DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model [Paperback]

Jeremy Keith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

We know from the success of titles such as Web Standards Solutions , Cascading Style Sheets: Separating Content from Presentation, and the Web Designer's Reference that web designers are increasingly concerned with making sites that don't just look pretty, but are also built using current best practices. There are three main technologies married together to create usable, standards-compliant web designs: XHTML for data structure, Cascading Style Sheets for styling your data, and JavaScript for adding dynamic effects and manipulating structure on the fly using the Document Object Model. This book is about the latter of the three. DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model gives you everything you need to start using JavaScript and the Document Object Model to enhance your web pages with client-side dynamic effects. Jermey starts off by giving you a basic crash course in JavaScript and the DOM, then move on to provide you with several real world examples built up from scratch including dynamic image galleries and dynamic menus, and show you how to manipulate web page style using the CSS DOM, and create markup on the fly. You'll learn how to:

* Apply dynamic behavior to your pages without inserting JavaScript in your markup.

* Write scripts that degrade gracefully when JavaScript isn’t available.

* Use web standards to ensure cross-browser compatibility.

* Harness the power of the DOM to create user-controlled animation.

* Also includes an introduction to Ajax.

About the Author

Jeremy is a web developer living and working in Brighton, England. Working with the web consultancy firm Clearleft ( www.clearleft.com ), he enjoys building accessible, elegant websites using the troika of web standards: XHTML, CSS, and the DOM. His online home is www.adactio.com. Jeremy is also a member of the www.webstandards.org where he serves as joint leader of the DOM Scripting Task Force.
When he’s not building websites, Jeremy plays bouzouki in the alt.country band Salter Cane ( www.saltercane.com ). He is also the creator and curator of one of the web’s largest online communities dedicated to Irish traditional music, www.thesession.org

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: friends of ED; 1 edition (September 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590595335
• ISBN-13: 978-1590595336
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #201,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

  #52 in

  Books > Computers & Internet > Web Development > Programming > JavaScript

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

106 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptionally Clear Handling of a Subject in Transition, October 6, 2005

By	Brett Merkey (Palm Harbor, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model (Paperback)

This book is directed toward scripters at the beginning and intermediate level. This is also a very good book for the veteran scripter who wants to re-tool as DOM-based techniques take hold.

I think Jeremy Keith takes the best road when he launches directly into DOM methods and objects, only mentioning the older ways for completeness. Most often, JavaScript books do the opposite -- mentioning DOM scripting only as an advanced art. But why learn the older ways when you must unlearn them later?

The author focuses on teaching correct methods and approaches, often taking the long way around to make it easier to see the larger picture. This requires a lot of forethought and organization on the part of an author and here the material excels. I don't think anyone will trip up following this guide through the Web script jungle.

The author also avoids the unbearable humor and cutesy language encountered so often in tech books. Thank you Mr. Keith! This is good, clear writing to go with good, clean scripting.

Quibbles: I think the author should have been more concerned with compatibility issues, esp. with IE6, the decrepit but still dominant browser. For instance, on pp 200-01, he recommends using the setAttribute() method to set a class but does not mention that IE improperly demands "className" as a parameter. His snippet would fail in IE. The chapter on CSS scripting was good but barely scratched the surface, not mentioning a bunch of cool scriptable objects.

Overall, this book is a worthy tool that should be welcomed by the target audience.

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a book to teach us JavaScript DOM, January 28, 2006

By	Frank Stepanski (PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model (Paperback)

There's been a lull in the past couple years with JavaScript books. Even though there are many sites that use DHTML and DOM scripting, there never was any books that really explain how to do these very useful and cool effects. Plenty of websites to download and copy code, but nothing that really explains how to do it. UNTIL NOW!!!

The moment I start reading the first chapter, I knew I would finally learn what DOM scripting really meant. I've read through many basic JavaScript books from different publishers but all of them just briefly described how the DOM worked in one brief chapter. The whole DOM Scripting book talks about it.

The first 2 chapters are a brief refresher course of the JavaScript basics, and then the 3rd chapter starts in with the DOM. After a thorough explanation of what it is and how it can be used, the next chapters go through various projects in reviewing how it can be used in real life web design.

There are eight chapters that explain and show you how DOM scripting can be used. The final chapter talks about the future of scripting and gives examples of AJAX--a great bonus!

I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to take their JavaScript code to the next level. It's also a great book to help would-be AJAX programmers as well. Since you have to have a very good understanding of DOM to create AJAX applications.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Javascript/DOM book for beginners, March 24, 2006

By	Mashhoor Al Dubayan - See all my reviews

This review is from: DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model (Paperback)

When a Javascript/DOM book:
1) ..starts by introducing Javascript and it's syntax instead of jumping into DOM immediately.
2) ..Explains every single bit of code in a simple language.
3) ..uses simple and easy-to-follow code.
4) ..Starts a chapter with a very simple program and build on it as you read.
5) ..lets you put up your first useful/practical Javascript script in a few hours.
6) ..encourages you to 'understand' the code instead of 'memorizing' it
7) ..is written by Jeremy Keith

..Then you know it's worth every single cent you spend on it. I have nothing to say here except that if you're someone who knows nothing about Javascript/DOM and is willing to learn it, then you really shouldn't miss this book. But If you're an intermediate or advanced Javascript/DOM coder, then buying this book is not a good idea. It was solely made for begginers.