Product Description
With the release of Flash MX 2004, Macromedia has given you a brand-new Extensibility Layer, which lets you look under the hood of Flash and extend its functionality. You now have the ability to take your designs further than ever before—if you have an idea for a new feature, you can just create it yourself and "plug it in." This is the future of Macromedia Flash!

Extending Macromedia Flash MX 2004 covers the entire spectrum of the new extensibility architecture in Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004. It includes in-depth tutorials on each new area—commands; tools; Timeline Effects; behaviors; use of the MMExecute command; executing Flash from the command line; and full coverage of XML to UI, which enables you to easily create custom user interfaces for your Flash Extensions. The final section of this book contains a comprehensive desktop reference to JavaScript Flash (JSFL), the new language that you’ll use to create your Flash extensions.

These new features allow you to share code and design effects more effectively within a community or a production environment, and they also enable you to package up and reuse code within Flash, with a view to increasing productivity and decreasing production times.

Extending Macromedia Flash MX 2004 will show you how to
•Speed up repetitive tasks in Flash with custom commands
•Add new tools to the toolbar for drawing any kind of shape or object on the stage
•Create automated tweens for any object onstage with Timeline Effects
•Define scripted behaviors that can easily be applied to any object

Use these advanced extensibility tools to make Flash perform better than ever! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

JSFL Bible
If you have ever thought of a feature request for Flash then this book is for you. It teaches you how to make your own! Flash MX 2004 is in the title but it's just as useful for Flash 8. This book is worth the price just for the JSFL reference alone.

JavaScript + Flash + Extensions = WOW
This book has gone under the radar based upon its title. It truly does not explain what this book can teach you.

Basically it teaches the basic Flash user that you can extend what Flash normally does for you in its normal authoring environment. Like create new drawing tools, create commands that perform complex real-time tasks instantly (similiar to custom macros), create custom user interfaces, add timeline effects (scripted tweens) to any object, and create scripted behaviors (prebuilt code components) to help almost automate your Flash development.

If your an exisiting Flash developer who knows how code with ActionScript and needs a way to streamline your development environment and development time, this is a book you shouldn't pass up.

Great book for teaching how to create Extensions
If you are an advanced Flash user, Extending Flash MX 2004 may be just the right book for you. Written by veteran Flash developers Keith Peters (bit-101) and Todd Yard (ego7), this book introduces you to the world of extending Flash MX 2004 by teaching you how to create custom functions and features for the Flash MX 2004 authoring environment.

At first I had never heard about 'Extending' Flash MX 2004, but hopefully my following explanation may help you to understand this concept if you are new to this term. Imagine Flash MX 2004 being a customizable browser such as Firefox. In Firefox, you can download snippets of programs called extensions that add some cool, extra features to your browser. Creating new extensions for Flash MX 2004 is similar to developing extensions for your browser. Using a new language called JavaScript Flash (JSFL), you have the ability to create scripts, commands, behaviors, etc. that add new functionality to not a Flash animation, but to your actual Flash MX 2004 application itself.

This book teaches you how to use JavaScript Flash to create extensions - custom commands, menu items, and others things to help make repetitive tasks easier and enhance your Flash MX 2004 program. You start with the basics and progress towards complicated techniques. Early on you start by creating a command that, for example, allows you to take any shape and automatically arrange them on a user-defined grid. Towards the end, you move beyond simple commands and learn how to modify Behaviors, create custom interfaces using XML, and more!

Another great feature of this book is the expansive JavaScript Flash (JSFL) reference. The JSFL reference section contains all of the various items of the JSFL language that you can refer to when creating your own JSFL extensions. For any JSFL code item or property, you will find a description, the types of values it accepts, and a code example.

If you use Flash MX 2004 extensively and are interested in automating some of the repetitive tasks or adding new, useful features to Flash, you will find this book's coverage of this new topic excellent for intermediate and advanced users.

Extending Flash makes your life easy
Keith and Todd command a huge knowledge of one of the more interesting and productive new features of Flash MX 2004, extensibility. The authors guide you on your way to learning about these new features starting off with easy concepts and then moving into more specific areas. This book is essential for anyone who develops with Flash MX 2004, the skills and tools that you get from the book will streamline your work flow and improve your productivity. From JSFL commands, xml to UI, custom behaviors and custom tools this book will load your Flash IDE with tools and widgets to get the job done faster and smoother. Excellent book! ... Read more

Product Description

• This invaluable resource offers tutorials and real-world examples as well as thorough language references for Web markup languages (HTML/XHTML and CSS), and popular scripting languages (JavaScript, Perl, and PHP)
• Examines the role of JavaScript, CGI (with examples in Perl and Python), and PHP on the Web and shows how to best use them all
• Includes a valuable reference section on each technology that can be used for review and consultation

Customer Reviews (4)

Lots of good information.
Tons of stuff covered in this book with a handy appendix for each major topic.Easy to follow and explanations keep things simple, allowing you to speed through many topics.

Could of been much better
I new this book was not for beginners as I have done some html programming before. However I think this book is total waste if you never done any html programming before. The content sometimes can be confusing and just today I realised there was a bug in one of the examples. If there wasnt google or reference websites like [...] I think I would really srtuggle with this book. I am refering to most of the references from w3schools and trying to get some theory from this book. I think I should of done some more search before I baught this book because I definitely think there are much better books than this.

Great beginners reference book for beginners!!
This is a great reference book for beginners... I myself am a seasoned systems analyst and already had books that covered most of the basic topics discussed in this book. There were no real world examples and nothing about the pitfalls of using web standards before they are even supported by popular browsers. Like I said at first, it is a really great reference book; and if you need one to get started, this is it! You will still need a book dealing with the methodology variations in coding.

replaces 6 books [one for each language]
How the Web has grown! In doing so, and aiding its growth, has been the use and development of several languages. Naturally, Schafer starts with the language that birthed the Web - HTML. Actually this needs its dual ("twin") on a server, http. But Schafer discusses http in a later chapter devoted to CGI.

Hopefully, you should be able to appreciate that HTML is simple. In fact, of all that the book discusses, HTML is the simplest language. Several initial chapters walk you through HTML. It must be stressed that mastery of HTML is needed to make sense of the rest of the book.

The later languages either extend the scope of an HTML file, or they generate the file, roughly speaking. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) lets you easily factor out common definitions that are used across multiple web pages, where you can imagine that each web page corresponds to a file storing it. Schafer explains how to use CSS to simplify management of a set of HTML files. A centralised way to set common fonts and the like. More robust.

But HTML is a declarative language. Good, because laymen can more easily understand and write such languages. It's easier to say what should be done, than how to do it. But for the times when you need more expressive power on the browser, Schafer offers JavaScript. A procedural language that actually has nothing to do with Java. [The coincidence in names was a marketing ploy.]

Schafer does not ignore the server. CGI is given, as the first generation attempt at server side code. Its limitations spawned the use of Perl, PHP and Python for easier parsing of user input and generation of new dynamic pages.

Each of these languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Perl, PHP and Python) is often the subject of its own book. No surprise then that Schafer explaining all 6 gave us a book of this length! ... Read more

Product Description
JavaScript is an interpreted, object-based scripting language for building highly interactive Web pages. Teach Yourself JavaScript dramatically reduces the learning curve for Web-page programmers new to JavaScript. In plain English and with the help of numerous screen captures, the book covers the latest version of JavaScript, shows how it works with Microsoft and Netscape software, and walks you through all the steps for mastering this tool to produce coherent, maintainable code for interactive Web pages and to debug mistakes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Decent but a little unfocused
As a warning, this book is directed at novices who have little programming experience and no prior exposure to JavaScript. If you have programming experience but no prior exposure to JavaScript, you will find it simplistic at times but will still likely benefit from reading it; however, if you have prior exposure to JavaScript, you probably won't learn much from it.

Those looking for a quick intro to the language will appreciate this book, however, and will especially like the book's clarity and concision. It tends to avoid to get bogged down with extraneous detail (the one exception being in the section on forms, where the author basically re-introduces most of the HTML form concepts; this is supposed to be a book on JavaScript, not HTML, and the back cover claims it assumes a knowledge of HTML, so I'm not exactly sure why that material was there).

As one more warning, this book will not introduce you to the more advanced or modern functionalities of JavaScript. With that said, it'll still provide the tyro with a good introduction. ... Read more

Product Description
JavaScript lets users enrich their Web pages with interactivity, animation, and other fun and useful features that can make a site worth every click. Unlike many other books, this complete guide teaches the JavaScript language as well as how to apply it. JavaScript savant David Thau guides coders through every hurdle, covering image swaps, functions, frames, cookies, alarms, and other seemingly mysterious JavaScript capacities with ease. Both reference and tutorial, each chapter addresses a particular function with a real-world example and an appropriate lesson. Readers try their hand and then see how the author coded it. Chapter by chapter, they acquire a range of skills including how to make a Web site remember a visitor's name and preferences. An accompanying CD-ROM includes the entire book, several bonus chapters, and all the coding in the examples.Amazon.com Review
Most Web developers pick up a book to learn how to use a language like JavaScript, looking for practical examples of how to get things done. The Book of JavaScript: A Practical Guide to Interactive Web Pages is plenty practical, and hits the mark as a reader-friendly and well-organized tutorial on JavaScript.

The book assumes no prior knowledge in JavaScript or other procedural languages, although familiarity with HTML is best. The well-thought-out text focuses on various programming goals--like rollovers and form validation--instead of the anatomy of the JavaScript language itself. The fast-moving chapters skillfully weave text with example code. Sections of the code and related sections of the accompanying text are numbered--a convention that is very helpful in teaching new techniques, and for quick reference later on.

Throughout the book, real-world examples of JavaScript in action, such as a clock script from NASA's site, illustrate its applications. A page from Salon.com, for instance, shows frame techniques, too. Ambitious readers can complete assignments to test their knowledge. The companion CD-ROM contains all of the code, as well as correct answers for the assignments.

Of all of the JavaScript tutorials out there, The Book of JavaScript is one of the more engaging and truly effective. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• Browser detection
• Rollovers
• Window manipulation
• Custom functions
• Form processing
• Arrays
• Loops
• Timing events
• Frames
• Image maps
• Form validation
• Cookies
• Dynamic HTML (DHTML)
• Plug-ins
• ActiveX controls

Customer Reviews (35)

Poor quality
This book is of such poor quality that beginners are better off skipping it altogether, to avoid even getting familiar with outdated and harmful practices. Only looking at a section on form validation, one could find a dozen of mistakes. Figure 11-2, being only 60 lines, is a mix of bad markup and poor code.

1) No doctype
2) Ancient, unnecessary html comments in scripts
3) Non-standard form access
4) Inefficient property access in a loop (`loop < window.document.the_form.gender.length`)
5) `if (<...>.checked == true)`
6) rad_select = "no"/"yes", not boolean, name not descriptive
7) unnecessary global variable in onSubmit, attribute name is of mixed case
8) html is not valid (form contains inline elements)
9) No corresponding labels or titles on form controls, inaccessible
10) Mix of camelcase and underscores

Solid material, if somewhat dated...
Target Audience
Beginning JavaScript coders.

Contents
This is a conversational tutorial on JavaScript coding designed for people who have not used the language much (or at all).

The book is divided into the following chapters:

Welcome To JavaScript!; Using Variables and Built-in Functions to Update Your Web Pages Automatically; Give The Browsers What They Want; Rollovers: Everyone's Favorite JavaScript Trick; Opening and Manipulating Windows; Getting Functional: Writing Your Own JavaScript Functions; Giving and Taking Information With Forms; Keeping Track of Information with Arrays and Loops; Timing Events; Frames and Image Maps; Validating Forms, Massaging Strings, and Working with CGI; Cookies; Dynamic HTML; How to Fix Broken Code; Beyond the Browser: Plug-ins, ActiveX, Making Music, and Java; Reference to JavaScript Objects and Functions; Answers to Assignments

Review
There are numerous books on the market that deal with learning JavaScript.There is everything from simplistic guides to the person building their first web page, to in-depth guide for the professional web developers, to detailed reference guides that document every feature.On that scale of coverage, this book falls somewhere on the lower end of the scale.That's not a bad thing...It's just good to know what the target audience is.

The tone of the author's writing is conversational and a little quirky.He uses a number of examples in each chapter to illustrate the subject matter, and they illustrate the points well.Each example is dissected so that the reader can follow along and understand what each line is doing.By the time you are finished, you should have a solid understanding of the basics of JavaScript.At that point, you should be ready to pick up a more detailed book and start learning the intricacies of the language.

The only bad thing about the book at this point in time is the age of the book.He assumes that the reader is working with either Netscape 3.0 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0.On one hand, most of the stuff you see here should be supported now in any browser.On the other hand, there's something to be said for learning the latest information on more up-to-date platforms.The age also shows up when you examine some of their web site samples.Obviously, the sites have been updated since the book was written, so you can't very well follow along any more.

Conclusion
A solid, if somewhat dated, tutorial treatment of basic JavaScript coding.Easy to read, and very good explanations of code examples.

Very practical for beginners but somewhat dated
I just picked this one up because I was looking to juice up a website I've been working on.The first couple of hours I spent with it were golden.I learned a lot of what I was interested in knowing quite quickly.One thing that struck me, however, was how dated it was - the author likes to reference real world websites but every real world example that I looked up online had been completely redesigned since this book was published in 2000.
The book also spends a somewhat annoying amount of time discussing differences between browsers like Netscape 2.0 and IE 4.0...Netscape is currently at version 7.0, IE is at 6.0.Dealing with the different browsers and the way they render java was much more of an issue three years ago (although it definitely still is an issue b/c pesky microsoft likes monopolize everything did its best to turn java into something that could only be compatible with IE).Point being his discussion of this issue is dated.
Anyway, the book is well written and the author is not a tech head looking to show off how complex his field is.The book puts things forward practically (as the subtitle suggests it should) and the result is if you are a java novice and you want to add java functionality to your website, this book provides the answers in a way that is aimed more at the bottom line of getting that functionality into your website and less at providing you with a big picture understanding of java.
To summarize, this book, aside from being somewhat dated, is a very well organized guidebook for someone who wants a working understanding of the elements of java that suit their basic purposes.It is not for someone looking to become a real java maven.

awesome book!
This is a great book for anyone beginning, halfway through, or an expert on JavaScript. Thau explains everything simply and gives good tips as well. Just a warning however. One of the files in the "1st page" editor (ON THE INCLUDED CD-ROM)shows up as a worm on an anti-virus scanner. Something called "Seven Buttons from Hell"or something to that effect. Other than that, fantastic book!

awesome book!
This is a great book for anyone beginning, halfway through, or an expert on JavaScript. Thau explains everything simply and gives good tips as well. Just a warning however. One of the files in the "1st page" editor (ON THE INCLUDED CD-ROM) shows up as a worm on an anti-virus scanner. Something called "Seven Buttons from Hell"or something to that effect. Other than that, fantastic book! ... Read more

Product Description
A unique guide to mastering JavaScript in just one weekend through several well-organized sessions. The author will include an introduction to computer and network automation using JScript. This book will provide you with a step-by-step guide to integrating JavaScript into your Web pages. A number of new scripts will be introduced and will be available for download on the book's companion Web site. ... Read more

Product Description
Using the award-winning Visual learning system, this compact, value-priced guide shows visual learners how to get up and running on the core tasks in JavaScript -- which you'll use over and over again. Concise, step-by-step instructions and consistent placement of elements make fast learning of essential JavaScript tasks. This book uses the largest high-resolution screen shots of any book in the Visual series. It covers the most popular features of JavaScript including assigning values to variables, declaring functions, creating instances, working with frames, and using buttons. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

From a Teacher
Covering the application of JavaScript, it is probably the most concise and reasonable representation I have used for instruction!

Learn QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY
this is a very practical book for those who learn best from examples. i'm a certified internet professional and I favor these visual books a great deal cause they just cut to the chase.

It's a no-nonsense approach that teaches you all the fundamentals of javascript without boring you with excessive details.

for those who need details or more explainations on javascript, get a companion book with this one and you should be all set.

overall, a book that you can learn javascript from scratch, very easily, and a reference for the more advanced programmer.

highly recommended.

good book
The book lives up its name. The book is not for beginners, it does not explain javascript syntax. The book shows, however, practical jscript implementation. I am a vbscript programmer and I needed an ultra quick tutorial in Javascript (something like jscript in 20 minutes). The JScript5.5 documentation from Microsoft is only good for syntax reference.This book showed me exactly how to take the syntax into my html pages in a short, efficient way.
An affordable desktop reference.

Good book if you want quick info and know Java already
I needed to do some work in Javascript that required a moderate skill level. I already know "real" Java as well as HTML and didn't want to get a 500+ page manual detailing every single aspect of Javascript...I simply don't need that level of knowledge for what I'm doing. I've been working with Java for just over five years, and programming for just over twenty years. If you're like me and simply need to solutions quickly and you are an experienced programmer, this book is quite good. I was able to extract the information I needed in just a few hours. On the other hand, if you're a complete novice to programming or Java is foreign to you, you might want to look at books that are a little less aggressive in their approach. It would be nice if they added an appendix of the Javascript classes and methods used, but for as little as this book costs, I can't complain.

Not Good
Complicated Explainations. If you are new to javascript , this book
will give you a headache.
If you have experience this books is ok ... Read more

Product Description
This complete, step-by-step guide to JavaScript provides an easy-to-use tutorial. After introducing the reader to JavaScript, the book explains in-depth design and usage of JavaScript's built in functions and objects, gradually building toward more complex and sophisticated concepts. The CD contains all source code from the book, examples and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent
I began using this book knowing nothing of JavaScript.I had never programmed either.The examples are thorough and well presented.Now that I have a better understanding of programming, it has precisely theinformation I need.Extremely useful for intermediate programmers.

This book is an excellent Javascript resource.
I found this to be a useful book for my web-site development. The material is comprehensive, the examples are good, and the information I was looking for was easy to find.

The coverage is thorough and professionallywritten. ... Read more

Product Description
The Web doesn't stand still—not even for a minute—and neither do the languages that Web pages are based on. That's why you need this eagerly anticipated update to the popular JavaScript for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide. Through a combination of task-based instruction and strong visuals, best-selling authors and Web gurus Tom Negrino and Dori Smith take you step by step through all of today's JavaScript essentials: creating navigation bars and other user interface elements, producing dynamic images and smart forms, controlling and detecting browsers, creating and manipulating windows, validating user entries in Web forms, and more. Whether you're a beginning scripter who wants a thorough introduction to the topic or a more advanced scripter who needs a convenient reference, you'll find what you need here—in straightforward language peppered with tips and techniques drawn from the authors' years of experience. By the end of the volume, you'll be able to smoothly integrate HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to bring your Web sites to life.Amazon.com Review
JavaScript is great, but at best it is a complementarylanguage for Web development. JavaScript for the World Wide Weboffers a productive, how-to style that lets you solve a problem orpick up a trick and then move on with the rest of your work.

Consistent with other members of Peachpit's Visual QuickStart Guideseries, this title makes wise use of side-by-side explanations andscreen shots, as well as code snippets and their analysis. Thisapproach gives readers the feeling that the authors are sitting bytheir side and showing them how to code scripts. Most subjects arehandled with numbered steps, such as "Validating Zip Codes," anduseful tips punctuate the text.

The book introduces the wholeconcept of JavaScript in a fast-moving but readable chapter and thenmoves into solving real-world challenges. The authors do a good job ofcovering JavaScript's capabilities, from eye-catching graphics tricksto data-entry form processing and cookie management. Particularlyenjoyable is the way the book spells out many of the differencesbetween Netscape and Microsoft dynamic HTML approaches.

TheJavaScript object model is laid out in an appendix, along with objectcompatibility between various browser flavors. To complement the book,the publisher offers a Web site that makes all of the example codeeasily downloadable for your use. This is a great little guide forboth busy coders and JavaScript novices. --Stephen W. Plain ... Read more

Customer Reviews (232)

Uses examples to explain how JavaScript works
Has examples with side bar notes on what each line does. Typical of this publishers other guides, but works really easy with JavaScript samples. Good and informative introduction of JavaScript and its applications in the real world. Reviewed 5th edition and 5th ed. Student Edition, student edition was nice because of the review sections, but basically the same book.

Good Quick Start
This book is as the cover states;"Visual QuickStart Guide....pictures rather than lengthy explanations."It was a great help in getting started with JavaScript.It is not an in-depth tutorial, but then, it doesn't claim to be.

I liked it.

Bo

do not even think about buying it
It's downloads don't work, and the book requires that they be used.
the examples will not run as written in the book.
They do not conform to the w3schools standards.
it cannot be used outside Microsoft products.
Like Firefox.

Excellent Material
This book was well packaged for delivery. I like it for the clarity with which the authors present the various lessons.

I hope to derive a lot from it and to add to my skills.

I am still going through it and so far it has been very exciting. Thank you for the good business. A value for the money.

Useful
This is useful as a reference book or to learn JavaScript.I do not use it often, but when I need it I am very glad to have it on my shelf.Good examples. ... Read more

Product Description

In just a short time, you can learn how to use Ajax, JavaScript, and PHP to create interactive interfaces to your web applications by combining these powerful technologies.

No previous Ajax programming experience is required. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson in this book builds on the previous ones, enabling you to learn the essentials of Ajax programming with JavaScript, PHP, and related technologies from the ground up.

Regardless of whether you run Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X, the enclosed CD includes a complete Ajax programming starter kit that gives you all the programming tools, reference information, JavaScript libraries, and server software you need to set up a stable environment for learning, testing, and production.

Learn how to…

• Build better, more interactive interfaces for your web applications
• Make JavaScript, HTML, XML, and PHP work together to create Ajax effects
• Compile an Ajax application
• Create and consume web services with SOAP and REST
• Avoid common errors and troubleshoot programs
• Use popular Ajax libraries to speed up and improve common programming tasks

On the CD

• XAMPP for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux–an easy-to-install package to set up a PHP- and MySQL-enabled Apache server on your computer
• The jEdit programming editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Prototype, Scriptaculous, Rico, and XOAD–popular JavaScript libraries for creating Ajax applications and effects
• A complete Ajax, HTML, XML, and PHP tutorial reference library in searchable PDF format
• Source code for the examples in the book

Phil Ballard is a software engineering consultant and developer specializing in website and intranet design and development for an international portfolio of clients. He has an honors degree from the University of Leeds, England, and has worked for several years in commercial and managerial roles in the high technology sector.

Michael Moncur is a freelance webmaster and author. He runs a network of websites and has written several bestselling books about web development, networking, certification programs, and databases.

Category: Web Development

Covers: Ajax, JavaScript and PHP

User Level: Beginning—Intermediate

$39.99 USA / $43.99 CAN / £25.99 Net UK

Customer Reviews (7)

Not for biggners & and very confusing
I purchased this book and thought this would be the most updated book but it was very hard to understand the codding without the full explination and the software that came with the book was out of date and didn't contain all the codes from the book. The books targets straight to the code without much explination you would be so lost if you are a biggners or even an intermediate.

Good book but not quite up to what I was looking for
This actually is a decent book but I felt it wasn't quite up to what I thought I was buying.I was hoping for a little more subject matter on actually using all three technologies together and how that might look.For a lot of folks, mixing Javascript and PHP is a mystery and this could have been covered better.Ajax topics were well written, however.

Where are the steps?
Contrary to its publishing blurb, this book contains very few "step by step" instructions and almost no opportunities to practice or integrate the information presented. Although the very basic principles of JavaScript, Ajax, and PHP are fairly easy to understand from what is written, the more complicated the programming concepts, the fewer and further between are explanations, examples, and exercises. This book is so "Do-It-Yourself" that I'd literally recommend going and buying three different books on each of the topics this one tries to cover rather than bothering with this one.

The cut-and-paste editing of the text is also obvious, with various standards of HTML being adhered to on different pages, without any regard for or even mention of current best practices for any of the technologies in question. I'm reading this book under an online subscription and am very glad I did not actually buy it, because I am learning very little that I didn't already know.

For someone with no programming experience at all, its usefulness would be very limited, as it is mainly a breezy introduction to its subject matter; I'm still reading it precisely because I hope to at least get an overview of how Ajax works, but I will be looking at other texts to find out how actually to implement the many briefly mentioned concepts in this one. I was skeptical that a 350-page book would be able to present, in depth, any one of the three topics this one proposes to teach, and I was right. Longer books may seem more intimidating, but you can't cut out so much substance and expect to have anything helpful left. The book is not even worth keeping as a reference, there is so little explanation here.

Not In-depth, Just the Bare Minimal
This book provides the bare minimal knowledge/information required for you to get started using Ajax. This can be good or bad: if you want to get started quickly ( without learning too little ) than this might be for you, if you are looking for a in-depth ajax book, than this is not for you.

Both computer libraries and college-level courses will find it a winner
No previous Ajax programming experience is needed to use this book, which provides step-by-step lessons on using Ajax, programming with JavaScript and PHP, and understanding their technological foundations. The cd includes a complete Ajax programming starter kit with all tools needed to set up a learning and testing environment, while the pages of black and white screen shots and applications provide all the detail necessary to follow through. Both computer libraries and college-level courses will find it a winner.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
... Read more

Product Description
/* JZ925, 0-201-75833-4, Estrella, Web Wizard's Guide to JavaScript, CI01 @CATEGORY = Web Programming = The Web Wizard's Guide to JavaScript = Steven G. Estrella*/ The Web Wizard's Guide to JavaScript teaches readers how to create Web sites that will have an audience coming back for more. From rollovers to cookies, this quick and easy-to-understand introduction to JavaScript will show readers how to create well-designed, user-friendly Web sites in no time. This book discusses plug-ins and multimedia, presents information on forms and explains the basic programming concepts behind JavaScript. It includes appendices of HTML tags and JavaScript keywords. The Web Wizard Series from Addison-Wesley is a series of brief, introductory books written by instructors on Internet and Web programming topics of interest to anyone who wants to create web pages. Each book includes an easy-to-read, full-color design featuring plenty of hands-on examples and exercises, and is written in a concise and practical manner so readers can use the technologies in no time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A+++ work
One of the best or Only well written book on JAVA. Super easy to read and understand. Please write another book like this on Drupal.

demonstrates basic ideas well
Estrella provides a quick introduction to JavaScript. Enough details to understand the basic coding ideas. The illustrations and examples are also well chosen to reinforce this learning.

He demonstrates that JavaScript can greatly enhance the interactivity of your web pages. It complements the static features of HTML, by letting you write dynamic pages, that have behaviour as well as a single visual representation.

The book does not try to give a comprehensive overview of the language. But it should encourage you to seek out more information.

Not for novice programmers
I love the web wizard's series, and had high hopes for using this book in an intro-level course. But the programming concepts come too fast for someone who hasn't done any programming. Chapter 1 throws out a zillion concepts without giving enough concrete examples of how they are used, so they will remain abstract to novices.

An example: comparison operators are introduced on page 10, when one has no conceivable use for them. And then on page 20, we get to loops, and on page 21, conditional statements. You just can't pick up javascript this way unless you already know how to program.

This is probably a fine book for folks who already know how to program, but want to pick up javascript. But OTOH, if you already know how to program, aren't you ready for the O'Reilly Javascript books?

I'm not sure what this book's niche is. I thought the web wizard's series was for novices.

Solid Introduction To JavaScript
This book does the job. It teaches concepts not just code. You can get lots of code examples for free on the internet. The only reason to buy a book is to learn how things work not just how to make things happen. One nice feature of the book is that it doesn't delve into every possible method or property. instead the author selected the most practical aspects of the language to teach. It is not the last book on JavaScript you will ever need but it makes a good first book on the topic. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (22)

not a good choice
I do not have a habit of reviewing books that I read, but after reading well over 1/2 of this book, I just had to voice my opinion.

In short, this book is best to be avoided...

... and here is why. But first the good: I like the overall length of the book -- about 350 pages, as I would expect any "beginners" or "learning" book to be.. Also, the choice of topics to present is adequate -- general language constructs, DOM, and transition into more advances topics. What I disliked about this book is the presentation of these concepts. The author has a consistent habit of using various concepts in examples that precede the explanation of these concepts: look at innerHTML used in example on page 204 being followed by a subchapter titled "innerHTML" on page 217. I don't care to provide more "proof" but it is plentiful to anyone who has attention to details. This leaves me flipping pages back and forth, essentially defeating the purpose of choosing a short book.

Very bad quality. (oh, and tons of errors too.)

Rather poor; definitely not as good as other O'Reilly titles
Most O'Reilly books I've read are fun and very informative, but this one is dry and full of typos, uses poor examples and is poorly ordered.I do not recommend this one.

Ughhh!!!!
One does not read this book; one is tortured by it.

There are two major complaints I have with this book.The first is the number of errors in the text.(If you read another review of this book and it does not cite the problem with errors very early in the review, then you must be reading a review from Ms. Powers's fiance, sister-in-law, best friend, or cousin.)I have never seen anything close to this level of ineptitude in any other book I have ever read, programming-related or not.Just to tip-toe through this cow pasture:
- By my quick count, there are eighty-three errors listed on the book's errata web page.(It took me about two hours simply to go through the book and write in all of the corrections from the errata page.)
- Ms. Powers occasionally manages more than one error per page.
- Not only do the errors occur often, the arise early.There are errors in each of the book's first three Examples, with Example 1-3 alone mangaging to contain two errors.
- Beginning with Chapter 2, Ms. Powers concludes each chapter with a number of exercise questions - the answers to which are provided at the end of the book.Of the five Chapter 2 answers (i.e., the first five questions and answers in the book) there are errors in three.
- Page 11 is missing, well, two pages!The errata file contains ten paragraphs of text that is missing!
- Any number of errors are "simple" typos: the text uses a hyphen when there should be an underscore, variable names are misspelled, errant characters are enclosed, words are duplicated - that kind of thing.While this is sloppy and wholly unprofessional, one could argue that in The Grand Scheme of Things such errors are minor.However, a number of errors are more egregious.For example [all CAPS are mine]....
-On page 94 the book talks about how "the shift RETURNS the first element."Oops!The text should talk about how "the shift REMOVES the first element."
-On page 101 a sentence which begins "If a condition IS met...".Darn.It should read "If a condition ISN'T met..."(Details, details...)
-On page 127 a phrase "cascade means that the LOWEST..." should be (Anyone?Anyone?Class?...) "cascade means the HIGHEST..."

All in all, this is just shameful stuff.If you have a quasi-morbid sense of curiosity you might want to check out the Acknowledgments section which concludes Ms. Powers's Preface.There she thanks her editor, three "tech and content reviewers", a production editor, and a copy editor.I say "quasi-morbid sense of curiosity" because, presumably, all six individuals have since been, as the British like to say, "sacked."

All that said, let us gingerly put aside, for a moment, the stupefying number of errors in this book.How does it fare otherwise?(Or, to cite a quip I just love, "Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?")

Well, I come now to my second major complaint.Errors and typos aside, the book is just terribly written.The organization is dreadful and her grammar is rotten.In fact, the only thing I see Ms. Powers having done well is to compiled the epitome of how NOT to write a book on programming.The two essentials of a good book on programming are that the author:
1) Organizes the material in a logical, coherent manner.A GOOD author introduces essential concepts at the very beginning, and then steadily builds upon and expands upon what the reader has just learned.
2) Takes absolutely every pain to minimize 'jumping ahead' on topics.
Ms. Powers, however, repeatedly drags the reader into complex asides before bailing out by saying "but we will cover that topic later."She does this from the get-go, and it is maddening.Here are some examples from Chapter 1 ALONE...
- In a section about cross-browser incompatibility (p.4), Ms. Powers states most of these incompatibilities "are based on differences in the underlying Document Object Model (DOM) exposed by the browser...".She then goes on for a couple of sentences about why this is so.I, for one, knew next to nothing about the Document Object Model, and I bought the book, in part, because I saw that it contained a discussion of the DOM.Ms. Powers's in-depth discussion of the Document Object Model, however, occurs in Chapters 9 and 10!She should either have made these chapters, perhaps, numbers 1 and 2, or she should should avoid mentioning the DOM until the subject is covered.
- In the section, beginning on p. 7, in which she introduces use of the