Javascript: The Missing Manual

JavaScript is an essential language for creating modern, interactive websites, but its complex rules challenge even the most experienced web designers. With JavaScript: The Missing Manual, you'll quickly learn how to use JavaScript in sophisticated ways -- without pain or frustration -- even if you have little or no programming experience.

JavaScript expert David McFarland first teaches you the basics by having you build a simple program. Then you'll learn how to work with jQuery, a popular library of pre-built JavaScript components that's free and easy to use. With jQuery, you can quickly build modern, interactive web pages -- without having to script everything from scratch!

• Learn how 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
• Get real-world examples of JavaScript in action
• Learn to build pop-up navigation bars, enhance HTML tables, create an interactive photo gallery, and make web forms more usable
• Create interesting user interfaces with tabbed panels, accordion panels, and pop-up dialog boxes
• Learn to avoid the ten most common errors new programmers make, and how to find and fix bugs
• Use JavaScript with Ajax to communicate with a server so that your web pages can receive information without having to reload

Bestselling author McFarland teaches how to use JavaScript in sophisticated ways--even for those with little or no programming experience--with this clear and entertaining book that offers step-by-step tutorials.

The Missing Credits; About the Author; About the Creative Team; Acknowledgements; The Missing Manual Series; Introduction; What Is JavaScript?; HTML: The Barebones Structure; CSS: Adding Style to Web Pages; Software for JavaScript Programming; About This Book; The Very Basics; Part I: Getting Started with JavaScript; Chapter 1: Writing Your First JavaScript Program; 1.1 Introducing Programming; 1.2 How to Add JavaScript to a Page; 1.3 Your First JavaScript Program; 1.4 Writing Text on a Web Page; 1.5 Attaching an External JavaScript File; 1.6 Tracking Down Errors; Chapter 2: The Grammar of JavaScript; 2.1 Statements; 2.2 Commands; 2.3 Types of Data; 2.4 Variables; 2.5 Working with Data Types and Variables; 2.6 Tutorial: Using Variables to Create Messages; 2.7 Tutorial: Asking for Information; 2.8 Arrays; 2.9 Tutorial: Writing to a Web Page Using Arrays; 2.10 Comments; Chapter 3: Adding Logic and Control to Your Programs; 3.1 Making Programs React Intelligently; 3.2 Tutorial: Using Conditional Statements; 3.3 Handling Repetitive Tasks with Loops; 3.4 Functions: Turn Useful Code Into Reusable Commands; 3.5 Tutorial: A Simple Quiz; Chapter 4: Working with Words, Numbers, and Dates; 4.1 A Quick Object Lesson; 4.2 Strings; 4.3 Finding Patterns in Strings; 4.4 Numbers; 4.5 Dates and Times; 4.6 Tutorial; Chapter 5: Dynamically Modifying Web Pages; 5.1 Modifying Web Pages: An Overview; 5.2 Understanding the Document Object Model; 5.3 Introducing JavaScript Libraries; 5.4 Selecting Page Elements (Revisited); 5.5 Adding Content to a Page; 5.6 Setting and Reading Tag Attributes; 5.7 Reading, Setting, and Removing HTML Attributes; 5.8 Creative Headlines; 5.9 Acting on Each Element in a Selection; 5.10 Automatic Pull Quotes; Chapter 6: Action/Reaction: Making Pages Come Alive with Events; 6.1 What Are Events?; 6.2 Using Events with Functions; 6.3 Tutorial: Highlighting Table Rows; 6.4 More jQuery Event Concepts; 6.5 Advanced Event Management; 6.6 Tutorial: A One-Page FAQ; Chapter 7: Improving Your Images; 7.1 Swapping Images; 7.2 Tutorial: Adding Rollover Images; 7.3 jQuery Effects; 7.4 Tutorial: Photo Gallery with Effects; 7.5 Advanced Gallery with jQuery lightBox; 7.6 Tutorial: lightBox Photo Gallery; 7.7 Animated Slideshows with Cycle; 7.8 Tutorial: An Automated Slideshow; Part II: Building Web Page Features; Chapter 8: Improving Navigation; 8.1 Some Link Basics; 8.2 Opening External Links in a New Window; 8.3 Creating New Windows; 8.4 Opening Pages in a Window on the Page; 8.5 Tutorial: Making Bigger Links; 8.6 Animated Navigation Menus; Chapter 9: Enhancing Web Forms; 9.1 Understanding Forms; 9.2 Adding Smarts to Your Forms; 9.3 Tutorial: Basic Form Enhancements; 9.4 Form Validation; 9.5 Validation Tutorial; Chapter 10: Expanding Your Interface; 10.1 Hiding Information with Accordion Panels; 10.2 Organizing Information in Tabbed Panels; 10.3 Tooltips; 10.4 Creating Sortable Tables; Part III: Ajax: Communicating with the Web Server; Chapter 11: Introducing Ajax; 11.1 What Is Ajax?; 11.2 Ajax: The Basics; 11.3 Ajax the jQuery Way; 11.4 JSON; Chapter 12: Basic Ajax Programming; 12.1 Tabs Plug-in; 12.2 Adding Google Maps to Your Site; Part IV: Troubleshooting, Tips, and Tricks; Chapter 13: Troubleshooting and Debugging; 13.1 Top JavaScript Programming Mistakes; 13.2 Debugging with Firebug; 13.3 Debugging Tutorial; Chapter 14: Going Further with JavaScript; 14.1 Putting It All Together; 14.2 Writing More Efficient JavaScript; 14.3 Creating Fast-Loading JavaScript; Part V: Appendix; JavaScript Resources; References; Basic JavaScript; jQuery; The Document Object Model; Ajax; Advanced JavaScript; CSS; JavaScript Software; Colophon;

David Sawyer McFarland is the president of Sawyer McFarland Media Inc., a web development and training company located in Portland, Oregon. In addition, he teaches JavaScript programming, Flash, and web design at the University of California, Berkeley, the Center for Electronic Art, the Academy of Art College, and Ex'Pression College for Digital Arts. He was formerly the webmaster at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Berkeley Multimedia Research Center. David is also the author of CSS: The Missing Manual and Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual.

David Sawyer McFarland is president of Sawyer McFarland Media, Inc., a Web development and training company in Portland, Oregon. He's been building websites since 1995, when he designed an online magazine for communication professionals. He's served as webmaster at the University of California at Berkeley and the Berkeley Multimedia Research Center, and oversaw a complete CSS-driven redesign of Macworld.com. David is also a writer and trainer, and teaches in the Portland State University multimedia program. He wrote the bestselling Missing Manual titles on Adobe Dreamweaver, CSS, and JavaScript.

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Distributor: Ingram Publisher Services
Publication Date: 07-28-2008
Pages: 544
Measurements: 9.10in X 7.00in X 1.20in X 1.60lb