Professional JavaScript for Web Developers, 2nd Edition

by Nicholas C. Zakas

• ISBN13: 9780470227800
• ISBN10: 047022780X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-01
• Publisher: Wrox

Summary

The first edition of Professional JavaScript was the first time that JavaScript was treated as a firstrate programming language and discussed as such. In the past three years since the book was first released, there have been several advances in the techniques and technology of JavaScript in the browser. This second edition updates the first edition to include the latest versions of all web browsers as well as introducing newer techniques and related technologies such as canvas, E4X, and JavaScript 2.0. The book sets the stage by covering JavaScript in HTML then explores the core of JavaScript, ECMAScript, to give the reader and understanding of the language's basic syntax, data types, statements, and memory management. Readers will learn about object-oriented programming in JavaScript, including defining their own objects and implementing JavaScript's innovative form of inheritance. The book discusses the Document Object Model (DOM) and the Browser Object Model, explaining how these can be used to alter the user's experience. All three levels of the Document Object Model are explained, including advanced topics such as event simulation, XML parsing, and Xpath queries. The book intermixes with this discussions about XML and XSLT. The last section of the book covers error handling and debugging, design patterns, and best practices for a variety of topics including performance and security.Retaining and updating much of the coverage from the first edition, some of the new coverage tin he 2nd edition includes: Debugging tools in Microsoft Visual Studio, FireBug, and Drosera A new chapter on ECMAScript for XML A new chapter on client-side data storage with cookies, the DOM, and Flash A new chapter on client-side graphics with JavaScript including SVG, VML, and Canvas A new chapter on design patterns including creational, structural, and behavioral patterns A new advanced techniques chapter covering dynamic functions, currying, array chunking, and anonymous functions A new best practices chapter covering maintainability, performance, and deployment practices A new appendix introducing key JavaScript libraries including the Yahoo! User Interface Library (YUI), Dojo toolkit, Prototype and Scriptaculous, jQuery, and MooTools A new appendix pointing to the changes in JavaScript 2.0

Author Biography

Nicholas C. Zakas has a B.S. in Computer Science from Merrimack College and an M.B.A. from Endicott College. He is the coauthor of Professional Ajax, Second Edition (Wiley, 2007) as well as dozens of online articles. Nicholas works for Yahoo! as a principal front-end engineer on Yahoo!’s front page and a contributor to the Yahoo! User Interface (YUI) Library. He has worked in web development for more than eight years, during which time he has helped develop web solutions in use at some of the largest companies in the world. Nicholas can be reached through his web site www.nczonline.net. PM

Table of Contents

1. What Is JavaScript?2. JavaScript in HTML.3. Language Basics.4. Variables, Scope, and Memory.5. Reference Types.6. Object-Oriented Programming.7. Anonymous Functions.8. The Browser Object Model.9. Client Detection.10. The Document Object Model.11. DOM Levels 2 and 3.12. Events.13. Scripting Forms.14. Error Handling and Debugging.15. XML in JavaScript.16. ECMAScript for XML.17. Ajax and JSON.18. Advanced Techniques.19. Client-Side Storage.20. Best Practices.21. Upcoming APIs.22. The Evolution of JavaScript.Appendix A. JavaScript Libraries.Appendix B. JavaScript Tools.