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Missing Manuals
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
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
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
David Sawyer McFarland
34 books24 followersDavid Sawyer McFarland is president of Sawyer McFarland Media, Inc., a Web development company in Portland, Oregon. He's been building Web sites since 1995, when he designed his first Web site: an online magazine for communication professionals. He's served as the Webmaster at the University of California at Berkeley and the Berkeley Multimedia Research Center, and he has helped build, design, and program numerous Web sites for clients including Intuit, Macworld.com, and Playlistmag.com, among others.
In addition to building Web sites, David is also a writer, trainer, and instructor. He's taught Dreamweaver at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, the Center for Electronic Art, the Academy of Art College, Ex'Pressions Center for New Media, and the Art Institute of Portland. He currently teaches in the Multimedia Program at Portland State University. He has written articles about Dreamweaver and the Web for Macworld magazine, CreativePro.com, and MX Developer's Journal.
In addition to building Web sites, David is also a writer, trainer, and instructor. He's taught Dreamweaver at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, the Center for Electronic Art, the Academy of Art College, Ex'Pressions Center for New Media, and the Art Institute of Portland. He currently teaches in the Multimedia Program at Portland State University. He has written articles about Dreamweaver and the Web for Macworld magazine, CreativePro.com, and MX Developer's Journal.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 29, 2013
Long, long ago, in a country far away, I attempted to teach myself JavaScript. I wasn’t really sure why I was doing it and that’s probably why I never finished the book. It may also be because it was written the way most computer tutorial books are written: badly.
I’m a teacher and that means I thing or two about how to get people to learn new skills. Many’s the time I’ve wanted to grab an author of a computer book by the mouse balls and smash them in the face with a keyboard. I mean, these people are supposed to be good at logic, right? If so, why does their writing seem so completely illogical. Websites written to “help” you do technical stuff are pretty much the same. Usually, these begin something like this; “This book/website/blog post is written for absolute beginners…” That’s the point at which you should simply turn away and cry. I usually make it to, oooh, about the third paragraph. By that point, I can’t see any logical connection between the points the writer is making. I’m lost. I give up.
But McFarland’s intro to JavaScript, is exactly the kind of book that bucks this trend and that’s why I liked it… a lot.
Not only does he write in a simple and engaging style, his writing actually makes sense. There wasn’t a single point in this 500+ page book where I felt I’d lost the plot. I followed it the entire way through. That in itself would be enough, but there’s more. He doesn’t have you build some completely meaningless website or project as you go. This really irritates me because I have no desire to create an animated rock or a site that processes sales for a sports company. In case you thought I made those up, they were examples in other books I also looked at.
Instead, he takes you through simple examples and tutorials which are designed specifically for the task you are applying them to. What I really liked about the tutorials was that at each stage, he explains why you have to do what you’re being asked to do and reminds you of earlier sections in the book where these aspects were covered. In fact, the entire book is filled with cross-referencing which means that if on page 482 you have find yourself a victim of your own humanity and can’t remember what was discussed on page 145, he’ll remind you of it. This is just one example of the way McFarland shows that he has a good understanding of who he’s writing for.
And he’s comprehensive. There’s plenty of Ajax in here along with regular expressions, JSON and JQuery. In fact, there’s so much JQuery that the new edition is called JavaScript & JQuery. If you already know HTML and want to take it further, this is an excellent resource to do that with. I’d just recommend you pick up an edition more recent than the 2008 one I was working with.
I’m a teacher and that means I thing or two about how to get people to learn new skills. Many’s the time I’ve wanted to grab an author of a computer book by the mouse balls and smash them in the face with a keyboard. I mean, these people are supposed to be good at logic, right? If so, why does their writing seem so completely illogical. Websites written to “help” you do technical stuff are pretty much the same. Usually, these begin something like this; “This book/website/blog post is written for absolute beginners…” That’s the point at which you should simply turn away and cry. I usually make it to, oooh, about the third paragraph. By that point, I can’t see any logical connection between the points the writer is making. I’m lost. I give up.
But McFarland’s intro to JavaScript, is exactly the kind of book that bucks this trend and that’s why I liked it… a lot.
Not only does he write in a simple and engaging style, his writing actually makes sense. There wasn’t a single point in this 500+ page book where I felt I’d lost the plot. I followed it the entire way through. That in itself would be enough, but there’s more. He doesn’t have you build some completely meaningless website or project as you go. This really irritates me because I have no desire to create an animated rock or a site that processes sales for a sports company. In case you thought I made those up, they were examples in other books I also looked at.
Instead, he takes you through simple examples and tutorials which are designed specifically for the task you are applying them to. What I really liked about the tutorials was that at each stage, he explains why you have to do what you’re being asked to do and reminds you of earlier sections in the book where these aspects were covered. In fact, the entire book is filled with cross-referencing which means that if on page 482 you have find yourself a victim of your own humanity and can’t remember what was discussed on page 145, he’ll remind you of it. This is just one example of the way McFarland shows that he has a good understanding of who he’s writing for.
And he’s comprehensive. There’s plenty of Ajax in here along with regular expressions, JSON and JQuery. In fact, there’s so much JQuery that the new edition is called JavaScript & JQuery. If you already know HTML and want to take it further, this is an excellent resource to do that with. I’d just recommend you pick up an edition more recent than the 2008 one I was working with.
October 7, 2018
So I had quit reading this almost halfway through when I lost free webhosting quite a long time ago. I'm cleaning up my book shelf for an upcoming move and gave a quick browse through the rest of this. The only reason it has 3 stars now is because it's dated, as tech tends to do. Many of these things can be done in HTML 5 now so JavaScript isn't needed for those. It still seems to have good explanations on why to do things and that can still be useful and there are some server connection things that may be relevant (I don't get into those today so I'm not sure).
August 23, 2012
I don't feel as though I wasted my time reading this book, however, I didn't quite get what I thought I was getting when I ordered it some time ago. The current edition of this book, JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual, addresses one of my concerns in the title of the book - namely that we're not really learning JavaScript, we're learning how to do things using jQuery. That's fine with me, as I eventually wanted to learn jQuery, but I feel as though I still don't have a good handle on JavaScript. I think this book would help someone who needed to jump into the JavaScript pool rather quickly to do some specific things, but I don't think it's a good first (or maybe even second) book for someone who wants an in-depth understanding of JavaScript. Recommended, but with reservations.
August 30, 2016
Not what I was looking for. Simultaneously too introductory to programming, and too disorganized to give me the structure, both in languages and libraries that I'm looking for. I'm much preferring Eloquent JavaScript instead.
September 20, 2008
Great for its inclusion of Jquery.
not-read
April 19, 2010Stopped partway through. What I read was clear and helpful.
May 3, 2010
I learned a lot more than I thought I did, and it makes a good reference for most things I would ever need JavaScript for.
September 20, 2010
Helpful resource, particularly if you've just start out learning Javascript. I found this book to be quite helpful.
Read
November 28, 2012Apenas comenzando, auguro acabarlo para el 2013 :S
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews