ppk on JavaScript

by Peter-Paul Koch

Whether you're an old-school scripter who needs to modernize your JavaScripting skills or a standards-aware Web developer who needs best practices and code examples, you'll welcome this guide from a JavaScript master.

Other JavaScript books use example scripts that have little bearing on real-world Web development and are useful only in the chapter at hand. In contrast, Peter-Paul Koch's book uses eight real-world scripts he created for real-world clients in order to earn real-world money. That means the scripts are guaranteed to do something useful (and sellable!) that enhances the usability of the page they're used on.

The book's example scripts include one that sorts a data table according to the user's search queries, a form validation script, a script that shows form fields only when the user needs them, a drop-down menu, and a data retrieval script that uses simple Ajax and shows the data in an animation.

After an overview of JavaScript's purpose, Peter-Paul provides theoretical chapters on the context (jobs for JavaScript, CSS vs. JavaScript), the browsers (debugging, the arcana of the browser string), and script preparation. Then follow practical chapters on Core, BOM, Events, DOM, CSS Modification, and Data Retrieval, all of which are explained through a combination of theoretical instruction and the taking apart of the relevant sections of the example scripts.

Genres: Programming, Technical, Web

530 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2006

Reviews

[Robert Teeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s easier to tell you want this book is not.

It’s not a book for beginners. But if you know some JavaScript, you’ll get a better practical and theoretical understanding from this book.

It’s not a “bible”-type book. It doesn’t try to tell you everything about JavaScript.

It’s not a cookbook. It doesn’t give you a few recipes, which leave you confused when you want to make your own confections.

This book teaches many of the most practical concepts you’ll need to know to use JavaScript. It’ll leave you feeling confident that you can do this yourself.

Highest praise I can give: This is the only Web scripting/programming book I have read cover-to-cover.

[Lea Verou · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for the beginning to intermediate JavaScript developer. Flushes away all the old-school JS bad practices and teaches you how the language really works with examples from 8 real-world scripts PPK was hired to write.

Pros:
- Easy to understand, without oversimplifying
- Real world examples, not useless toy scripts.
- Great job on its graphic design part which makes it a pleasure to read

Cons:
- Nothing about regular expressions or OO Javascript.
- Probably a bit outdated by now

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best functional JavaScript book I've read, period. Essential to any serious web programmer. Anyone who does any web development should at least understand chapter 5, core JavaScript.

One of my top 5 tech books now.

[Phowley · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit outdated but it was good when it first came out, there are better books currently on the market