Professional JavaScript for Web Developers

This book provides a developer-level introduction along with more advanced and useful features of JavaScript. Coverage includes:

• JavaScript use with HTML to create dynamic webpages, language concepts including syntax and flow control statements
• variable handling given their loosely typed nature
• built-in reference types such as object and array
• object-oriented programing
• powerful aspects of function expressions
• Browser Object Model allowing interaction with the browser itself
• detecting the client and its capabilities
• Document Object Model (DOM) objects available in DOM Level 1
• how DOM Levels 2 and 3 augmented the DOM
• events, legacy support, and how the DOM redefined how events should work
• enhancing form interactions and working around browser limitations
• using the tag to create on-the-fly graphics
• JavaScript API changes in HTML5
• how browsers handle JavaScript errors and error handling
• features of JavaScript used to read and manipulate XML data
• the JSON data format as an alternative to XML
• Ajax techniques including the use of XMLHttpRequest object and CORS
• complex patterns including function currying, partial function application, and dynamic functions
• offline detection and storing data on the client machine
• techniques for JavaScript in an enterprise environment for better maintainability

This book is aimed at three groups of readers: Experienced object-oriented programming developers looking to learn JavaScript as it relates to traditional OO languages such as Java and C++; Web application developers attempting to enhance site usability; novice JavaScript developers.

Nicholas C. Zakas worked with the Web for over a decade. He has worked on corporate intranet applications used by some of the largest companies in the world and large-scale consumer websites such as MyYahoo! and the Yahoo! homepage. He regularly gives talks at companies and conferences regarding front-end best practices and new technology.