Pure JavaScript [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by R. Allen Wyke (Author), Jason Gilliam (Author), Charlton Ting (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Newbie and old-hand JavaScript programmers alike will appreciate Pure JavaScript, a comprehensive developer's resource to JavaScript that covers both the big picture and precise details. Authors Jason Gilliam, Charlton Ting, and R. Allen Wyke--developers all--have put together this well-organized title.

The bulk of this book is a top-notch JavaScript reference. Core language syntax is well-presented with excellent use of examples for practically every operator and function, and each entry includes version compatibility with Netscape and Microsoft browsers and JavaScript releases. The authors also include references for the two companies' extensions to the language.

A number of appendices round out this fine guide with attention to standard and vendor-specific syntax details. This is a fine JavaScript reference that cuts no corners. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: Overview of JavaScript (origins of the language and the evolution of Microsoft and Netscape flavors), security topics (signed scripts and basic constructs of the language, including data types, type conversions, operators, and the features of server-side JavaScript), JavaScript execution environment, and browser version support.

From Library Journal
This is definitely the book JavaScript programmers will want when the interface is not working. It contains everything: server-side, client-side, Netscape, Internet Explorer, Opera, and ECMAscript. If you have a programmers' reference section, you might consider this book for the reference shelves as well.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1448 pages
• Publisher: Sams; illustrated edition edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672315475
• ISBN-13: 978-0672315473
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,793,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing amount of material, well-indexed for once!, September 23, 1999

By	Jason M. Batchelor ([e-mail]) (Dearborn, Michigan) - See all my reviews

It's terribly hard to find a book that actually provides useful reference, nowadays. Thanks to "desktop publishing" it seems that everyone and their ten-thumbed cousin is putting out a book that reputes itself to be the "definitive" source on a topic. After searching for some time, and finding nothing but frustration, I finally came upon Pure Javascript. Not only does this book have a complete table of contents, it is extensively cross-referenced in the index, and each object, property and method is laid out in an easy-to-read-and-find format. How many times have you wanted to know whether an object was supported by your browser of choice? Or wondered why a method that worked fine in Netscape 3 is now breaking in 4 and higher? Each object, method, and property starts with a description of what scripting language it originates from, and what versions it is supported in. This is not a book for someone with absolutely no experience in Javascript; this is a book for someone that needs to be able to find information at a moment's notice, without having to work through tangled or incomplete descriptions. If you work with Javascript, client-side or server-side, this book is for you.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and Complete, November 24, 1999

By A Customer

This was exactly what I was looking for in a JavaScript book. The first two sections, which explain the language, are concise and simple, and do not waste time with rudimentary things that programmers like myself already know (i.e. what is an array, etc). The third section is a full reference to every command in the JavaScript language, with code and syntax examples for each. If you are already a programmer (in any language, but particularly a C++ or C programmer), this is probably the best book on the subject to get on the subject.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, October 15, 1999

By	Mark Clodi "Zombiewriter" (Madrid, IA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First if you have not gotten the impression from the other reviews by now, this book is NOT for the beginner. As a beginner you will not learn how to use JavaScript from this book. It IS an extensive reference on everything about JavaScript. If you need to know if your code will work with certain browsers or what a specific object or syntax does, this is the book for you! This book very well cross referenced and laid out nicely, it is easy to find what you are looking for when you need it and that saves a ton of time.

Pure JavaScript is exactly what I was hoping for: THE reference book on JavaScript!