Professional JavaScript^TM for Web Developers

by Nicholas C. Zakas

• ISBN13: 9780764579080
• ISBN10: 0764579088
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-04-01
• Publisher: Wrox
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

* Dispels the myth that JavaScript is a "baby" language and demonstrates why it is the scripting language of choice used in the design of millions of Web pages and server-side applications * Quickly covers JavaScript basics and then moves on to more advanced topics such as object-oriented programming, XML, Web services, and remote scripting * Addresses the many issues that Web application developers face, including internationalization, security, privacy, optimization, intellectual property issues, and obfuscation * Builds on the reader's basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and the Web in generalThis book is also available as part of the 4-book JavaScript and Ajax Wrox Box (ISBN: 0470227818). This 4-book set includes: Professional JavaScript for Web Developers (ISBN: 0764579088) Professional Ajax 2nd edition (ISBN: 0470109491) Professional Web 2.0 Programming (ISBN: 0470087889) Professional Rich Internet Applications: Ajax and Beyond (ISBN: 0470082801)

Author Biography

Nicholas C. Zakas has a BS in Computer Science from Merrimack College and an MBA from Endicott College. He is the author of Professional JavaScript for Web Developers (Wiley 2005), Professional Ajax (1st and 2nd editions, Wiley 2007 and 2007) as well as several online articles. Nicholas works for Yahoo! as a frontend engineer and has worked in web development for more than 6 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 at www.nczonline.net.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	xxi
What Is JavaScript?	1	(10)
A Short History	1	(2)
JavaScript Implementations	3	(6)
ECMAScript	3	(3)
The Document Object Model (DOM)	6	(3)
The Browser Object Model (BOM)	9	(1)
Summary	9	(2)
ECMAScript Basics	11	(56)
Syntax	11	(1)
Variables	12	(3)
Keywords	15	(1)
Reserved Words	15	(1)
Primitive and Reference Values	15	(1)
Primitive Types	16	(5)
The type of operator	16	(1)
The Undefined type	17	(1)
The Null type	18	(1)
The Boolean type	18	(1)
The Number type	18	(2)
The String type	20	(1)
Conversions	21	(4)
Converting to a string	22	(1)
Converting to a number	23	(1)
Type Casting	24	(1)
Reference Types	25	(8)
The Object class	26	(1)
The Boolean class	27	(1)
The Number class	27	(2)
The String class	29	(3)
The instance of operator	32	(1)
Operators	33	(20)
Unary operators	33	(4)
Bitwise operators	37	(6)
Boolean operators	43	(3)
Multiplicative operators	46	(1)
Additive operators	47	(2)
Relational operators	49	(1)
Equality operators	50	(2)
Conditional operator	52	(1)
Assignment operators	52	(1)
Comma operator	53	(1)
Statements	53	(6)
The if statement	53	(1)
Iterative statements	54	(2)
Labeled statements	56	(1)
The break and continue statements	56	(2)
The with statement	58	(1)
The switch statement	58	(1)
Functions	59	(7)
No overloading	61	(1)
The arguments object	62	(1)
The Function class	63	(2)
Closures	65	(1)
Summary	66	(1)
Object Basics	67	(36)
Object-Oriented Terminology	67	(1)
Requirements of object-oriented languages	68	(1)
Composition of an object	68	(1)
Working with Objects	68	(2)
Declaration and instantiation	68	(1)
Object references	69	(1)
Dereferencing objects	69	(1)
Early versus late binding	69	(1)
Types of Objects	70	(18)
Native objects	70	(11)
Built-in objects	81	(6)
Host objects	87	(1)
Scope	88	(2)
Public, protected, and private	88	(1)
Static is not static	88	(1)
The this keyword	89	(1)
Defining Classes and Objects	90	(9)
Factory paradigm	90	(2)
Constructor paradigm	92	(1)
Prototype paradigm	93	(1)
Hybrid constructor/prototype paradigm	94	(1)
Dynamic prototype method	95	(1)
Hybrid factory paradigm	96	(1)
Which one to use?	97	(1)
A practical example	97	(2)
Modifying Objects	99	(3)
Creating a new method	99	(1)
Redefining an existing method	100	(1)
Very late binding	101	(1)
Summary	102	(1)
Inheritance	103	(22)
Inheritance in Action	103	(1)
Implementing Inheritance	104	(11)
Methods of inheritance	105	(6)
A more practical example	111	(4)
Alternative Inheritance Paradigms	115	(9)
zlnherit	116	(4)
xbObjects	120	(4)
Summary	124	(1)
JavaScript in the Browser	125	(34)
JavaScript in HTML	125	(8)
The <script/> tag	125	(1)
External file format	126	(1)
Inline code versus external files	127	(1)
Tag placement	128	(1)
To hide or not to hide	129	(1)
The <noscript/> tag	130	(1)
Changes in XHTML	131	(2)
JavaScript in SVG	133	(3)
Basic SVG	133	(1)
The <script/> tag in SVG	134	(1)
Tag placement in SVG	135	(1)
The Browser Object Model	136	(21)
The window object	136	(13)
The document object	149	(4)
The location object	153	(2)
The navigator object	155	(1)
The screen object	156	(1)
Summary	157	(2)
DOM Basics	159	(34)
What Is the DOM?	159	(8)
Introduction to XML	159	(3)
An API for XML	162	(1)
Hierarchy of nodes	163	(3)
Language-Specific DOMs	166	(1)
DOM Support	167	(1)
Using the DOM	167	(11)
Accessing relative nodes	167	(2)
Checking the node type	169	(1)
Dealing with attributes	169	(2)
Accessing specific nodes	171	(2)
Creating and manipulating nodes	173	(5)
DOM HTML Features	178	(4)
Attributes as properties	178	(1)
Table methods	179	(3)
DOM Traversal	182	(7)
Nodelterator	182	(5)
TreeWalker	187	(2)
Detecting DOM Conformance	189	(2)
DOM Level 3	191	(1)
Summary	191	(2)
Regular Expressions	193	(32)
Regular Expression Support	193	(4)
Using a RegExp object	194	(1)
Extended string methods	195	(2)
Simple Patterns	197	(8)
Metacharacters	197	(1)
Using special characters	197	(2)
Character classes	199	(2)
Quantifiers	201	(4)
Complex Patterns	205	(7)
Grouping	205	(1)
Backreferences	206	(1)
Alternation	207	(2)
Non-capturing groups	209	(1)
Lookaheads	210	(1)
Boundaries	210	(2)
Multiline mode	212	(1)
Understanding the RegExp Object	212	(4)
Instance properties	213	(1)
Static properties	214	(2)
Common Patterns	216	(7)
Validating dates	216	(2)
Validating credit cards	218	(4)
Validating e-mail addresses	222	(1)
Summary	223	(2)
Browser and Operating System Detection	225	(36)
The Navigator Object	225	(1)
Methods of Browser Detection	226	(1)
Object/feature detection	226	(1)
User-agent string detection	226	(1)
A (Not So) Brief History of the User-Agent String	227	(7)
Netscape Navigator 3.0 and Internet Explorer 3.0	227	(2)
Netscape Communicator 4.0 and Internet Explorer 4.0	229	(1)
Internet Explorer 5.0 and higher	230	(1)
Mozilla	230	(2)
Opera	232	(1)
Safari	233	(1)
Epilogue	233	(1)
The Browser Detection Script	234	(10)
Methodology	234	(1)
First Steps	234	(3)
Detecting Opera	237	(2)
Detecting Konqueror/Safari	239	(2)
Detecting Internet Explorer	241	(1)
Detecting Mozilla	242	(1)
Detecting Netscape Communicator 4.x	243	(1)
The Platform/Operating System Detection Script	244	(5)
Methodology	244	(1)
First steps	245	(1)
Detecting Windows operating systems	245	(2)
Detecting Macintosh operating systems	247	(1)
Detecting Unix operating systems	248	(1)
The Full Script	249	(3)
Example: A Login Page	252	(7)
Summary	259	(2)
All about Events	261	(42)
Events Today	261	(1)
Event Flow	262	(4)
Event bubbling	262	(2)
Event capturing	264	(1)
DOM event flow	265	(1)
Event Handlers/Listeners	266	(4)
Internet Explorer	267	(1)
DOM	268	(2)
The Event Object	270	(9)
Locating	270	(1)
Properties/methods	271	(3)
Similarities	274	(2)
Differences	276	(3)
Types of Events	279	(13)
Mouse events	280	(4)
Keyboard events	284	(2)
HTML events	286	(5)
Mutation events	291	(1)
Cross-Browser Events	292	(9)
The EventUtil object	292	(1)
Adding/removing event handlers	292	(2)
Formatting the event object	294	(5)
Getting the event object	299	(1)
Example	300	(1)
Summary	301	(2)
Advanced DOM Techniques	303	(32)
Scripting Styles	303	(11)
DOM style methods	305	(2)
Custom tooltips	307	(1)
Collapsible sections	308	(1)
Accessing style sheets	309	(3)
Computed styles	312	(2)
innerText and innerHTML	314	(1)
outerText and outerHTML	315	(2)
Ranges	317	(16)
Ranges in the DOM	317	(12)
Ranges in Internet Explorer	329	(4)
How practical are ranges?	333	(1)
Summary	333	(2)
Forms and Data Integrity	335	(32)
Form Basics	335	(2)
Scripting the <form/> Element	337	(5)
Getting form references	337	(1)
Accessing form fields	338	(1)
Form field commonalities	338	(1)
Focus on the first field	339	(1)
Submitting forms	340	(1)
Submit only once	341	(1)
Resetting forms	342	(1)
Text boxes	342	(14)
Retrieving/changing a text box value	343	(1)
Selecting text	344	(1)
Text box events	345	(1)
Select text automatically	345	(1)
Tab forward automatically	346	(1)
Limit textarea characters	347	(2)
Allowing/blocking characters in text boxes	349	(5)
Numeric text boxes with the up/down arrow keys	354	(2)
List Boxes and Combo Boxes	356	(6)
Accessing options	357	(1)
Retrieving/changing the selected option(s)	357	(2)
Adding options	359	(1)
Removing options	360	(1)
Moving Options	361	(1)
Reordering options	361	(1)
Creating an Autosuggest Text Box	362	(3)
Matching	362	(1)
The guts	363	(2)
Summary	365	(2)
Sorting Tables	367	(20)
The Starting Point---Arrays	367	(2)
The reverse() method	369	(1)
Sorting a One-Column Table	369	(4)
The comparison function	371	(1)
The sortTable() function	371	(2)
Sorting a Multicolumn Table	373	(12)
The comparison function generator	374	(1)
Modifying the sortTable() function	375	(1)
Sorting in descending order	376	(1)
Sorting with different data types	377	(4)
Advanced sorting	381	(4)
Summary	385	(2)
Drag and Drop	387	(24)
System Drag and Drop	387	(12)
Drag-and-drop events	388	(5)
The dataTransfer object	393	(4)
The dragDrop() method	397	(2)
Advantages and disadvantages	399	(1)
Simulated Drag and Drop	399	(6)
The code	400	(3)
Creating drop targets	403	(2)
Advantages and disadvantages	405	(1)
zDragDrop	405	(4)
Creating a draggable element	406	(1)
Creating a drop target	406	(1)
Events	406	(2)
Example	408	(1)
Summary	409	(2)
Error Handling	411	(34)
The Importance of Error Handling	411	(1)
Errors versus Exceptions	412	(1)
Error Reporting	413	(6)
Internet Explorer (Windows)	413	(2)
Internet Explorer (MacOS)	415	(1)
Mozilla (all platforms)	416	(1)
Safari (MacOS X)	417	(1)
Opera 7 (all platforms)	418	(1)
Handling Errors	419	(9)
The onerror event handler	419	(4)
The try...catch statement	423	(5)
Debugging Techniques	428	(4)
Using alerts	428	(1)
Using the Java console	429	(1)
Posting messages to the JavaScript console (Opera 7+ only)	430	(1)
Throwing your own errors	431	(1)
The JavaScript Verifier	432	(1)
Debuggers	432	(11)
Microsoft Script Debugger	432	(3)
Venkman--Mozilla's debugger	435	(8)
Summary	443	(2)
XML in JavaScript	445	(36)
XML DOM Support in Browsers	445	(20)
XML DOM support in IE	445	(5)
XML DOM support in Mozilla	450	(5)
Making interfaces play together	455	(10)
XPath Support In Browsers	465	(6)
Introduction to XPath	466	(1)
XPath support in IE	467	(1)
XPath support in Mozilla	467	(4)
XSLT Support In Browsers	471	(8)
XSLT support in IE	473	(4)
XSLT support in Mozilla	477	(2)
Summary	479	(2)
Client-Server Communication	481	(28)
Cookies	481	(9)
Cookie ingredients	482	(1)
Other security restrictions	482	(1)
Cookies in JavaScript	483	(2)
Cookies on the server	485	(3)
Passing cookies between client and server	488	(2)
Hidden Frames	490	(3)
Using iframes	491	(2)
HTTP Requests	493	(5)
Using headers	495	(1)
Copycat implementations	496	(1)
Performing a GET request	496	(1)
Performing a POST request	497	(1)
LiveConnect Requests	498	(4)
Performing a GET request	498	(2)
Performing a POST request	500	(2)
Intelligent HTTP Requests	502	(4)
The get() method	502	(3)
The post() method	505	(1)
Practical Uses	506	(1)
Summary	507	(2)
Web Services	509	(22)
A Quick Web Service Primer	509	(4)
What is a Web service?	509	(1)
WSDL	510	(3)
Web Services in Internet Explorer	513	(3)
Using the WebService component	513	(2)
WebService component example	515	(1)
Web Services in Mozilla	516	(9)
Enhanced privileges	517	(1)
Using the SOAP methods	518	(4)
Using WSDL proxies	522	(3)
A Cross-Browser Approach	525	(5)
The WebService object	525	(2)
The Temperature Service	527	(2)
Using the TemperatureService object	529	(1)
Summary	530	(1)
Interacting with Plugins	531	(32)
Why Use Plugins?	531	(1)
Popular Plugins	532	(1)
MIME Types	533	(1)
Embedding Plugins	533	(2)
Including parameters	534	(1)
Netscape 4.x	534	(1)
Detecting Plugins	535	(8)
Detecting Netscape-style plugins	535	(5)
Detecting ActiveX plugins	540	(2)
Cross-browser detection	542	(1)
Java Applets	543	(8)
Embedding applets	543	(1)
Referencing applets in JavaScript	544	(1)
Writing applets	545	(1)
JavaScript-to-Java communication	546	(2)
Java-to-JavaScript communication	548	(3)
Flash Movies	551	(7)
Embedding Flash movies	552	(1)
Referencing Flash movies	552	(1)
JavaScript-to-Flash communication	553	(2)
Flash-to-JavaScript communication	555	(3)
ActiveX Controls	558	(3)
Summary	561	(2)
Deployment Issues	563	(34)
Security	563	(5)
The Same Origin Policy	563	(1)
Window object issues	564	(2)
Mozilla-specific issues	566	(2)
Resource limitations	568	(1)
Internationalization Concerns	568	(5)
Detecting language using JavaScript	569	(1)
Strategies	569	(1)
String considerations	570	(3)
Optimizing JavaScript	573	(20)
Download time	573	(5)
Execution time	578	(15)
Intellectual Property Issues	593	(2)
Obfuscating	593	(1)
Microsoft Script Encoder (IE only)	594	(1)
Summary	595	(2)
The Evolution of JavaScript	597	(20)
ECMAScript 4	597	(8)
Netscape's proposal	598	(6)
Implementations	604	(1)
ECMAScript for XML	605	(11)
Approach	605	(2)
The for each in Loop	607	(1)
New classes	607	(9)
Implementations	616	(1)
Summary	616	(1)
Index	617