 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group JavaScript Bible - For the Bookshelf Major Keary |
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For users who are programming novices and who would like to use JavaScript in a serious way, Danny Goodman's JavaScript Bible is well worth looking at; that is not to say it is a beginner's book - far from it, this book should satisfy the needs of advanced users and professional developers. The author has included extensive tutorial material that assumes no previous programming experience, but does expect readers to be familiar with using HTML (but not necessarily to be an expert). JavaScript can be used at the most simple level through to complex programming constructs. Danny Goodman provides comprehensive coverage of those features of JavaScript that will satisfy the needs of most users. There is also a Gold edition of the book; it is hard covered and contains an additional fifteen chapters that take the user into further, high-end, features of the language.
The introductory material is very good, explaining what JavaScript does and how it offers solutions to cross-platform programming. Nine chapters are devoted to tutorials that deal with JavaScript fundamentals. All the terminology is explained and there is plenty of example code that you can use to try your hand as well self-test exercises (with answers at the back).
The next part of the book, Document Objects Reference, takes up more than half the entire contents. Most of you will have seen - if not understand - the term object, and some of you may have seen references to DOM, the Document Object Model. It can be a great mystery, but if you want to use JavaScript at more than an elementary level it is necessary to have a working knowledge of DOM. The first chapter of this part of the book contains an excellent introduction. The rest of this part of the book is a reference to all of the objects with concise descriptions of what they do and which browsers support them. The information is organised in a way that makes it easy to find any particular object, and there are cross references to related objects.
The next part is a reference to JavaScript Core Language, which is of more interest to server-side programmers, and which is treated in the same well-organised manner. Some of the more advanced material is not in the book, but presented as chapters in PDF files on the companion CD. Those chapters deal with important topics of interest to advanced users. They represent some 800 pages of text presented in the same style and depth as the rest of the book - they are not just brief notes - and include Body Text Objects; HTML Directive Objects; Table and List Objects; Positioned Objects; Embedded Objects; XML Objects; and Regular Expression
Objects.
For ordinary users this title contains all the information they will need. The language is clear, and the material well-organised. Of particular importance is its coverage of cross-browser applications. The CD contains a searchable e-version of the text, ready-to-run example scripts, and software that includes TextPad (shareware) and what appears to be the full version of WebSpice Objects (buttons, borders, and other Web art). The book is backed up by a Support Center Web site.
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Danny Goodman: JavaScript Bible ISBN 0-7645-3342-8 Published by Hungry Minds, 1200 pp. + CD, RRP $99.95 incl. GST (Gold Edition RRP $140.00 incl. GST) Available at major technical booksellers. |
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With very special thanks to Danny Goodman and the Javascript Bible publishers, the April 2002 issue of PC Update was able to reprint two of the nine tutorial chapters in this book. Unfortunately we are unable to make these pages available due to copyright restrictions.
Reprinted from the April 2002 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
 
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