Steve Suehring - JavaScript Step by Step

I would like to dedicate this book to Mom and Dad.

S TEVE S UEHRING

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Much has changed since the first edition of JavaScript Step by Step was written in 2007: the underlying JavaScript specification received a major update; Microsoft released new versions of Internet Explorer and Windows; the Chrome browser came of age, as did mobile web usage; and JavaScript development frameworks have matured and are now ubiquitous.

This third edition of JavaScript Step by Step builds on the foundation laid down by the first two editions. While the underlying architecture of the JavaScript language has remained largely the same, use of JavaScript has become pervasive, with huge year-over-year increases and an expanded importance to developers. With that in mind, the layout and coverage of the book have also remained largely the same, with some notable exceptions. The book now places extra emphasis on JavaScript event handling and the use of jQuery to speed development. The book also includes a final section on Windows 8 development using JavaScript. However, this book is most definitely not Microsoft-centric.

One of the first things I asked prior to accepting the offer to write JavaScript Step by Step was whether it had to focus on Microsoft products. The answer was a firm no. The book was and is intended to be a general tutorial on using JavaScript, including best practices for using JavaScript on the web.

The biggest influence Microsoft has had on this book was to make sure that I used the term Internet Explorer when referring to IE. Youll see this absence of bias reflected throughout the book, which includes exercises built using plain text editors as well as full-featured development tools. While its true that most of the screen shots show Internet Explorer (I almost said IE), the code was also tested across several other browsers, including Chrome and Firefox. In fact, much of the books code was written in Vim, and tested in a cross-browser fashion.

Throughout the book, youll find highlights and additions for the new features in the latest version of JavaScript. Also, the examples used in the book received greater scrutiny in multiple browsers to reflect the reality of todays web landscape. Reader feedback from the earlier editions is reflected in the content of this edition and was the impetus for adding jQuery and emphasizing event handling.

Housekeeping aside, this book provides an introductory look at JavaScript, including some of its core functions as well as features and paradigms such as Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX).

The first part of the book examines JavaScript and helps you get started developing JavaScript applications. You dont need any specific tools for JavaScript development, so youll see how to create JavaScript files in Microsoft Visual Studio, and in , in Eclipse and in Notepad (or any other text editor). The book examines JavaScript functions and the use of JavaScript in the browser, along with the aforementioned jQuery. Finally, the book provides coverage of Windows 8 app development using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.