The Easy, Example-Based Guide to Ajax for Every Web Developer

Using Ajax, you can build Web applications with the sophistication and usability of traditional desktop

applications and you can do it using standards and open source software. Now, for the first time,

there's an easy, example-driven guide to Ajax for every Web and open source developer, regardless of

experience.

Edmond Woychowsky begins with simple techniques involving only HTML and basic JavaScript. Then,

one step at a time, he introduces techniques for building increasingly rich applications. Don't worry if

you're not an expert on Ajax's underlying technologies; Woychowsky offers refreshers on them, from

JavaScript to the XMLHttpRequest object. You'll also find multiple open source technologies and open

standards throughout, ranging from Firefox to Ruby and MySQL.

You'll not only learn how to write "functional" code, but also master design patterns for writing rocksolid,

high-performance Ajax applications. You'll also learn how to use frameworks such as Ruby on

Rails to get the job done fast.

• Learn how Ajax works, how it evolved, and what it's good for

• Understand the flow of processing in Ajax applications

• Build Ajax applications with XML and the XMLHttpRequest object

• Integrate back-end code, from PHP to C#

• Use XSLT and XPath, including XPath Axis

• Develop client-side Ajax libraries to support code reuse

• Streamline development with Ruby on Rails and the Ruby programming language

• Use the cross-browser HTML DOM to update parts of a page

• Discover the best Ajax Web resources, including Ajax-capable JavaScript libraries

by Douglas Crockford
Publisher: O'Reilly
Pub Date: May 2, 2008
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-596-51774-8
Pages: 170

Most programming languages contain good and bad parts, but JavaScript has more than its share of the bad, having been developed and released in a hurry before it could be refined. This authoritative book scrapes away these bad features to reveal a subset of JavaScript that's more reliable, readable, and maintainable than the language as a whole-a subset you can use to create truly extensible and efficient code. Considered the JavaScript expert by many people in the development community, author Douglas Crockford identifies the abundance of good ideas that make JavaScript an outstanding object-oriented programming language-ideas such as functions, loose typing, dynamic objects, and an expressive object literal notation. Unfortunately, these good ideas are mixed in with bad and downright awful ideas, like a programming model based on global variables. When Java applets failed, JavaScript became the language of the Web by default, making its popularity almost completely independent of its qualities as a programming language. In JavaScript: The Good Parts, Crockford finally digs through the steaming pile of good intentions and blunders to give you a detailed look at all the genuinely elegant parts of JavaScript, including:

• Syntax

• Objects

• Functions

• Inheritance

• Arrays

• Regular expressions

• Methods

• Style

• Beautiful features

The real beauty? As you move ahead with the subset of JavaScript that this book presents, you'll also sidestep the need to unlearn all the bad parts. Of course, if you want to find out more about the bad parts and how to use them badly, simply consult any other JavaScript book. With JavaScript: The Good Parts, you'll discover a beautiful, elegant, lightweight and highly expressive language that lets you create effective code, whether you're managing object libraries or just trying to get Ajax to run fast. If you develop sites or applications for the Web, this book is an absolute must.

Free chm download:  OReilly.JavaScript.The.Good.Parts.May.2008.chm

This Fifth Edition is completely revised and expanded to cover JavaScript as it is used in today's Web 2.0 applications. This book is both an example-driven programmer's guide and a keep-on-your-desk reference, with new chapters that explain everything you need to know to get the most out of JavaScript, including:

• Scripted HTTP and Ajax

• XML processing

• Client-side graphics using the <canvas> tag

• Namespaces in JavaScript--essential when writing complex programs

• Classes, closures, persistence, Flash, and JavaScript embedded in Java applications

Part I explains the core JavaScript language in detail. If you are new to JavaScript, it will teach you the language. If you are already a JavaScript programmer, Part I will sharpen your skills and deepen your understanding of the language.

Part II explains the scripting environment provided by web browsers, with a focus on DOM scripting with unobtrusive JavaScript. The broad and deep coverage of client-side JavaScript is illustrated with many sophisticated examples that demonstrate how to:

• Generate a table of contents for an HTML document

• Display DHTML animations

• Automate form validation

• Draw dynamic pie charts

• Make HTML elements draggable

• Define keyboard shortcuts for web applications

• Create Ajax-enabled tool tips

• Use XPath and XSLT on XML documents loaded with Ajax

• And much more

Part III is a complete reference for core JavaScript. It documents every class, object, constructor, method, function, property, and constant defined by JavaScript 1.5 and ECMAScript version 3.

Part IV is a reference for client-side JavaScript, covering legacy web browser APIs, the standard Level 2 DOM API, and emerging standards such as the XMLHttpRequest object and the <canvas> tag.

Download the free chm ebook: JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition