JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition

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Activate Your Web Pages

By David Flanagan

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Released: April 2011

Pages: 1098

Chapter 1 Introduction to JavaScript
1. Core JavaScript
2. Client-Side JavaScript
Core JavaScript
1. Chapter 2 Lexical Structure
  1. Character Set
  2. Comments
  3. Literals
  4. Identifiers and Reserved Words
  5. Optional Semicolons
2. Chapter 3 Types, Values, and Variables
  1. Numbers
  2. Text
  3. Boolean Values
  4. null and undefined
  5. The Global Object
  6. Wrapper Objects
  7. Immutable Primitive Values and Mutable Object References
  8. Type Conversions
  9. Variable Declaration
  10. Variable Scope
3. Chapter 4 Expressions and Operators
  1. Primary Expressions
  2. Object and Array Initializers
  3. Function Definition Expressions
  4. Property Access Expressions
  5. Invocation Expressions
  6. Object Creation Expressions
  7. Operator Overview
  8. Arithmetic Expressions
  9. Relational Expressions
  10. Logical Expressions
  11. Assignment Expressions
  12. Evaluation Expressions
  13. Miscellaneous Operators
4. Chapter 5 Statements
  1. Expression Statements
  2. Compound and Empty Statements
  3. Declaration Statements
  4. Conditionals
  5. Loops
  6. Jumps
  7. Miscellaneous Statements
  8. Summary of JavaScript Statements
5. Chapter 6 Objects
  1. Creating Objects
  2. Querying and Setting Properties
  3. Deleting Properties
  4. Testing Properties
  5. Enumerating Properties
  6. Property Getters and Setters
  7. Property Attributes
  8. Object Attributes
  9. Serializing Objects
  10. Object Methods
6. Chapter 7 Arrays
  1. Creating Arrays
  2. Reading and Writing Array Elements
  3. Sparse Arrays
  4. Array Length
  5. Adding and Deleting Array Elements
  6. Iterating Arrays
  7. Multidimensional Arrays
  8. Array Methods
  9. ECMAScript 5 Array Methods
  10. Array Type
  11. Array-Like Objects
  12. Strings As Arrays
7. Chapter 8 Functions
  1. Defining Functions
  2. Invoking Functions
  3. Function Arguments and Parameters
  4. Functions As Values
  5. Functions As Namespaces
  6. Closures
  7. Function Properties, Methods, and Constructor
  8. Functional Programming
8. Chapter 9 Classes and Modules
  1. Classes and Prototypes
  2. Classes and Constructors
  3. Java-Style Classes in JavaScript
  4. Augmenting Classes
  5. Classes and Types
  6. Object-Oriented Techniques in JavaScript
  7. Subclasses
  8. Classes in ECMAScript 5
  9. Modules
9. Chapter 10 Pattern Matching with Regular Expressions
  1. Defining Regular Expressions
  2. String Methods for Pattern Matching
  3. The RegExp Object
10. Chapter 11 JavaScript Subsets and Extensions
  1. JavaScript Subsets
  2. Constants and Scoped Variables
  3. Destructuring Assignment
  4. Iteration
  5. Shorthand Functions
  6. Multiple Catch Clauses
  7. E4X: ECMAScript for XML
11. Chapter 12 Server-Side JavaScript
  1. Scripting Java with Rhino
  2. Asynchronous I/O with Node
Client-Side JavaScript
1. Chapter 13 JavaScript in Web Browsers
  1. Client-Side JavaScript
  2. Embedding JavaScript in HTML
  3. Execution of JavaScript Programs
  4. Compatibility and Interoperability
  5. Accessibility
  6. Security
  7. Client-Side Frameworks
2. Chapter 14 The Window Object
  1. Timers
  2. Browser Location and Navigation
  3. Browsing History
  4. Browser and Screen Information
  5. Dialog Boxes
  6. Error Handling
  7. Document Elements As Window Properties
  8. Multiple Windows and Frames
3. Chapter 15 Scripting Documents
  1. Overview of the DOM
  2. Selecting Document Elements
  3. Document Structure and Traversal
  4. Attributes
  5. Element Content
  6. Creating, Inserting, and Deleting Nodes
  7. Example: Generating a Table of Contents
  8. Document and Element Geometry and Scrolling
  9. HTML Forms
  10. Other Document Features
4. Chapter 16 Scripting CSS
  1. Overview of CSS
  2. Important CSS Properties
  3. Scripting Inline Styles
  4. Querying Computed Styles
  5. Scripting CSS Classes
  6. Scripting Stylesheets
5. Chapter 17 Handling Events
  1. Types of Events
  2. Registering Event Handlers
  3. Event Handler Invocation
  4. Document Load Events
  5. Mouse Events
  6. Mousewheel Events
  7. Drag and Drop Events
  8. Text Events
  9. Keyboard Events
6. Chapter 18 Scripted HTTP
  1. Using XMLHttpRequest
  2. HTTP by <script>: JSONP
  3. Comet with Server-Sent Events
7. Chapter 19 The jQuery Library
  1. jQuery Basics
  2. jQuery Getters and Setters
  3. Altering Document Structure
  4. Handling Events with jQuery
  5. Animated Effects
  6. Ajax with jQuery
  7. Utility Functions
  8. jQuery Selectors and Selection Methods
  9. Extending jQuery with Plug-ins
  10. The jQuery UI Library
8. Chapter 20 Client-Side Storage
  1. localStorage and sessionStorage
  2. Cookies
  3. IE userData Persistence
  4. Application Storage and Offline Webapps
9. Chapter 21 Scripted Media and Graphics
  1. Scripting Images
  2. Scripting Audio and Video
  3. SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics
  4. Graphics in a <canvas>
10. Chapter 22 HTML5 APIs
  1. Geolocation
  2. History Management
  3. Cross-Origin Messaging
  4. Web Workers
  5. Typed Arrays and ArrayBuffers
  6. Blobs
  7. The Filesystem API
  8. Client-Side Databases
  9. Web Sockets
Core JavaScript Reference
Client-Side JavaScript Reference

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Title:

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition

By:

David Flanagan

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Ebook
Safari Books Online

Print:

May 2011

Ebook:

April 2011

Pages:

1098

Print ISBN:

978-0-596-80552-4

| ISBN 10:

0-596-80552-7

Ebook ISBN:

978-1-4493-0212-2

| ISBN 10:

1-4493-0212-2

Colophon

The animal on the cover of JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, sixth edition, is a Javan rhinoceros. All five species of rhinoceros are distinguished by their large size, thick armor-like skin, three-toed feet, and single or double snout horn. The Javan rhinoceros, along with the Sumatran rhinoceros, is one of two forest-dwelling species. The Javan rhinoceros is similar in appearance to the Indian rhinoceros, but smaller and with certain distinguishing characteristics (primarily skin texture).

Rhinoceroses are often depicted standing up to their snouts in water or mud. In fact, they can frequently be found just like that. When not resting in a river, rhinos will dig deep pits in which to wallow. Both of these resting places provide a couple of advantages. First, they give the animal relief from the tropical heat and protection from blood-sucking flies. (The mud that the wallow leaves on the skin of the rhinoceros also provides some protection from flies.) Second, mud wallows and river water help support the considerable weight of these huge animals, thereby relieving the strain on their legs and backs.

Folklore has long held that the horn of the rhinoceros possesses magical and aphrodisiac powers, and that humans who gain possession of the horns will also gain those powers. This is one of the reasons why rhinos are a prime target of poachers. All species of rhinoceros are in danger, and the Javan rhino population is the most precarious. Fewer than 100 of these animals are still living. At one time, Javan rhinos could be found throughout southeastern Asia, but they are now believed to exist only in Indonesia and Vietnam.

The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSans Mono Condensed.

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oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition

4.6

(based on 8 reviews)

100%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Accurate (5)
Concise (5)
Easy to understand (5)
Helpful examples (4)
Well-written (4)

Cons

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Intermediate (8)
Expert (6)
Novice (5)
Student (3)

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Reviewed by 8 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-8

2/6/2012

4.0

a must read for a bigginer

By Juan

from Baltimore, MD

About Me Developer

Pros

Accurate
Easy to understand
Well-written

Cons

Best Uses

Intermediate
Novice
Student

Comments about oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition:

Great book for a novice to start out in java script
or to refer to. but it seems javascript keeps growing, it
does need to be updated to current times.
but, i have looked around and this is probably the most recent
book of its type.
great book all around

11/8/2011

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

A tome of knowledge

By Jim

from Herndon, VA

About Me Developer

Pros

Accurate
Concise
Easy to understand
Well-written

Cons

Huge

Best Uses

Expert
Intermediate
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Student

Comments about oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition:

This is an unbelievably thorough JavaScript book. It's definitely more of a reference book than a front-to-back read.

The first 12 chapters are an excellent introduction into the history of JavaScript and the core functionality of the language. There is a lot of information in these chapters that really shouldn't be overlooked-- especially Chapter 8: "Functions".

I especially appreciate the structure and the approach of the client-side section of the book. Flanagan makes it a point to avoid pushing JavaScript frameworks by explaining the features of the language first, followed by an explanation of the cross-browser simplification of using jQuery.

Later chapters cover additions to more recent browsers like client storage and HTML5 features. Those chapters unfortunately go by really fast. They're definitely not as in-depth as the JavaScript history part of the book.

The last two parts of the book are purely reference. This is pretty helpful, but it makes the book a lot thicker than most "guide" references.

I do agree with others that this book could use a few more examples, especially near the end when discussing JavaScript usage with new HTML5 APIs. If you're looking for an in-depth understanding of the core functionality of JavaScript, this is the book. It has helped me in numerous job interviews!

11/6/2011

5.0

Definitely the "Javascript Bible"

By Sigi

from Zurich

About Me Educator

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Accurate
Concise
Easy to understand
Helpful examples

Cons

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Intermediate

Comments about oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition:

As a teacher in computer science I have to really understand the programming languages I teach in order to be able to teach them what they really need at their level of knowledge.

This book contains the best JS reference I've ever seen, it explains clearly the concepts between the constructs and it gives intresting an usable examples. Thank you very much!

6/6/2011

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

From padawan to Jedi master.

By grandslam

from Honolulu

About Me Developer, Sys Admin

Pros

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Helpful examples
Well-written

Cons

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Student

Comments about oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition:

It's not step-by-step manual for learning Javascript but it is definitely the most comprehensive and complete book on Javascript you will ever find. Everything you need to know about the language is there and with a good amount of examples too. How can you be without it? It is a given that an intermediate, and advanced user would benefit from this book, but I would dare say that even a beginner would greatly benefit. If your new to Javascript, or never programmed before then I would suggest the learning series for javascript, or the Head First series(for visual learners), to get you started (I chose the Head First series). But soon enough, you will quickly find as you hunger for more, you will need this book as well. Especially when you are learning a new language, you need to have a good reference on hand so you can practice and experiment beyond that of the simple examples. It helps you comprehend and better understand what going on. It also helps you to see all that is possible with the language. Simply put, this book is a necessity to mastering the Javascript language.

5/23/2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Provides a deep dive into JavaScript dev

By strivinglife

from Madison WI

About Me Developer

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Cons

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Novice

Comments about oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition:

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide is not just a complete reference of the language, like O'Reilly's other 'thick books,' but also provides a deep dive into JavaScript development. However, if you're just starting out and will be using one of the various libraries (like jQuery), this book may not (yet) be for you.

First, the sixth edition is the first I've read, so I can't speak to any changes. Instead, my review is focused on the book as a first-timer reader to the 'series.'

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide is broken up into four parts; Core JavaScript, Client-Side JavaScript, the Core JavaScript Reference, and the Client-Side Reference. If you've ever picked up one of O'Reilly's other reference books, like Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference, you know about what to expect from those last two parts - a deep reference to the language.

The first two parts, however, are a 'deep dive' into the actual language itself. Unlike a mere reference book, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide actually teaches you how to develop in JavaScript, starting at the core fundamentals, and working your way up to more advanced topics.

Part of the 'deep dive' aspect also includes following best practices, making numerous references to Douglas Crockford's JavaScript: The Good Parts throughout the first part of the book, which is about 30% of the book. Alone, the first part of the book provides an excellent, near-complete, tutorial on the language.

Historical information is also included, which I found to be very interesting when it came up, as well as implementation-specific functionality, that has limited use at this time (and as such, I personally found it distracting, and began skimming over later instances, but it's still nice that it's provided).

The second part focuses on the Web aspects, which is quite honestly where most people will be making use of JavaScript. This part covers about what you'd expect, as well as jQuery, client-side storage, and HTML5 functionality.

The jQuery information is around 60 pages of content, covers version 1.4, and also includes a bit about jQueryUI (a very little bit). It's quite refreshing to see jQuery included in the book, but as noted initially, if you're looking at focusing just on using a library, it may be better to get a resource focused on just that.

The second part is approximately 40% of the book.

The third and fourth parts are similar to O'Reilly's other reference books, and are therefore fairly detailed, with examples included. Depending upon your preference, you may find the reference valuable, or prefer searching online. The examples included give the book a slight advantage over the average Web site. Honestly, I generally prefer using online resources, so I don't see myself consulting these later parts very often, if at all.

Finally we come to the actual book itself. I received an electronic copy of the book, through the O'Reilly Blogger Review Program, so I can't speak to the quality of a physical copy. However, in the past I have generally found O'Reilly books to be well made, with bindings that last. I have a PDF copy of the book, which I read using GoodReader on an iPad, and was absolutely amazed by how much linking was setup within the book itself. Additionally, O'Reilly's electronic books are DRM free, with no watermarking, which shows real trust in, and respect for, their customers.

And now comes the rating.

After the first part of this book I was impressed by JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, and could easily have stopped there and been happy. The jQuery inclusion was a nice touch, which may be sufficient to push people who weren't thinking about using a library in their development to doing so, and may actually provide enough information for someone who wants to start learning JavaScript via jQuery. It is, in short, a true guide to JavaScript, and not just a reference book.

For these reasons, I must give JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 5 of 5 stars.

5/10/2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

The Bible of JavaScript Development

By Rob

from Brisbane, Australia

About Me Developer

Pros

Accurate
Easy to understand
Helpful examples
Well-written

Cons

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Expert
Intermediate
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Comments about oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition:

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide has well been known as the bible of JavaScript Development. As a professional JavaScript Developer and leader of JavaScript Developers, I had to grab an updated copy (we've got various old editions around the office). It was great to get opportunity to review it as a part of the O'Reilly Blogger Review program.

The book has been updated for HTML 5 and ECMAScript 5, and has heaps of useful information about both. Even as an experienced JavaScript developer, I found a significant number of insights, making it well worth the list price. My only criticism is that the code formatting technique in the examples didn't work very well on n iPad. Unfortunately the width of lines including the copious explanatory comments was just too long.

David Flanagan recently caused a stir by announcing that piracy of his books may end his full time writing career, which would be a sad loss. http://www.davidflanagan.com/2011/04/javascript-the-1.html. Please consider buying this well written JavaScript book, which is useful for beginners and experts.

[this book was reviewed as a part of the O'Reilly Blogger Review Program]

5/6/2011

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, Sixth

By Wonderolie

from Arnhem, The Netherlands

About Me Developer

Pros

Concise
Helpful examples
Indepth

Cons

Best Uses

Expert
Intermediate

Comments about oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition:

Review

First a short introduction about me as the reviewer of this extensive Javascript book. I have worked with JavaScript for about 6 years, the last 2 years I dived more deeply into JavaScript, the main reason for this is freedom. I was mentally unrestricted in Flash and Actionscript 3, and I needed to free my mind for javascript as well.

Before this book I have read two other O'Reilly JavaScript publications; JavaScript the good parts and Javascript Patterns. Both excellent books to get a firm grasp of : structure, development and best practices of JavaScript.

For me the timing was right to dig deeper into the "framework" of JavaScript.

It immediately became clear that a lot of research has been packed into this book. The first sections explains the core features of Javascript this should get the reader quickly programming JavaScript in a right way. It is nice to see that the code examples in this section are short and self explanatory.

I read the second part with a lot of fun, this section fully prepares developers for ECMAScript 5 and HTLM 5. I learned a lot of new stuff and browser specific details. Possible pitfalls implementing new standards are clearly described. Some of the chapters I really liked were: Handling Events (17), Scripted Media and Graphics ( 21 ) and HTML5 API's (22).

The reference is very handy, I already have used it a lot of times. It is nice to have good reference, it's a fast, reliable and up-to-date way to look things up once familliair with the reference layout. Most times faster than a google request. With the confidence of getting clear and concise code examples.

To conclude this review I can say that this book is a must have for every "future-eager" front-end developer. This book reminds me of my worn "Essential Actionscript 3.0" book.

4/29/2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide

By Mat

from Bentonville, AR

About Me Developer

Pros

Accurate
Concise

Cons

Best Uses

Expert
Intermediate

Comments about oreilly JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition:

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David Flanagan

I've heard that this is the book if you wanted THE book on JavaScript. This book explains just about everything there is about JavaScript--the theories, the practice, the how's and whys. The examples are short and sometimes incomplete and lead you to draw your own conclusions. While not technically a "beginner book" or a "how-to" book, this book starts the ball rolling with a thorough primer into the JavaScript world. The information contained within is in-depth and vast--the ebook version is well over 1,000 pages.

Part two covers topics like AJAX/jQuery/DOM. Again assuming the user has some of a JavaScript foundation, the author provided extremely useful information and some great examples of how to implement and troubleshoot these solutions.

Part three is the part i keep coming back to: the reference section. It documents the classes and methods used by the core JavaScript language.

This is by far the best reference book for any JavaScript developer. Once you have some core practices down, this is the book to have.

Displaying reviews 1-8

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Chapter 1 Introduction to JavaScript

Core JavaScript

Client-Side JavaScript

Core JavaScript

Chapter 2 Lexical Structure

Chapter 3 Types, Values, and Variables

Chapter 4 Expressions and Operators

Chapter 5 Statements

Chapter 6 Objects

Chapter 7 Arrays

Chapter 8 Functions

Chapter 9 Classes and Modules

Chapter 10 Pattern Matching with Regular Expressions

Chapter 11 JavaScript Subsets and Extensions

Chapter 12 Server-Side JavaScript

Client-Side JavaScript

Chapter 13 JavaScript in Web Browsers

Chapter 14 The Window Object

Chapter 15 Scripting Documents

Chapter 16 Scripting CSS

Chapter 17 Handling Events

Chapter 18 Scripted HTTP

Chapter 19 The jQuery Library

Chapter 20 Client-Side Storage

Chapter 21 Scripted Media and Graphics

Chapter 22 HTML5 APIs

Core JavaScript Reference

Client-Side JavaScript Reference

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David Flanagan

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