Ajax, the popular term for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is one of the most important combinations of technologies for web developers to know these days. With its rich grouping of technologies, Ajax developers can create interactive web applications with XML-based web services, using JavaScript in the browser to process the web server
response.

Taking complete advantage of Ajax, however, requires something more than your typical “how-to” book. What it calls for is Ajax Hacks from O’Reilly. This valuable guide provides direct, hands-on solutions that take the mystery out of Ajax’s many capabilities. Each hack represents a clever way to accomplish a specific task, saving you countless hours of searching for the right answer.

A smart collection of 80 insider tips and tricks, Ajax Hacks covers all of the technology’s finer points. Want to build next-generation web applications today? This book can show you how. Among the multitude of topics addressed, it shows you techniques for:

• Using Ajax with Google Maps and Yahoo Maps
• Displaying Weather.com data
• Scraping stock quotes
• Fetching postal codes
• Building web forms with auto-complete functionality

Ajax Hacks also features a number of advanced hacks for accelerated web developers. Discover how to create huge, maintainable bookmarklets, how to use client-side storage for Ajax applications, and how to call a built-in Java object from JavaScript using Ajax. The book even addresses best practices for testing Ajax applications and improving maintenance, performance, and reliability for JavaScript code.

JavaScript is the preferred programming language for Web page applications, letting you enhance your sites with interactive, dynamic, and personalized pages. This fully updated guide shows you how to take advantage of JavaScript’s client-side scripting techniques for the newest versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer, even if you’ve never programmed before.

You begin with basic syntax and learn about data types and how to structure code for decision-making. Then you learn to use dates, strings, and other basic objects of JavaScript. Next, you see how to use JavaScript to manipulate objects provided by the browser, such as forms and windows. From there, you move into advanced topics like using cookies and dynamic HTML.

After you have a solid foundation, you explore dynamic generation of Web content using server-side scripting and back-end databases. And you practice what you learn by building a sample application as you go.

* Dispels the myth that JavaScript is a “baby” language and
demonstrates why it is the scripting language of choice used in the
design of millions of Web pages and server-side applications

* Quickly covers JavaScript basics and then moves on to more advanced
topics such as object-oriented programming, XML, Web services, and
remote scripting
* Addresses the many issues that Web application
developers face, including internationalization, security, privacy,
optimization, intellectual property issues, and obfuscation
* Builds on the reader’s basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and the Web in general

Do you spend too much time doing repetitive production tasks such as
placing and replacing images, resizing them, dragging them from one
document to another, and preparing images for printing instead of being
creative? Do you use Adobe Photoshop CS2 and have some experience with
scripting? You’re in luck. Since Adobe Creative Suite 2 was created
with built-in support for scripting, virtually every repetitive or
time-consuming task that creative professionals have to do in the Adobe
Creative Suite can be streamlined with the help of a script. This book
describes how to use JavaScript to manipulate and extend Adobe
Photoshop within Adobe Creative Suite 2, and provides reference
information for the JavaScript objects, properties, and functions
defined by Adobe’s applications. Now available in print for the first
time, this scripting reference provides the information experienced
JavaScript users need to create custom scripts for Photoshop, whether
you’re looking to automate Camera Raw options and settings,
automatically resize and export large batches of images into your
page-layout application, or want to automatically add metadata, like a
copyright notice, to selected image files. These are just a few
examples of how you can use Photoshop CS2’s built-in scripting
capabilities to save you from hours of repetitive tasks.

This friendly, solutions-oriented guide is filled with step-by-step
examples that illustrate how to write basic to advanced JavaScript
applications, as well as modify existing scripts to suit individual
needs. Each chapter begins with the specific how-to topics that will be
covered. Within the chapter, each topic is accompanied by a solid,
easy-to-follow walkthrough of the process.

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 and examples with easy-to-use syntax guides and 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, and 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 and JScript 3.0
support Image. More usefully, he specifies the contents of independent
standards like ECMAScript, which encourages scripters to write
applications for these standards and browser vendors to support them.
As Flanagan says, JavaScript and its related subjects are very complex
in their pure forms. It’s impossible to keep track of the differences
among half a dozen vendors’ generally similar implementations.
Nonetheless, a lot of examples make reference to specific browsers’
capabilities. Though he does not cover server-side APIs, Flanagan
has chosen to separate coverage of core JavaScript (all the keywords,
general syntax, and utility objects like Array) from coverage of
client-side JavaScript (which includes objects, like History and Event,
that have to do with Web browsers and users’ interactions with them.
This approach makes this book useful to people using JavaScript for
applications other than Web pages.

On numerous online forums for JavaScript and DHTML, the majority of
questions begin with “How do I…?” This new Cookbook provides the
answers. After reading thousands of forum threads over the years,
author and scripting pioneer Danny Goodman has compiled a list of
problems that frequently vex scripters of various experience levels. He
has now applied state-of-the-art ECMA and W3C DOM standards and used
best practices to create this extensive collection of practical recipes
that can bring your web pages to life. The JavaScript & DHTML Cookbook
is all about adding value to the content of a web page. The book
focuses on practical and sensible applications of scripting, rather
than flying images and gratuitous color changes. For every problem
Goodman addresses, there’s a solution or “recipe”–a focused piece of
code that web developers can insert directly into their applications.
Yet, rather than just cut-and-paste code, you also get explanations of
how and why the code works, so you can learn to adapt the
problem-solving techniques to your designs. The recipes range from
simple tasks, such as manipulating strings and validating dates in
JavaScript, to entire libraries that demonstrate complex tasks, such as
cross-browser positioning of HTML elements and sorting tables. This
book contains over 150 recipes on the following topics:

• Working with interactive forms and style sheets
• Presenting user-friendly page navigation
• Creating dynamic content
• Producing visual effects for stationary content
• Positioning HTML elements
• Managing browser windows and multiple frames

There is a serious information gap for Webmasters learning
client-side JavaScript skills and trying to solve common Web-related
problems. Knowing the syntax is one thing, being able to build a useful
application is another. And while there are dozens of “how- to”
JavaScript books available, few literally hand the Webmaster a set of
ready-to-go, client-side JavaScript applications with thorough
documentation that enable the reader to fully understand and extend
those applications. By providing such a set of applications, JavaScript Application Cookbook
allows Webmasters to immediately add extra functionality to their Web
sites. This book targets readers with two different skill sets. The
primary target is JavaScript-knowledgeable Webmasters and designers who
can immediately begin constructing their own versions of the
applications. The secondary target is those with little or no
JavaScript experience. The included applications are ready for
immediate use and require little customization. This book explores both
the code and the techniques that are centered around core JavaScript
functionality, a functionality that will not become incompatible or
obsolete. The source file design of most applications and libraries
will help modularize reader Web sites and facilitate easier site
management and coding practices. Chapters are organized by application.
Among the included applications are:

• A client-side search
  engine that will show coders how to build their own search engine and
  get excellent results, all with a client-side tool
• A drag-and-drop greeting application that lets users custom build and send DHTML email greetings
• A GUI image rollover tool that generates cross-browser image rollover code for all versions of JavaScript
• A
  robust client-side shopping cart application that lets shoppers browse
  and shop, while the application keeps a tab of the shopper’s selections
  and a running bill, including tax and shipping
• An online test application that auto-administers, grades, and displays answers to online exams or surveys

Newbie and old-hand JavaScript programmers alike will appreciate Pure JavaScript,
a comprehensive developer’s resource to JavaScript that covers both the
big picture and precise details. Authors Jason Gilliam, Charlton Ting,
and R. Allen Wyke–developers all–have put together this
well-organized title.

The bulk of this book is a top-notch
JavaScript reference. Core language syntax is well-presented with
excellent use of examples for practically every operator and function,
and each entry includes version compatibility with Netscape and
Microsoft browsers and JavaScript releases. The authors also include
references for the two companies’ extensions to the language.

A
number of appendices round out this fine guide with attention to
standard and vendor-specific syntax details. This is a fine JavaScript
reference that cuts no corners. –Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:
Overview of JavaScript (origins of the language and the evolution of
Microsoft and Netscape flavors), security topics (signed scripts and
basic constructs of the language, including data types, type
conversions, operators, and the features of server-side JavaScript),
JavaScript execution environment, and browser version support.

Professional JavaScript for Web Developers JavaScript is an important
feature of every major browser because it enables enhanced user
interaction on both Web sites and Web applications. While exploring
everything from its history to today’s advanced features, this book
shows you how to use this powerful language to its full potential in
order to develop your own applications that solve the business problems
facing Web developers today. You’ll gain a clear understanding of the
components that make up a JavaScript implementation, plus you’ll
examine critical areas including events, regular expressions, and
browser detection techniques so that you can build dynamic user
interfaces. You’ll also learn how to extend the language to meet your
specific requirements as well as create seamless client-server
communication without intermediaries such as Java or hidden frames.
What you will learn from this book ECMAScript basics, object-oriented
programming techniques, and important Document Object Model (DOM)
concepts How to implement regular expressions for data validation and
string manipulation Methods for handling events to tie JavaScript to a
Web user interface Techniques for validating data, sorting tables, and
dealing with errors How to communicate between JavaScript and browser
plugins All about security issues, optimization, and intellectual
property protections Who this book is for This book is for Web
developers who want to use JavaScript to dramatically improve the
usability of their Web sites and Web applications. Wrox Professional
guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the
real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals.
Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals
face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert
education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a
better job.