Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days [Paperback]

Jonathan A. Watt (Author), Andrew H. Watt (Author), Jinjer Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0672322978 | ISBN-13: 978-0672322976 | Edition: 1

The aim of Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days is to tutor the Web-literate novice JavaScripter through to a high level of competency in applying JavaScript to Web pages.

In addition to core uses of client-side JavaScript, Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days also covers emerging topics such as the use of JavaScript with PDFs and the scripting of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG).

The key principles taught throughout the book are backed up with clear and useful examples. This enables the reader to easily apply what they¿ve learned with confidence in order to meet their own coding needs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The aim of Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days is to tutor the Web-literate novice JavaScripter through to a high level of competency in applying JavaScript to Web pages.

In addition to core uses of client-side JavaScript, Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days also covers emerging topics such as the use of JavaScript with PDFs and the scripting of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG).

The key principles taught throughout the book are backed up with clear and useful examples. This enables the reader to easily apply what they've learned with confidence in order to meet their own coding needs.

About the Author

Andrew Watt is an independent consultant and author with expertise in XML and Web technologies including SVG. He is author of Designing SVG Web Graphics (New Riders) and XPath Essentials (Wiley). He is co-author of XML Schema Essentials (Wiley) and contributing author to XHTML, XML & Java 2 Platinum Edition (Que), Professional XSL, Professional XML 2nd Edition, and Professional XML Meta Data (Wrox).

Jonathan Watt has been working with JavaScript for two years and has been Webmaster of the Strathclyde University Skills Society Web site, as well as a number of his own Web sites such as dsvg.com. His primary expertise is in the application of JavaScript in the client-side environment, but he also has used ASP and PHP to create database-driven Web sites. He is currently in the third year of a master's degree in engineering at Strathclyde.

Jinjer Simon has been actively involved in the computer industry for the past 17 years. Her involvement in the industry has included programming, providing software technical support, end-user training, developing written and online user documentation, creating software tutorials, developing Internet Web sites, and writing technical books. Jinjer and her husband currently live in Coppell, Texas, with their two children where she currently works as a consultant for MillenniSoft Inc. by providing Web site development and online documentation development.

Jim O'Donnell was born on October 17, 1963, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (you may forward birthday greetings to [e-mail]). After a number of unproductive years, he went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for 11 years earning three degrees. He now lives in Washington, DC, and spends most of his time building spacecraft. He has been writing and editing books for eight years. When he isn't working, he collects comic books and PEZ dispensers and plays ice hockey for the DC Nationals. Go, Nats!

Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Sams; 1 edition (May 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672322978
• ISBN-13: 978-0672322976
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners, too slow for experienced programmers, June 1, 2004

By 

Rennie Petersen (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days (Paperback)

I found this book very useful, and I was able to learn JavaScript from it, although I didn't follow the book's tutorials sequentially.

The most important thing to note is that this book is not really suitable for an experienced programmer who wants to add JavaScript to the list of programming languages that he/she knows. If you already know several other programming languages then you'll find the pace of this book much too slow. There are too many simple examples and too much discussion of basic programming principles.

For a beginning programmer these many examples and down-to-earth discussions are great. The authors assume that the reader has no knowledge of programming at all, which is fine if the reader is new to programming.

A couple of the especially useful things I found in this book were an example showing a clever way of using the onClick event for an "a" tag, and information about where to find the Microsoft script debugger.

On the other hand, I did find a few minor errors. And on page 20 a CD-ROM is mentioned, but in fact no CD-ROM accompanies the book. Instead, as explained on page 5, the sample files from the book are available on the Internet.

So if you're new to programming then this is a good book for you, but if you're an experienced programmer then you should find something else.

Rennie Petersen

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book!, December 12, 2002

By 

Chris (San Antonio, Tx) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days (Paperback)

I like the fact that its very beginner friendly. I tried reading the O'riely book and it was talking about topics I wasnt ready to cover yet and it was boring. I mean they spent a paragraph on each topic and didnt have many fully coded examples just a whole bunch of snippets without showing how it would look on screen. So I switched back to this book. It explains things for the beginner. If you are new to JavaScript this is a good book for you to get started with.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tutorial using simple language, November 27, 2002

By 

Charles Amos (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days (Paperback)

I'm in a somewhat unusual position, in that I've needed to work on some rather advanced JavaScript scripts without really learning the fundamentals. I've struggled through my projects using Danny Goldman's JavaScript Bible and many online resources, but there are holes in my knowledge that you could drive a truck through.

While Goldman's JavaScript Bible is an excellent reference book, I quickly grew frustrated when I attempted to work my way through it as a tutorial. I wanted a book that was designed as a tutorial, and used simple language to teach complicated subjects. I picked up "Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days", and unlike Goldman's book, it uses simple language and a simple structure to give a clear picture of JavaScript.

I do spend well over the suggested time on each chapter, doing all of the exercises and modifying them in whatever ways I can think of. As a result, many of the things that have perplexed me for months are becoming second nature, and I'm seeing improvements in my coding abilities daily. And I'm only on chapter 4!

Perhaps my pre-existing knowledge of JavaScript is why this book seems so intuitive to me, but whatever the reason, I am excited to pick up "Teach Yourself JavaScript in 21 Days" every morning. My fundamental grasp of JavaScript has improved dramatically, and I absolutely feel this is the best tutorial book I have purchased.