Learning JavaScript

Chapter 1. and First Looks JavaScript is one of the most widely used programming languages; it is also one of the most misunderstood. Its growth has exploded in the last few years, and most web sites use it in some form. Its...

Chapter 2. JavaScript Data Types and Variables The best part of JavaScript is that it's forgiving, especially in regards to data typing. If you start out with a string and then want to use it as a number, that's perfectly fine...

Chapter 3. Operators and Statements The examples in the book so far have performed mostly simple tasks: a variable has been defined and its value set; a value is printed out in the page or in an alert window; a variable is mod...

Chapter 4. The JavaScript Objects It might seem when looking at JavaScript examples that there are a great number of JavaScript objects. However, what you're really seeing are objects from four different domains: Those b...

Chapter 5. Functions JavaScript functions are a key part of the language, but they're not quite what they seem. They look like they would belong in the family of statements, but in actuality, they're objects just like all the...

Chapter 6. Catching Events Events let you know when a user is doing something or when a page has loaded. Catching and handling events lets your code do the right thing at the right time, serving the users of your programs....

Chapter 7. Forms and JiT Validation The JiT in this chapter's title stands for Just-in-Time, an old manufacturing term that, in JavaScript lingo, represents timely forms validation that is triggered as the web-page reader make...

Chapter 8. The Sandbox and Beyond: Cookies, Connectivity, and Piracy JavaScript achieved its early popularity in part because of the assurances of the language's safety. After all, JavaScript in browsers operates within a sand...

Chapter 9. The Basic Browser Objects The Browser Object Model (BOM) is a set of objects inherited from the browser context in which most JavaScript applications function. It's sometimes referred to as the Document Object Model...

Chapter 10. DOM: The Document Object Model One of the most significant changes associated with JavaScript was the W3C's work in conjunction with all browser vendors (including Netscape and Microsoft) to create a consistent und...

Chapter 11. Creating Custom JavaScript Objects JavaScript is a wonderfully chaotic language. Some would say this is a good thing; others would say it's the biggest detriment to its useso much so that there's a move to a new ve...

Chapter 12. Building Dynamic Web Pages: Adding Style to Your Script Back in 1996, I was invited to a confidential author introduction for a new technology that Microsoft planned to roll out within the year. I traveled up from...

Chapter 13. Moving Outside the Page with Ajax Some consider it the next best Web; others consider it hype. Whatever the opinion, Ajax, or AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript And XML), as some prefer, has led to a greater interest in...

Chapter 14. Good News: Juicy Libraries! Amazing Web Services! Fun APIs! It's the lime effect. Much of the new interest in JavaScript seems to run parallel with specific styles and page designs. Page elements have rounded...