JavaScript Application Cookbook provides readers with ready-to-use applications such as a client-side search engine, online test administration, cookies-based user profiles, and more. Author Jerry Bradenbaugh goes through these applications line by line, enabling Webmasters to add extra functionality to their Web sites.
Betsy Waliszewski caught up with Jerry recently and asked him a few questions about his eagerly awaited new book.
What's significant about JavaScript, and why should Web developers be using it?
JavaScript is the de facto standard of scripting languages on the Internet. Using JavaScript to enhance page design and user interactivity is a staple for ensuring that Web sites and applications are feature-rich and consistent for users with virtually any major browser.
With all the JavaScript books available, what makes yours stand out?
Most books focus on JavaScript syntax for reference or for getting started with JavaScript. Some of the more advanced books provide basic to intermediate JavaScript applications. JavaScript Application Cookbook takes that a step further by providing users larger, ready-to-use applications that address common Web site needs such as a client-side search engine, online test administration, cookies-based user profiles, and more.
So, this is full of JavaScript applications?
Instead of just handing the readers a book of applications, each chapter goes through an application, often line by line, so readers can learn how the applications work and how to extend and customize them.
How does DHTML fit into these chapters?
JavaScript plays an integral part in DHTML, so readers will definitely see it in there. To keep the focus on JavaScript, however, most of the applications and discussions shy away from incorporating rich visual effects capable of stylesheets and proprietary extensions such as MSIE's filters and transitions.
How did you go about choosing which applications to cover for the book?
The majority of applications came as a result of profiling dozens of Web sites. In addition, I looked for tools that met business challenges, such as site searching, user profiles, shopping, attracting visitors, sending email, and getting online help.
Also, I receive a lot of email from my JavaScript Web site, HotSyte--The JavaScript Resource. Most of the messages are from coders asking for help. Many of the requests are for similar features such as searching, form validation, and cookies. If lots of coders want the same thing, an application is born.
What if readers want to extend the applications?
The chapter discussions and syntax make it easy for users to understand how and where to make changes in the code.
O'Reilly's definition of a cookbook is a book that helps you "cook up code." Is there a lot of code in JavaScript Application Cookbook?
Yes and no. Yes, in that readers can expect to encounter hundreds of lines of JavaScript and HTML. No, in that I've made an attempt to economize the applications by reusing code from one chapter to another. In many cases, readers will only have to examine the code once. Barring minor application-specific changes, they'll be able to recognize and understand the same code in other chapters almost immediately.
What are 5 things that a potential JavaScripter should know before beginning?
Anyone interested in adding JavaScript to his or her skillset should be familiar with the following:
What makes using JavaScript so easy?
JavaScript is easy for a number of reasons:
Why is it important to have a JavaScript strategy before building an application?
There are at least a couple of reasons. First, applications, even the small ones, tend to change or become larger. Managing code for larger and more complex applications can quickly become unruly, especially when making modifications that affect multiple pages. Sometimes functionality can be affected simply by moving the application from one machine to another. Implementing a JavaScript strategy allows programmers to better manage these applications when such changes occur.
Also, many of the applications that JavaScript (and virtually all other) programmers build are based on smaller tasks that have been repeated over and over in previous applications. Examples include form validation, reading cookies, and enabling image rollovers. Designing these "pieces" of the application with the 10,000-foot perspective enables coders to reuse these pieces of trusted code instead of rewriting new JavaScript every time an HTML form pops up.
What kinds of obstacles might someone encounter in the application-building process?
One of the largest obstacles to overcome in JavaScript application building is accommodating multiple browsers. Cross-browser scripting is almost an industry in itself. This book guides readers through the basic steps of code modifications for differences in Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.
Though becoming less of an obstacle, coders can run into browsers of varying JavaScript capabilitiies. JavaScript 1.0-capable browsers can't run JavaScript 1.2 code, for example. Readers will learn how to adopt a strategy for handling browsers of lesser JavaScript capability.
Another obstacle coders can run into is scope creep. Scope creep is the process of continually adding features to or changing features of an application during its development. It's often enticing to add that "quick extra feature" to make an application better. Unfortunately, this can dilute the focus of the original application features. JavaScript coders can fall under the same influence.
Can you tell me a little about the "shopping bag" and the product search feature?
Shopping Bag allows Webmasters to easily add online shopping to their Web site. All their product adds, changes, and deletes can be performed from a single file. As an added feature, that same lone file acts as a database so shoppers can search for products and prices. What's more, it's all JavaScript; no server-side scripting is necessary until the shopper submits the order.
What's next on the horizon for you now that you've finished JavaScript Application Cookbook?
Next? I thought I was all done! Actually, I'm currently pursuing other ways to incorporate JavaScript. JavaScript can be extremely powerful when generated by a server-side scripting language. I'm also researching the growing number of JavaScript extensions such as incorporating it in Flash presentations, Acrobat forms, and even running it from the command-line. The list keeps growing.
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