Getting StartED with JavaScript

By Terry McNavage

Innovative JavaScript behaviors are the hallmark of Web 2.0 interface designs. Visit Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, or any other web titan, and you will find JavaScript implementations providing a smooth, tactile, engaging web experience. Knowledge of JavaScript is essential for developing modern, interactive, sticky web sites, but many beginners are put off by the daunting need to learn a programming language before they can achieve anything.

This book takes a practical approach by showing you how to use JavaScript in simple stages, starting with the basics of storing and manipulating data and moving on to reacting to events and using JavaScript to alter CSS and HTML on the fly. It assumes no prior knowledge of JavaScript, and avoids bombarding you with unnecessary technical details.

At the same time, it explains the main points and acts as a reference that you can come back to when you need to refresh your memory. More advanced concepts are introduced gradually, so that by the end of the book you’ll have a solid understanding of all the main aspects of JavaScript. Particular attention is paid to debugging and avoiding common beginners’ pitfalls, enabling you to create web sites that not only look good, but are dynamic and exciting for visitors.

• Requires no previous knowledge of JavaScript
• Gives you instant results—starts showing how to change values and react to events stage by stage
• Doesn’t bombard you with endless rules and jargon

What you’ll learn

• How to immediately improve the feel of your entire web site by reacting to the user’s input with just a few lines of code
• How to store and control data to improve your viewer’s experience
• How to change the look of your web site on the fly by manipulating the CSS markup
• How to search XHTML documents to retrieve and display relevant data in real time
• How to use cookies to store data on users’ machines to remember their preferences the next time they visit your site
• How to use Ajax to change the content of your web site without the need to refresh the page

Who is this book for?

This book is aimed at anybody who wants to learn how to use JavaScript to create more interactive and stickier web sites. The primary readership is likely to be independent web developers and serious hobbyists, but knowledge of JavaScript is essential for many web development careers, so this book should also find a place in the curriculum of academic courses in media studies.

This book is part of friends of ED's 'Getting StartED' series

Getting StartED books are friendly and accessible guides to the often-confusing world of technology. Using simple step-by-step examples, screenshots, and tip-boxes, they give you the help you need to find your feet and start walking on your own.