JavaScript: The Missing Manual

Reviewed by Robert L Pritchett

Author: David Sawyer McFarland

Released: July 2008

Pages: 543

$40

ISBN: 9780596515898

Strengths: Intermediate level approach using the jQuery framework and JavaScript syntax.

Weaknesses: A few printing gotchas (okay, quite a few). Security is not addressed by this book. Tends to be focused on jQuery.

Errata

Introduction

JavaScript is essential for creating modern, interactive Web sites. But, unlike HTML and CSS, JavaScript is a true programming language with complex rules that are challenging for most Web designers to learn. In JavaScript: The Missing Manual, bestselling author David McFarland teaches you how to use JavaScript in sophisticated ways -- even if you have little or no programming experience.

In a clear, entertaining way, the book starts out by teaching you how to build a basic JavaScript program. Then, once you've mastered the structure and terminology, you'll learn how to use advanced JavaScript tools to add useful interactivity to your sites quickly and painlessly, rather than scripting everything from scratch.

To jump-start your progress, the book offers several "living examples" -- step-by-step tutorials for building Web site components with JavaScript using raw materials, such as graphics and half-completed Web pages, that you can download from the book's companion Web site.

In this book, you will learn:

How to get started.The book introduces the building blocks of JavaScript, and general tips on computer programming. Learn to add scripts to a Web page; store and manipulate information; communicate with the browser window; respond to events like mouse clicks and form submissions; and identify and modify HTML.
How to build Web Page Features. McFarland provides real-world examples of JavaScript in action. Learn to create pop-up navigation bars, enhance HTML tables, build an interactive photo gallery, and make Web forms more usable. Create interesting user interfaces with tabbed panels, accordion panels and pop-up dialog boxes.
How to troubleshoot and debug. The book will teach you how to avoid the ten most common errors new programmers make, and how to find and fix bugs.
How to communicate with the Web server.In addition to basic JavaScript, this manual covers Ajax, the approach that made JavaScript glamorous. Learn to use JavaScript to communicate with a server so that your Web pages can receive information without having to reload.

If you want to put JavaScript to work right away without getting tangled up in code, JavaScript: The Missing Manual is the best book available.

What I Learned

It took me a long time to get through this book. I have since been able to identify those websites that use JavaScript with free abandon. My concern revolved around the issue of "security". This book does not address these glaring issues, but this other book is completely dedicated to it.

Apple only recently updated Mac OS X to resolve a nearly year-old issue with JavaScript in Safari by releasing version 4.0 of Safari and also shortly later releasing a security update for Java – just don't get those two apps confused - Both security updates occurred within a week of each other in June 2009.

Java and JavaScript are similar, but different. The similarities are where the vulnerabilities were exploited, thus the updates.

I go t the book because I wanted to get into the nuts and bolts of understanding the esoterica of JavaScripting. This book does that beautifully, but focuses attention almost inclusively to jQuery.

I appreciate the later chapters that get into streamlining the code and in integrating Ajax. There really are some cool Icandy things I'd like to try, but I'm concerned they might confuse the heck out of somebody who is blind.

Conclusion

You will see more JavaScript integrated into our websites (there is some now). What has kept us from using it everywhere are the issues regarding security and browser exploits in the Macintosh environment. Many of those issues have now been resolved, at least for those who are using the most recent platform security updates.

If you want to learn jQuery, this book will get you there.