JavaScript Bible: 5th Edition (Ebook) Wiley, 2004
See the print version entry for a review of the contents. |
JavaScript Bible: 5th Edition Wiley, 2004
Danny Goodman's JavaScript Bible is, without doubt, the most comprehensive treatment of JavaScript you could wish to find. It's part tutorial, but mainly a reference book, with copious examples of JavaScript in action. In fact, that was the major complaint with previous editions. The book had grown so big, you had to flip backwards and forwards between the printed book and the accompanying CD-ROM, which contained hundreds of pages (and were not printable). For the new edition, Danny Goodman has slimmed it down (it's still more than 1,200 pages!) - what you see is what you get, although there's apparently some bonus material for advanced readers on the accompanying CD-ROM. Nevertheless, bringing all the core material into the main body of the book will, no doubt, be a major relief to most people. Danny really knows his stuff, and he writes in a very straightforward style about what can, at times, be a confusing subject. The new edition has also been brought up to date to cover the latest browsers (the fourth edition stopped at IE5.5 and Netscape 6, before the emergence of Safari or Firefox). I've got quite a few books on JavaScript, including Danny's "Dynamic HTML", so may not rush out to buy the new edition, but for anyone with a serious interest in the subject looking for the book to buy, this is probably the one. It's also available as a ebook (listed separately). |
Usable Shopping Carts (Reprint) friends of ED, 2004
For anyone with intermediate skills in ASP or PHP and database design, this is an ideal route-map to rolling your own solution to building an online e-commerce site. Full coding is given for both implementations - ASP and PHP - and each section is presented separately, so ASP developers do not have to worry about irrelevant (to them) explanations about PHP, and vice versa. ASP developers should note, though, that the entire project uses Microsoft's high-end database, SQL Server, not Access. So the target readership is developers interested in creating robust, scalable solutions. The PHP implementation makes use of the most popular open source database, MySQL. Although the final chapter covers security issues, the emphasis is on cataloguing, database design, content management, and the shopping cart that leads customers to the final checkout (with options to change their choices right up to the last minute). It does not provide details of how to set up secure credit card transactions - a specialist area beyond the scope of the book. Of particular value, though, are the discussions of information architecture and e-commerce site design. The authors believe strongly that the success of any online e-commerce site lies in well thought-out planning, and provide useful guidelines as to what contributes to success in this area. Although the coding is fully explained throughout the book, readers are expected to have at least a basic understanding of PHP/MySQL or ASP/MS SQL. Even for anyone not yet needing to implement an e-commerce site, this book would provide a very solid grounding for the development of any database or content management system. There's no CD-ROM, but all the files can be downloaded from the accompanying website. |
Regular Expression Pocket Reference O'Reilly, 2003
Anybody attempting to learn Regular Expressions (not the easiest of subjects) from this book would be totally lost. At the moment, the unsurpassed source for that is Jeffrey Friedl's "Mastering Regular Expressions" (also published by O'Reilly and reviewed separately). In fact, the two books are designed to go together. The pocket reference tells you where to find a more detailed explanation of many issues by giving the page number in Friedl's book. What I find particularly useful about the pocket reference is that it is divided into sections covering Perl 5.8, Java, .Net and C#, Python, PCRE Lib, PHP, vi Editor, JavaScript and Shell tools. For each one, it gives a full listing of the metacharacters supported and a brief description of functions associated with regular expressions. When switching from JavaScript to PHP and vice-versa, I find this essential, as each implementation of RegEx has its own peculiarities. You could probably find similar information online and simply print it off, but I find the book format much more convenient. And it is something I've slipped in my pocket to read in spare moments. |
JavaScript by Example Prentice Hall, 2003
Sadly, the book is far from perfect. There are a lot of minor mistakes in the code - something an experienced scripter would spot quickly, but likely to trip up a beginner. One particularly bad example is a table in Chapter 5 where the equality (==) and identity (===) operators get mixed up, defeating the purpose of demonstrating the difference between them. It's also quite clear that Ellie Quigley is no web designer. All the examples look as though they're out of the mid-1990s, using tacky colours and inline font markup. However, the book is particularly strong on two important aspects of JavaScript - form handling and validation. Whereas most books on JavaScript devote a few pages to regular expressions, Ellie Quigley devotes a whole chapter 80 pages long to them. In spite of its faults, definitely worth considering. |
JavaScript & DHTML Cookbook O'Reilly, 2003
In fact, this is not a book of quick and easy routines to jazz up your web pages. It's aimed much more at readers who want to really get to grips with JavaScript by understanding not only what works, but why it works. Many of the techniques, such as building dynamic menus, creating automatic scrollers, or draggable layers, can be achieved much more easily by using customizable commercial products or the built-in JavaScript functions of programs like Dreamweaver. But by reading the discussion that follows each piece of code, you build up a solid understanding of the underlying principles, arming you with the knowledge to create your own solutions. To get the most out of this book, it's essential to have a good JavaScript reference, so you can look up the methods and properties being used. Either Danny Goodman's "JavaScript Bible" or his "Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference" would be a good choice. Alternatively, the O'Reilly "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide". |
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This is the ebook version of the latest edition of Danny Goodman's classic work on JavaScript. What's unusual about it is that it's printable, although at more than 1,200 pages, you'd certainly want to think twice before printing out the whole lot. The format is Adobe Reader 6, which is fully compatible with Windows, but requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher to run. It can also be transferred to PalmOS, but not PocketPC or Symbian devices.
This is a reprint of the very popular book of the same title, published by Glasshaus just before its collapse. It's now published by friends of ED. I've not seen the new edition, but I understand it's not just a straight reprint. The code is said to have been considerably improved. If so, that's very good news, because the original was superb.
This is a very slim volume (less than small 100 pages), and literally does slip into your pocket. On the basis of cost per word, it works out as quite expensive, but I've found it invaluable. That said, it's definitely not for everyone. Like all O'Reilly pocket references, it's designed for people who already know a fair bit about the subject, but need the bare essentials at hand.
Finding just the right book to start learning JavaScript from is not easy. Some books concentrate a great deal on theory without explaining to newcomers how it all fits together, while others show how to do things, but leave you wondering how to move on. Ellie Quigley's book offers a middle path - not only showing how things are done, but also explaining how the scripts work. As the title suggests, the book is full of examples - hundreds of them - and each one is accompanied by a line-by-line explanation. It's an excellent way of building up a good understanding of the mechanics of JavaScript.
I've long been a fan of O'Reilly cookbooks - and this one is no disappointment. Danny Goodman certainly knows his stuff, and he writes in a clear, concise style. Instead of just dipping in and choosing techniques I needed to know about, I found myself sitting down and reading the first five chapters from beginning to end. It was like a master-class in the core elements of JavaScript - strings, numbers, dates, arrays, flow control and browser detection. Although some of the material covered is very basic, it's not a book for beginners. Danny Goodman expects readers to have at least rudimentary knowledge of JavaScript concepts, and he gets on to more advanced material very quickly.