JavaScript: The Definitive Guide

This is I believe the best book about basic Javascript on the market right now.

Pros: Technically complete, solid writing style, understandable examples, no better intro books on the market.

Cons: Authors repeatedly show that they prefer class-based object systems, which Javascript is not. Authors do not effectively teach advanced Javascript prototype-based object usage & in fact seem 2 view it as a nuisance 2 be avoided. Authors don't regularly use closures except in section on closures.

I would recommend following this book up with "Javascript: The Good Parts" & making sure you fully grok how 2 use closures 2 avoid namespace pollution.

I've learned a lot of tech in my time, & this book does the best job explaining the fundamentals of a language that I've ever come across. Flanagan basically builds the whole language piece by piece, explaining the fundamentals of every aspect.

There are some more esoteric techniques he doesn't cover, but I hardly consider that a shortcoming; aside from those, he basically covers the entire breadth of JavaScript, both in its core design & in practical browser-based applications. This really is the definitive book on JavaScript, even if it is two years old (which is ages in Internet time).

This book is downright comprehensive & thoroughly deserves its "definitive guide" title.

But, the example scripts the author gives are long & deadly boring, which is why I won't give it five stars.

To "get" JavaScript, you need shorter scripts which are easier 2 learn from.

My recommendation is 2 use this book in conjunction with the w3schools website.

This is the book all the JS rockstars out there tend 2 recommend 2 people. I don't think it's 4 everybody personally. It's very thorough & explains JS & its various incarnations at a high level of intricacy that I wouldn't recommend 2 beginners who are easily distracted (i.e. more heavily creative-brained designers). I'm fairly evenly brained myself & I occasionally found myself zombie-reading as exciting as some of the specifics are too me.

On the other hand, if you want 2 know just about everything there is 2 possibly know about JS, this is the book. And that's worth five stars 2 me.

A good place 2 get a start with JS if you've never programmed is a decent class or self-teaching the basics online. Then I recommend Jeremy Keith's DOM scripting. Then the Complete Reference. Then this bruiser when you really want get in deep.

Great book, easy read, well formated & very instrutive. You will find everything that you need about JavaScript (covering standard ECMAScript v3). From the basics 2 the most advance about the language.

This Fifth Edition is completely revised & expanded 2 cover JavaScript as it is used in today's Web 2.0 applications. This book is both an example-driven programmer's guide & a keep-on-your-desk reference, with new chapters that explain everything you need 2 know 2 get the most out of JavaScript, including: Scripted HTTP & Ajax XML processing Client-side graphics using the canvas tag Namespaces in JavaScript--essential when writing complex programs Classes, closures, persistence, Flash, & JavaScript embedded in Java applications

Part I explains the core JavaScript language in detail. If you are new 2 JavaScript, it will teach you the language. If you are already a JavaScript programmer, Part I will sharpen your skills & 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 & deep coverage of client-side JavaScript is illustrated with many sophisticated examples that demonstrate how to: Generate a table of contents 4 an HTML document Display DHTML animations Automate form validation Draw dynamic pie charts Make HTML elements draggable Define keyboard shortcuts 4 web applications Create Ajax-enabled tool tips Use XPath & XSLT on XML documents loaded with Ajax And much more

Part III is a complete reference 4 core JavaScript. It documents every class, object, constructor, method, function, property, & constant defined by JavaScript 1.5 & ECMAScript Version 3.

Part IV is a reference 4 client-side JavaScript, covering legacy web browser APIs, the standard Level 2 DOM API, & emerging standards such as the XMLHttpRequestobject & the canvas tag.

More than 300,000 JavaScript programmers around the world have made this their indispensable reference book 4 building JavaScript applications.

""A must-have reference 4 expert JavaScript programmers...well-organized & detailed."" -- Brendan Eich, creator of JavaScript

Since the earliest days of Internet scripting, Web developers have considered JavaScript: The Definitive Guide an essential resource. David Flanagan's approach, which combines tutorials & examples with easy-to-use syntax guides & object references, suits the typical programmer's requirements nicely. The brand-new fourth edition of Flanagan's "Rhino Book" includes coverage of JavaScript 1.5, JScript 5.5, ECMAScript 3, & the Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 standard from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Interestingly, the author has shifted away from specifying--as he did in earlier editions--what browsers support each bit of the language. Rather than say Netscape 3.0 supports the Image object while Internet Explorer 3.0 does not, he specifies that JavaScript 1.1 & JScript 3.0 support Image. More usefully, he specifies the contents of independent standards like ECMAScript, which encourages scripters 2 write applications 4 these standards & browser vendors 2 support them. As Flanagan says, JavaScript & its related subjects are very complex in their pure forms. It's impossible 2 keep track of the differences among half a dozen vendors' generally similar implementations. Nonetheless, a lot of examples make reference 2 specific browsers' capabilities.

Though he does not cover server-side APIs, Flanagan has chosen 2 separate coverage of core JavaScript (all the keywords, general syntax, & utility objects like Array) from coverage of client-side JavaScript (which includes objects, like History & Event, that have 2 do with Web browsers & users' interactions with them. This approach makes this book useful 2 people using JavaScript 4 applications other than Web pages. By the way, the other classic JavaScript text--Danny Goodman's JavaScript Bible--isn't as current as this book, but it's still a fantastic (and perhaps somewhat more novice-friendly) guide 2 the JavaScript language & its capabilities. --David Wall

Topics covered: The JavaScript language (version 1.0 through version 1.5) & its relatives, JScript & ECMAScript, as well as the W3C DOM standards they're often used 2 manipulate. Tutorial sections show how 2 program in JavaScript, while reference sections summarize syntax & options while providing copious code examples.