- Author:
- Jack Franklin
Beginning jQuery is your step-by-step guide to learning the jQuery library. jQuery is the most popular JavaScript library in the web developers toolkit.JackFranklintakes you from the basics ofgetting you started with jQuery, right through to extendingjQuery by writing your own plug-ins. You'll discover best practices you can follow, how you can avoid common mistakes, and you'lllearn about so many of the things that jQuery has to offer, including how you can: Use jQuerys powerful tools to dynamically update content on your site, including DOM manipulation. Extend jQuerys capabilities by writing your own plugins on top of the framework. Animate elements and build your own jQuery slider. Employ best practices and avoid common errors made by beginners. JavaScript is a powerful language but every web developer must navigate the tricky issues around cross-browser inconsistencies. Beginning jQueryteaches you how to usejQuery to avoid spending your time fixing these browser bugs - letting you concentrate on what really matters to you. Throughout Beginning jQuery, you'll discover how expressive yet concise jQuerys code is and how much quicker and efficient you can develop with jQuery! What youll learn Learn why jQuery is so popular and how to get started. Use jQuerys powerful manipulation tools to dynamically update your websites content. Animate content and build your own image slider with jQuerys animation tools. Extend the library by writing your own custom plug-ins. Avoid common beginner errors, and learn how to use best practices. Use plug-ins created by others in the community and integrate them into your website. Who this book is for Beginning jQuery is for the web developer confident with HTML and CSS and now ready to get to grips with JavaScript. If youve tried to integrate some JavaScript into your website and wondered how you could add functionality easier, jQuery is for you. Beginning jQuery is great for the developer wanting to enhance their skillset and learn new tools. Table of Contents JavaScript You Need to Know The Basics of jQuery DOM Traversal with jQuery DOM Manipulation with jQuery An Introduction to Events Advanced Events Animation Ajax with jQuery Writing a jQuery Plug-in Advanced jQuery Plug-ins Writing a Slider Plug-in
Index Terms
- Beginning jQuery
Recommendations
JeanPierre Kuilboer
jQuery is a framework built on top of JavaScript. If the number of books published on a topic is any indication, jQuery is one of the rising stars of the programming world. In this book, the author claims that it is possible to write jQuery programs with barely any knowledge of JavaScript. If the aim is nonproduction code and just some programming fun, the goal can certainly be accomplished in this informal way. As the title indicates, the book targets novices with a step-by-step guide to learning the jQuery library in the least intimidating fashion. jQuery is a very popular multibrowser library and framework that is often considered difficult to learn and thus a good choice for a tutorial. In this case, the author is enthusiastic about helping the readers jump into the topic without many prerequisites, and lays out a path to complete a simple batch of applications that are revisited throughout the book. At 180 pages plus a short index, the book can be assimilated in just a few days. It does not provide comprehensive coverage of the library and its application programming interface (API). Without delving too deeply into the JavaScript foundation, it focuses exclusively on a few solved examples of using jQuery functionality without resorting to documentation. The reader can download a zipped copy of the companion code from the publisher's website, which covers exercises from chapters 2 to 11. The jQuery library itself is readily available online as open-source software. The author starts with the "JavaScript you need to know." For the reader familiar with JavaScript, the author suggests skimming this content; however, make sure you are comfortable with all of the subjects covered. Topics include JavaScript on a web page, variables and objects, functions, conditionals, looping, and debugging. The chapter is interspersed with useful snippets of code illustrating the material covered. The next chapter moves on to the basics of jQuery, including downloading the library, locating the API documentation, and writing the first example, which fades a box in and out on a web page. The next two chapters demonstrate how to traverse the document object model and manipulate it with jQuery. The following two chapters introduce events and more events. Chapter 7 presents the primary example of the book with animation and a first attempt at a slider. The author's approach is to introduce a program, find some weakness in the design, and build a stronger implementation by extending the original code. The book then moves on to Ajax and JSON, followed by writing a first jQuery plug-in and more plug-ins. In the last chapter, the author revisits the slider example covered in chapter 7 and extends its functionality to include keyboard shortcuts and automatic animations. With this more robust code listing, the book concludes. Overall, the book presents accurate material and accomplishes its goal of introducing jQuery to a beginner audience. One might wish the book went into more depth on some of the topics or developed more than a few cursory applications, but as an introduction, it somewhat accomplishes its goal. However, being that it is brief and a first-edition volume on this topic, the book will not likely enjoy a long shelf life as a reference for the professional programmer. For the numerous novices learning jQuery through its multiple platforms and mobile popularity, it could be a good entry into programming; however, veteran authors would likely come up with a more in-depth or pedagogical offering as a reference. More reviews about this item: Amazon , i-Programmer , TechBookReport Online Computing Reviews Service
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