Javascript & JQuery  (English, Undefined, Mcfarland David Sawyer)

JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual is a comprehensive reference book for web developers who wish to enhance their skills on the subject.

Summary Of The Book

Written in an easy to understand language, JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual aims to reach a vast audience and has been written by an experienced web developer, David Sawyer McFarland. The author deliberately avoids using jargon in this book to ensure its accessibility to all. JavaScript has the capability to supercharge HTML with visual effects, interactivity and animation. Though every web developer is aware of the benefits of using JavaScript, they usually find it a difficult language. Here comes the role of McFarland’s JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual. It explores the fundamental concepts of JavaScript and teaches readers how to use the jQuery library of pre-written JavaScript code to save time and effort.

JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual is categorized into fifteen chapters which are further divided into different sections. The topics covered here are writing the first JavaScript Program, grammar of JavaScript, adding logic and control to programs, introduction to jQuery, adding events to make the page come alive, animations and effects, improving images and navigation, using Ajax, Flickr and Google Maps, making the most from jQuery, and advanced level in JavaScript. The last chapter is completely dedicated to troubleshooting and debugging. The book mainly aims to provide skills to add interactivity to a web page. It enables one to come up with JavaScript events that can react to visitor actions. It offers tools to add animations and effects, build pop-ups, drop down navigation menus, automated slideshows and many such user friendly properties to a web page. It further provides information on how to improve the user interface by describing how experts create their websites in a fun manner.

JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual digs deep into the subject to impart crucial knowledge on how to make web pages that act like desktop programs and do not require much programming. The reader learns how to collect data with web forms and ensure accurate visitor response by creating easy-to-use forms. Also, one gets to learn the technique to add a dash of Ajax so that a web page can communicate with a web server without reloading the page. One of the salient features of JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual is that the author has included examples with which the readers can practice. He has listed step-by-step instructions through which one can build web projects.

About David Sawyer McFarland

David Sawyer McFarland is a writer, trainer, teacher and the president of Sawyer McFarland Media, Inc. David has published various other books in the bestselling Missing Manual series and they include titles on CSS and Dreamweaver such as Dreamweaver 4: The Missing Manual, Dreamweaver CS4: The Missing Manual and CSS: The Missing Manual. He takes classes at Portland State University for the multimedia program. In 1995, he designed an online magazine targeting communication professionals. Since then, he has been building websites. His company, Sawyer McFarland Media, Inc., is a leading web development and training company in Portland, Oregon.

Table of Contents

Getting Started with JavaScript

Chapter 1 Writing Your First JavaScript Program

• Introducing Programming
• How to Add JavaScript to a Page
• Your First JavaScript Program
• Writing Text on a Web Page
• Attaching an External JavaScript File
• Tracking Down Errors

Chapter 2 The Grammar of JavaScript

• Statements
• Built-In Functions
• Types of Data
• Variables
• Working with Data Types and Variables
• Tutorial: Using Variables to Create Messages
• Tutorial: Asking for Information
• Arrays
• Tutorial: Writing to a Web Page Using Arrays
• A Quick Object Lesson
• Comments

Chapter 3 Adding Logic and Control to Your Programs

• Making Programs React Intelligently
• Tutorial: Using Conditional Statements
• Handling Repetitive Tasks with Loops
• Functions: Turn Useful Code Into Reusable Commands
• Tutorial: A Simple Quiz

Getting Started with jQuery

Chapter 4 Introducing jQuery

• About JavaScript Libraries
• Getting jQuery
• Adding jQuery to a Page
• Modifying Web Pages: An Overview
• Understanding the Document Object Model
• Selecting Page Elements: The jQuery Way
• Adding Content to a Page
• Setting and Reading Tag Attributes
• Reading, Setting, and Removing HTML Attributes
• Acting on Each Element in a Selection
• Automatic Pull Quotes

Chapter 5 Action/Reaction: Making Pages Come Alive with Events

• What Are Events?
• Using Events the jQuery Way
• Tutorial: Introducing Events
• More jQuery Event Concepts
• Advanced Event Management
• Tutorial: A One-Page FAQ

Chapter 6 Animations and Effects

• jQuery Effects
• Tutorial: Login Slider
• Animations
• Performing an Action After an Effect Is Completed
• Tutorial: Animated Dashboard

Building Web Page Features

Chapter 7 Improving Your Images

• Swapping Images
• Tutorial: Adding Rollover Images
• Tutorial: Photo Gallery with Effects
• Advanced Gallery with jQuery FancyBox
• Tutorial: FancyBox Photo Gallery

Chapter 8 Improving Navigation

• Some Link Basics
• Opening External Links in a New Window
• Creating New Windows
• Opening Pages in a Window on the Page
• Basic, Animated Navigation Bar

Chapter 9 Enhancing Web Forms

• Understanding Forms
• Adding Smarts to Your Forms
• Tutorial: Basic Form Enhancements
• Form Validation
• Validation Tutorial

Chapter 10 Expanding Your Interface

• Organizing Information in Tabbed Panels
• Adding a Content Slider to Your Site
• Determining the Size and Position of Page Elements
• Adding Tooltips

Ajax: Communication with the Web Server

Chapter 11 Introducing Ajax

• What Is Ajax?
• Ajax: The Basics
• Ajax the jQuery Way
• JSON

Chapter 12 Flickr and Google Maps

• Introducing JSONP
• Adding a Flickr Feed to Your Site
• Tutorial: Adding Flickr Images to Your Site
• Adding Google Maps to Your Site

Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting

Chapter 13 Getting the Most from jQuery

• Useful jQuery Tips and Information
• Using the jQuery Docs
• Traversing the DOM
• More Functions For Manipulating HTML
• Advanced Event Handling

Chapter 14 Going Further with JavaScript

• Working with Strings
• Finding Patterns in Strings
• Working with Numbers
• Dates and Times
• Putting It All Together
• Writing More Efficient JavaScript
• Creating Fast-Loading JavaScript

Chapter 15 Troubleshooting and Debugging

• Top JavaScript Programming Mistakes
• Debugging with Firebug
• Debugging Tutorial

Appendix JavaScript Resources

• References
• Basic JavaScript
• jQuery
• Ajax
• Advanced JavaScript
• CSS

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