JavaScript Programmer's Reference

By Cliff Wootton

JavaScript Programmer's Reference documents JavaScript, JScript, and ECMAScript to the degree that they're standardized, and goes on to catalog the extensions major browser publishers have added to the languages. In essence, this book is a resource for finding out how the major browsers (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and Opera) implement their Document Object Models (DOMs), both standard and proprietary, and how they access DOM elements through JavaScript and similar scripting languages. This is a reference, so don't expect it to teach you JavaScript through any sort of tutorial (though reading the object descriptions can be very illuminating, indeed). Cliff Wootton has chosen to organize his work alphabetically, like a giant encyclopedia of objects, reserved words, operators, filters, and other aspects of JavaScript and the DOM standards. A cross-reference that associates individual properties, methods, and event handlers with the objects to which they belong appears as an appendix. Once you've located the entry of the object you want, you'll have easy access to inheritance information, a syntax summary, and plain-English advice on what the object does. Tables provide implementation details for each property, method, and event handler, so you know which versions of which browsers support the language feature you want to use. There also are references to standards documents, and, sometimes, illustrations of how to use the language element in working code. Illustrations are rare but generally effective in clarifying the significance of language elements and the relationships among objects. A cool feature is Wootton's documentation of common errors and incorrect assumptions. For example, he's included an entry on Bar.visibility, a nonexistent property sometimes assumed to exist in the Netscape Navigator object model. The correct property is Bar.visible, the author points out. The book also has some strange ways of doing things: Operators and other non-character entries don't appear up front, before the "A" entries, as is conventional. They've been transliterated, if that's the word, so you have to look up "Add" in order to find out about the + operator. Overall, this is a fine JavaScript reference, made excellent by its companion CD-ROM that includes the entire body of printed reference material (plus some extra) in searchable form. --David Wall Topics covered: The JavaScript, JScript, and ECMAScript scripting languages, and their implementations in popular browsers as well as in standards documents. Coverage includes JavaScript through version 1.5, JScript through version 5.5, and ECMAScript through version 3. The DOM1 standard is covered fully and the DOM2 standard is covered to the extent it's implemented in Netscape Navigator 6. Effectively, this means coverage includes Netscape Navigator through version 6.0, Internet Explorer through version 5.5, and Opera through version 5. There's also some coverage of server-side JavaScript under Netscape Enterprise Server. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1861004591
• ISBN13: 9781861004598
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Wrox Press
• Length: 1008 Pages
• Weight: 3.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Superb reference

While I havn't found the book useful, the CD ROM is priceless. I have used the accompanying reference for more than 5 years now, and it is still my primary reference for javascript programming being surprisingly comprehensive.

Excellent Reference!

This book definitely deserves 5 stars right now! Perhaps in 2-3 years it will appear dated as browsers and standards evolve. But for right now, this is _the_ Javascript/DOM reference to own. Wootton has seemingly gone to great lengths to compile a comprehensive reference, the likes of which I have yet to see in print or on the Web. As far as tutorials and most other forms of hand-holding go, you won't find any-it is a reference...

Another must-have reference

Before reading this book, the book "Javascript-The Definite Guide" by David Flanagan is a must-have reference for every Javascript programmer. This book became my second "must-have" reference. The reason why this book is worth the money is that the examples inside the book are very much helpful to understand the Javascript in a deeper level. Too bad that Wrox has a traditionally lousy publishing format, and it caused reading...