servers, browsers and plug-ins), and have some familiarity with programming principles (best if you've taken a programming course or studied on your own for a few months) this book will be the glue that ties it all together for you.

Part reference guide, part bible, and all relevant.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nonsense from "A reader from USA"., January 13, 2000

By 

Bryan Bertrand (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional JavaScript with DHTML, ASP, CGI, FESI, Netscape Enterprise Server, Windows Script Host, LiveConnect and Java (Paperback)

I came back here to get Harry Yeh's email to thank him for his recommendation of this book, but felt I had to respond to the anonymous reviewer's comments. This is by far and away the most definitive reference on any scripting technology I've ever come across! I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Of course "Clib.puts()" isn't discussed on page 22. Use of the C library is discussed much later (as it should be). And as for the side effects of the Comma Operator, an example follows directly after it's mentioned!

Its clear that the reviewer hasn't read the book. I've been reading this book for the past three weeks and have discovered and learnt more than I did in the previous 2 years.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant Case Studies, January 15, 2000

By 

Mart Poom (Oslo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional JavaScript with DHTML, ASP, CGI, FESI, Netscape Enterprise Server, Windows Script Host, LiveConnect and Java (Paperback)

Chapters 10 and 14 in this book are excellant case studies. The 'Family Tree Photo Album' is a great real-life example of how to use JavaScript practically and ties up what has been taught in the book.

But then chapter 14 which is "Building an e-commerce shop front" goes beyond that to create a functioning online shop. It's brilliant! I have "borrowed" it for our company site.

Thanks Wrox, this book surpasses even ASP2.0 in quality and depth. Keep up the good work.