JavaScript and AJAX For Dummies by Andy Harris
Contents:
Introduction
Part I: Programming with JavaScript
Chapter 1: Taking the Web to the Next Level
Chapter 2: Writing Your First Program
Chapter 3: Changing Program Behavior with Conditions
Chapter 4: Loops and Debugging
Chapter 5: Functions, Arrays, and Objects
Part II: Using JavaScript to Enhance Your Pages
Chapter 6: Talking to the Page
Chapter 7: Getting Valid Input
Chapter 8: Moving and Grooving
Part III: Moving Up to AJAX
Chapter 9: AJAX Essentials
Chapter 10: Improving JavaScript and AJAX with jQuery
Chapter 11: Animating jQuery
Chapter 12: Using the jQuery User Interface Toolkit
Chapter 13: Improving Usability with jQuery
Chapter 14: Working with AJAX Data
Part IV: The Part of Tens
Chapter 15: Ten Amazing jQuery Plugins
Chapter 16: Ten Great Resources
Index
Introduction about this book by Andy Harris:
How This Book Is Organized
I organized this book by renting time on a supercomputer and applying a multilinear Bayesian artificial intelligence algorithm. No, I didn’t. I don’t even know what that means. I really just sketched it out during a meeting when I was supposed to be paying attention. In any case, the book is organized into a number of sections that describe various aspects of Web development with JavaScript and AJAX.
Like the other books in the For Dummies series, you can use this reference in many ways, depending on what you already know and what you want to learn. Each chapter of this book describes a particular facet of JavaScript or AJAX programming. You can read the chapters in any order you wish, especially if you already have some knowledge and you’re looking for a particular skill. However, the chapters do build in complexity from beginning to end, so if you find you don’t understand something in a later chapter, you might want to review some earlier chapters. (I’ll point out exactly where you can find things you might need as we go.) If you’re just starting out, it’s probably easiest to go from beginning to end, but the main thing is to dig in and have some fun.
Part I: Programming with JavaScript
If you’ve never written a computer program before, consider this your boot camp. (But it’s kind of a fun boot camp, with a little more silliness than most — and no pushups in the rain.) Begin by building your toolkit of powerful but free tools and applications. Here you learn what programming is all about — with JavaScript as the language of choice. You’ll be introduced to new friends like variables, conditions, loops, arrays, and objects.
Part II: Using JavaScript
to Enhance Your Pages The main reason people use JavaScript is to trick out Web pages. In this section you learn how to write programs that talk to the Web page they live in.
Your programs will be able to read user input, validate that input, and dance around on the screen. It’s pretty fun.
Part III: Moving Up to AJAX
If you’ve been hanging around with Web geeks, you’ve probably heard of AJAX. It’s kind of a big deal, and it has the potential to change the way Web development works. Learn what this thing is really about. Create some AJAX requests by hand, and then use the incredible jQuery library to do more powerful programming. Learn how jQuery introduces new ways to think about programming, and how to use the jQuery User Interface extension to build snappy user experiences. You’ll also learn how to work with various kinds of data, from PHP programs to XML and JSON. Yummy.
Part IV: The Part of Tens
No Dummies book would be complete without a Part of Tens. I’m really excited about these chapters. In one, you explore ten of my favorite jQuery plugins. These amazing tools make it easy to add amazing features to your sites. You’ll see plugins for automatically sorting tables, translating text into foreign languages, building graphs, showing image galleries, playing mp3 files, and much more. Another chapter points you toward some amazing resources on the Web to learn even more.
It’s Even on the Internet!
This book has a couple of companion Web sites that are critical to understanding the book. Web programming is about making Web pages do things, and you just won’t be able to see all of that in a book. As you’re going through this book, I strongly advise you to visit either www.dummies.com/ go/javascriptandajaxfd or my Web site: www.aharrisbooks.net/ jad. A running version of every program in the book is available on both of these sites. You’ll also be able to view the source code of each program in its natural habitat — running on the Web.
The www.aharrisbooks.net/jad site is also a great place to start when you’re collecting your tools and libraries. Every tool or library that I describe in this book is linked from the Web page, so you’ll definitely want to check it out. I also have a forum where I’m happy to answer your questions and share projects with you. I’m looking forward to seeing you there.
From The Book Cover:
Learn to use these powerful tools together and build Web sites that work If you want to build Web pages that offer real value to your site’s visitors, JavaScript and AJAX are top tools for the job. Even if you’re new to Web programming, this book helps you create sites any designer will admire. With easyto-understand steps and an emphasis on free tools, you’ll be able to jump right into building a site using the same techniques as the pros.
• Down to basics — learn your way around JavaScript and choose
an editor and test browser
• Manage complexity — use functions, arrays, and objects to
create more sophisticated programs
• Page magic — discover how to control what happens on your
pages, animate objects, and put pages in motion
• Get beautiful — Use the jQuery User Interface library to add
sliders, tabbed interfaces, and custom dialogs to a site
• Come clean with AJAX — build AJAX requests into your
programs, use jQuery, and work with AJAX data
Open the book and find:
• How to choose a test browser
• How to discuss string concatenation with a straight face
• Tips for debugging your code
• How to add useful information to a dropdown list
• Why AJAX connections should be asynchronous
• The exciting possibilities of the jQuery library
• How to use the Aptana editor
• Online resources for JavaScript programmers
Book Details:
⏩Author: Andy Harris
⏩Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc
⏩Language: English
⏩Pages: 435
⏩Size: 8.01 MB
⏩Format: PDF
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