JavaScript and jQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development

Summary first: This book presumes some knowledge of HTML & CSS (look up Duckett' preceding book if necessary), and introduces main elements of Javascript adequate for basic web-design projects, with no claims to comprehensiveness, and it's certainly a success in that respect. PRESENTATION: Impressive. Looks more like a Wired issue than your typical introductory programming/scripting book, as the latter usually try to fit as much information as possible into limited space, which makes pragmatic sense, but makes you not want to pick up the book and proceed. This book uses space liberally, sacrificing limited space (~600 pages + index) for readability ( devoting an entire page to the diagram of a for loop for instance), using very large fonts for summaries, etc. The design is elegant, and also well-thought: Different text colors, italics etc, are fully employed to make newly introduced syntax easier to comprehend. All code sinppets are included in blue boxes clearly separated from the text, where necessary, javascript and html codes are presented side-by-side. For every method / syntax introduced, browser compatibility is given in a table, and more compatible alternatives offered when necessry. SCOPE: As a corollary of the presentation approach, the scope is limited, albeit sensibly. The book aims to present JavaScript to the extent that it can be employed in basic web design, without trying to present the language in its entire functionality, as such important concepts/aspects are left out (Regular expressions, for instance). Also, HTML and CSS are NOT covered in the book(they're covered in Duckett's preceding book "HTML and CSS", prequel to this one), JQuery, Ajax & JSON are covered in a total of 150 pages, providing a decent, sensible introduction only. COMPARISON/SUGGESTIONS: If you want a more comprehensive guide at hand, consider getting Flanagan's "Javascript: The Definitive Guide", or an equivalent. If you want a more compelling and detailed approach to the language, supplement this book with "Eloquent Javascript", a book available, free of charge, online. ONLINE SUPPLEMENTATION: True to its claim, all code presented in the book are available online for bulk-download. Table of Content (CHAPTERS): 1 The ABC of Programming / 2 Basic JS Instructions / 3 Functions, Methods, Objects / 4 Decisions & Loops / 5 DOM / 6 Events / 7 JQuery / 8 Ajax & JSON / 9 APIs / 10 Error Handling & Debugging / 11 Content Panels / 12 Filtering, Searching & Sorting / 13 Form Enhancement & Validation / Index DURABILITY (WHENCE THE MISSING STAR DERIVES): I've read the entire book on the same bookholder & desk very gently, and still ended up with every page detached from the spine. (For comparison, other books I've read with the same method look almost unused). It's sad to see such a horrible spine/binding chosen for a book when so much care has obviously gone into its composition and design. Hope they revise the spine in future editions.

We recently started using this book at Portland Code School after several of our students recommended it to us. Their copies are dog-eared and infused with post-it flags. This introductory information is available literally everywhere on the web and the question you have to ask is, "Why bother with a physical book?" The answer to that question is simply to experience the hardcover version of this book. It's beautiful. Inviting. Its page layout and graphic design tell you that you are embarked upon something professional and yet easy to learn. The text is written with a simplicity that doesn't talk down to the reader. This book is clear in its explanations and yet comprehensive in its coverage of the subject. As much as I love the "Head First" series of books, some times they are too precious. This book is just as inviting, but it condenses the information and covers a lot of ground. At first I was concerned that, like some coffee table books, the coating on the pages showed finger prints. I didn't want to mar the excellent presentation. But, as I continue to use it, revisiting pages and reviewing elements of the language, I started to view them as footprints in the snow -- reassurance that I had been here before and already knew something about the subject. They were one of the many ways I can track my progress. There will come a time that I don't visit these pages as often, as always happens with introductory books to technical subjects. And, I will also buy an ebook version of this when it's available so I can track along with my students without having to carry paper around as they experience and enjoy the textbook for the first time. But I will continue to recommend this, as a physical book, to students of JavaScript.

This is really a remarkable book. If the layout and careful construction of the book are an example, Jon Duckett much be one of the best Web designers working today. The book is gorgeous. The beautiful layout is not just nice to look at, but contributes strongly to the presentation of the topic. I've read several books on JavaScript and I'm working on a JavaScript language project. I'm also working on a complex web application. One of the frustrations I've had about the books I've read about JavaScript is that they cover the language outside of the environment of a web page and the browser that interprets it. This book discusses JavaScript in its natural environment: processing the DOM tree that makes up a web page. The book is written so that it can be useful for people who have no background in programming. I'm not in this category, but I still found parts educational. For example, the author does a nice job of explaining how "this" applies in JavaScript. I have found the definition of "this" in JavaScript to be confusing and this book helped. There are also some nice examples of how "objects" are used in JavaScript. Where the book really shines above the other books I've seen on JavaScript are the examples throughout the book on applying JavaScript to create dynamic web page content. JavaScript is a great tool for front end programming. In my view, however, the language has some real problems (hence the book JavaScript: the good parts). I strongly believe that the idea of using JavaScript on the server is misguided. If, after reading this book, you find that you want to branch out into server side programming, I recommend that you learn Java (and the excellent Grails environment). Or even Python and Django. I find Node.js a horror and a huge step backward.

I bought this book because it was highly recommended by a classmate. I don't regret buying it due its contents but it has a problem with the binding. Pros: Very easy to follow. You will not find its content boring. It's very enjoyable to read even when tired. It has what some programming books lack: (1) code with easy explanations and (2) the visual results of the code in color. . It contains very elegant and relevant graphic designs. Already, it has been very useful for a programming project I am participating. You will look forward to read more and more because there's no way you can be discouraged by its content. Cons: A book you can't barely touch. Fingers get printed into the dark colored pages. Although I take good care of my books (I don't even highlight or write them), the book fell apart in two!!!!! In just 3 reads! And the other pages seem that are going to have the same fate. I can see the glue detaching between the cover and the pages. It has a horrible binding. Just horrible. I was looking for replacement but it would take up to 2 weeks and I really need to read its content for a project. I guess I will fix it with glue! Very disappointed with this part. :-( Very. 4 stars because of the fact it has been very useful !!!

I suppose I got lucky and received a book that wasn't badly built. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, read the other reviews. I'm on the 2nd to last chapter and the book has held up just fine. Contrary to what others have mentioned, I only found 1 significant error in the book that caused sample code not to work. Not a big issue. I read Duckett's other book "HTML & CSS" and had hoped this book would have a similar format. I was not disappointed. The book is loaded with visuals, diagrams, and you have access to the code used in every example. The book also goes a step further by introducing you to JSON, AJAX, Regex, and using and creating jQuery plugins. I wasn't expecting to be introduced to all this extra material, but I am glad I was. I've heard the terms JSON and AJAX before, but could not really figure out what they meant. The book helped to make these topics clear. I've also known about jQuery plugins, but never knew how to actually use them. The book shows you exactly how to do that. My advice to anybody going through this book: go through each of the examples he provides, typing out the code exactly as it appears in the book. Do your best to understand Duckett's logic. Afterwards, delete it and re-create the script on your own and try not to look at his sample code for help. You'll find yourself flipping through older sections of the book a lot to reference methods you'll need to use. You'll also find yourself doing a lot of google searches to be reminded of the methods that are available in jQuery. You'll also find yourself "stuck", wondering why your code isn't working. Then you'll have an "ah ha" moment and adjust your code. When you are done, you'll notice your code might look different than Duckett's. That's okay: no two people code the same. By doing this, it will take much longer to complete the book, but you will have more Javascript experience than somebody who read the book and followed the examples, but never stepped out on their own to really test their knowledge. This is another book by Duckett that is well worth the money. My only disappointment is that he didn't write a book that covers XML and its related languages. I read a book on it and much of it went over my head, meaning I now must find a second XML book and read it, hoping that the second perspective fills in any gaps.

I had originally rated this book an 1-star to alert the potential buyers to a serious binding defect, which has also been encountered by several readers. In my original review (see below), I did indicate that the book by itself was excellent. I am editing the review to update a recent development soon after my complaint. Jim Minatel, the co-publisher, contacted me and kindly offered a hardcopy replacement, while at the same time, he tried to nail down the remaining defective copies. I am very grateful for his offer. About the book, I found it hard not to consume everything as soon as I could. In a week, I had already covered about 400 pages with great fun. I am an amateur programmer and know very little about web languages and how they operate in the whole scene of client-server relationship. This book helps me so tremendously because it brings in many related aspects around the core of web programming on the client side. Now, I feel more secure to venture another tiny step to look into web server and its implication in future mobile applications. It is worth mentioning that Jon Duckett also has written a book on a related topics: "HTML & CSS" which is also of very high standard. ___________(Original review)______________ The book is great, but true to many users' experience, the binding started to break apart only a few days after use. I knew about the binding issue from readers' reviews. I thought that when I ordered this in August 2014, the issue would have been fixed already. The extremely poor binding does not do the author justice. The book was conceptually constructed with great thoughts. If I have to rate it solely by its contents, I would have given it a 4-5 stars. I never rated a book according to its package or binding. In general, I should not. This book, however, is a special case because from start to end, it is designed with great care to present the user with a beautiful copy, in addition to leaving the reader a pleasant learning experience. __________________________________________

WOW. What a good book. About me: I'm a seasoned professional software developer with about 15 years of web application development experience, but I took a break from HTML/JavaScript for a few years to do Silverlight full time. I bought this as a quick refresher to get back up-to-date with what's new in the JavaScript world. At first I thought I made a mistake since it's so basic and starts of with "what's a variable." But then the book gets into the different types of JavaScript functions and different ways to create javaScript objects. All of this was the perfect refresher for me before starting my new project. Anyway, I say "Wow, what a good book" because it seems to cover (at least touch upon) every aspect you would ever need to know from start to finish. It's very thorough, very descriptive, and teaches a topic from beginning to advanced without leaving anything out. (Except for server-side development - that's beyond the scope of this book. This book is all client-side, browser-based development.) Only slight CONS: - I have found a couple typos, but no big deal. Nothing more than any other book in the world. - The author bashes IE quite a bit for not following the standard. That's true, but in a few places, IE came first and there was no standard. I thought he should "point out the differences" more without sounding like he was "IE bashing" quite as much. - The organization and layout of they pages take a bit of getting used to. Each page has rows and columns of text and I found myself never quite knowing whether I should be reading from top-to-bottom, then left-to-right or from left-to-right, then top-to-bottom. In the end, I don't think it really mattered though.

I really like how this book presents the material. I find it much more "fun" to read and learn this way. It's a good beginners book for someone who already knows some HTML and CSS. Rather than rehash many of the items in other comments, I'm just going to give the thoughts that I feel are most important for my personal review: * The physical book and page quality is quite good but I find that some of the pages, especially the darker ones are fingerprint and oil magnets. Some reviewers complains of poor quality in that the book is falling apart, but my paperback book is fine. I suspect those people got a defective book and hopefully have received a free replacement. * There are some technical issues in the book, but not a great number... though it would have been better if they author had checked all the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with a program like CSE HTML Validator to find some of these issues. One issue that comes to mind is where after() should have been used instead of append(). * Instead of http links the book and examples should use https where supported because I ran into issues with browsers not loading http content when I put it on my webserver which forces https... or at least it should use protocol relative links. I had to manually edit several files to change the links. Example: change "<script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.2/jquery.min.js">" to "<script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.2/jquery.min.js">" Notice the protocol relative link that stars with "//" instead of "http://". * There are some minor grammar issues, but not a lot. * This is not an exhaustive reference on JavaScript, so don't expect that. Also, as other reviews have mentioned, there's nothing on prototypes. Because of the above I'm deducting 1/2 a star... so 4.5 stars and rounding up to 5. It's a very good book overall.... and I recommend it even though it's not perfect (what is?).

A great and convenient source to understand the scripting language of web. Readily understandable analogies, visualizations and examples. Accessing information happens in miliseconds in todays world but having a phsycial copy and being able to cross-read it feels both nostalgical and nice.

The product itself is amazing. Well written, gorgeous design. It deserves a 5 star. HOWEVER, I'm quite disappointed that I received a paperback, despite paying for a Hardcover. Upon checking the posting, it says Hardcover is currently out of stock. So I am at a dilemma right now... I don't want to return this book because I need it now, but I wish I could get a refund for the extra cost I paid for the Hard Cover. I've been going around the links in Amazon, but couldn't find a way on how to get a refund for the extra cost I paid for the hard cover. Again, its not the author's fault, so I am keeping a 5-star rating for the product itself. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn JavaScript, just be careful not to buy an out-of-stock product, else you might get charged for a higher price. I hope Amazon or the seller would contact me about this.

O livro chegou muito rápido e em perfeitas condições.

Etant développeur et designer front-end , je désirais mettre des mots sur des techniques que j'utilisais déjà, structurer ma façon de programmer javascript et en bonus parfaire mes connaissances. J'ai trouvé ce dont j'avais besoin dans cet ouvrage, des explications claires, concises, pas après pas avec une première partie uniquement dédiée aux bases du langage Javascript natif et une seconde reprenant les techniques apprises en se facilitant la tâche avec jQuery pour la manipulation de la DOM . Chaque étape propose une partie théorique et en regard une mise en pratique par le code. La fin de chaque chapitre offrant un exemple complet. La cerise sur le gâteau est la formidable mise en page ainsi que les très riches illustrations qui procurent vraiment beaucoup de plaisir au lecteur. Je le conseille à tout qui a déjà des bases en programmation ou est au moins intermédiaire dans un autre langage et qui veut dès le départ avoir les outils nécessaires, ainsi que de bonnes pratiques pour envisager l'utilisation de Javascript et jQuery dans ses projets. Une base donc qui devra être complémentée par d'autres ouvrages plus poussés traitants d'aspects plus précis du langage ou rentrant plus en profondeur dans le code.

At first when I am trying to buy a book in js and jQuery in 2025, I came across this, the book is written many years back. I was little hesitant about old content. I finally bought it. This books covers fundamental concepts very very well, they will dig deep into those. I recommend everyone to read this book. The book is very very interactive and interesting to read.