The JavaScript Anthology

Larger Cover

101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks

By Cameron Adams, James Edwards

Publisher: SitePoint

Released: March 2006

Pages: 592

Using a cookbook approach, The JavaScript Anthology will show you how to apply JavaScript to solve over 101 common Web Development challenges. You'll discover how-to:

Optimize your code so that it runs faster

Create Ajax applications with the XmlHttpRequest object

Validate web forms to improve usability

Take control of your web pages with the DOM

Ensure that your JavaScript code is accessible

Create slick drop-down menu systems

Included in this book is extensive coverage of DHTML and Ajax, including how-to create and customize advanced effects such as draggable elements, dynamically sorting data in a Web Browser, advanced menu systems, retrieving data from a Web Server using XMLHttpRequest and more.

The JavaScript Anthology also includes extensive coverage of object oriented coding, efficient script design, accessibility, and cross-browser issues. Best of all, you'll get download access to all the code used in the book, so you can put the scripts to use instantly.

From the Publisher

"Take control with the ultimate JavaScript toolkit"

The JavaScript Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks provides you with tried and tested real-world solutions to over 100 real-world scripting problems.

Among the 101 Tips, Tricks & Hacks you'll learn how-to:

Search and replace text using regular expressions.
Navigate the DOM and create, delete, and move elements on the page.
Validate email addresses on your web forms.
Print inline error messages when validating forms.
Minimize the problems associated with popup windows.
Make a slideshow of images.
Ensure your code works on different browsers.
Make a style sheet switcher.
Build an accessible drop-down menu system.
Construct drag 'n' drop interfaces using AJAX.
Use JavaScript and Flash together.
Make your JavaScript accessible: an in-depth look at minimizing the accessibility problems associated with using JavaScript.
Use the XMLHttpRequest object to build AJAX applications.
Optimize your JavaScript code so that it runs faster.
And much more!

Who Should Read This Book?

If you're using JavaScript on your projects right now, and you want to do things faster and better, this book is for you. The JavaScript Anthology will save you the frustration of hunting down code on the Web only to find that it isn't customizable, and doesn't represent best practice or work across different browsers.

The JavaScript Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks contains thoroughly tested, cross-browser code that you can easily modify to suit your own needs.

The book is written in the usual SitePoint style: it's clear and fun to read, with plenty of example code that you can apply immediately to your own web sites. Plus, it's super-easy to navigate the book to find exactly what you want thanks to its cookbook approach and professionally-produced index. It's the perfect reference book.

There's no need to re-type any of the code in the book. As always, customers receive instant download access to all the files used in the book, so you can apply them immediately to your own projects.

Chapter 1 Getting Started with JavaScript
1. JavaScript Defined
2. JavaScript’s Limitations
3. JavaScript Best Practices
4. Providing for Users who Don’t Have JavaScript (Progressive Enhancement)
5. Separating Content from Behavior (Unobtrusive Scripting)
6. Using Braces and Semicolons (Consistent Coding Practice)
7. Adding a Script to a Page
8. Getting Multiple Scripts to Work on the Same Page
9. Hiding JavaScript Source Code
10. Debugging a Script
11. Strict Warnings
12. Summary
Chapter 2 Working with Numbers
1. Doing Math with JavaScript
2. Rounding a Number to x Decimal Places
3. Creating and Constraining Random Numbers
4. Converting a Number to a String
5. Formatting Currency Values
6. Converting a String to a Number
7. Converting Numbers to Ordinals (-st, -nd, -rd, -th)
8. Summary
Chapter 3 Working with Strings
1. Including a Special Character in a String
2. Transforming the Character Case of a String
3. Encoding a URL
4. Comparing Two Strings
5. Finding a Substring within a String
6. Splitting a String into Substrings
7. Creating a Regular Expression
8. Testing whether a String Matches a Regular Expression
9. Testing whether a String Contains Only Numeric Data
10. Testing whether a String is a Valid Phone Number
11. Testing whether a String is a Valid Email Address
12. Searching and Replacing Text using a Regular Expression
13. Summary
Chapter 4 Working with Arrays
1. Using Array-literals
2. Creating an Array of Arrays
3. Indexing an Array with Strings Instead of Numbers
4. Turning an Array into a String
5. Adding or Removing Members from an Array
6. Sorting an Array into Alphabetical or Numeric Order
7. Sorting a Multi-dimensional Array
8. Sorting an Array Randomly
9. Summary
Chapter 5 Navigating the Document Object Model
1. Accessing Elements
2. Creating Elements and Text Nodes
3. Changing the Type of an Element
4. Removing an Element or Text Node
5. Reading and Writing the Attributes of an Element
6. Getting all Elements with a Particular Attribute Value
7. Adding and Removing Multiple Classes to/from an Element
8. Summary
Chapter 6 Processing and Validating Forms
1. Reading and Writing the Data in a Text Field
2. Reading and Setting the State of a Checkbox
3. Reading and Setting the State of a Radio Button
4. Reading and Setting the Value of a Select Box
5. Validating a Mandatory Text Field
6. Validating a Numeric Field
7. Validating an Email Address Field
8. Checking for Unselected Radio Buttons
9. Stopping a Form Being Submitted Unless all its Fields are Valid
10. Validating a Form with an Unknown Number of Fields
11. Printing Inline Error Messages when Validating a Form
12. Making Form Fields Appear or Disappear, Based on the Value of other Fields
13. Summary
Chapter 7 Working with Windows and Frames
1. Using Popup Windows
2. Opening Off-site Links in a New Window
3. Communicating Between Frames
4. Getting the Scrolling Position
5. Making the Page Scroll to a Particular Position
6. Getting the Viewport Size (the Available Space inside the Window)
7. Summary
Chapter 8 Working with Cookies
1. Writing Cookies
2. Reading a Cookie
3. Setting a Cookie to Expire at a Specific Date and Time
4. Making a Cookie Accessible Only from a Specific Domain or Path
5. Circumventing Browser Restrictions on the Number of Cookies you can Use
6. Summary
Chapter 9 Working with Dates and Times
1. Getting the Date and Time
2. Formatting a Date into a Sentence
3. Formatting the Time into a 12- or 24-hour Clock
4. Comparing Two Dates
5. Formatting the Difference Between Dates
6. Summary
Chapter 10 Working with Images
1. Preloading Images
2. Swapping One Image for Another
3. Displaying an Image at Random
4. Making a Slideshow of Several Images
5. Making an Image Fade in or out
6. Making an Image-based Clock that Updates in Real Time
7. Making a Progress Indicator
8. Summary
Chapter 11 Detecting Browser Differences
1. Identifying Support for a Particular Feature
2. Identifying a Particular Browser
3. Detecting Quirks Mode and Standards Mode
4. Summary
Chapter 12 Using JavaScript with CSS
1. Changing the Style of a Single Element
2. Changing the Style of a Group of Elements
3. Retrieving the Computed Style of an Element
4. Making a Style Sheet Switcher
5. Making a Style Sheet Switcher that Handles Multiple Media Types
6. Reading and Modifying an Existing Style Sheet
7. Adding New Style Sheet Rules
8. Deleting a Rule from a Style Sheet
9. Creating a New Style Sheet
10. Summary
Chapter 13 Basic Dynamic HTML
1. Handling Events
2. Finding the Size of an Element
3. Finding the Position of an Element
4. Detecting the Position of the Mouse Cursor
5. Displaying a Tooltip when you Mouse Over an Element
6. Sorting Tables by Column
7. Summary
Chapter 14 Time and Motion
1. Using setTimeout and setInterval
2. Making an Object Move Along a Set Path
3. Making Animation Less Jerky
4. Implementing Drag-and-drop Behavior
5. Reordering a List Using Drag-and-drop Functionality
6. Making a Scrolling News Ticker
7. Creating Clip-based Transition Effects
8. Making a Slider Control
9. Summary
Chapter 15 DHTML Menus and Navigation
1. Making a Drop-down or Fly-out Menu
2. Adding Arrows to Indicate the Presence of a Submenu
3. Adding Timers so the Menus Don’t Open and Close so Abruptly
4. Making Sure the Menus Stay Inside the Window
5. Making the Menus Display Over select Elements
6. Making a Folder Tree or Expanding Menu
7. Indicating Expanded Branches in a Menu
8. Allowing Only One Menu Branch to Be Open at Any Time
9. Opening the Current Sub-branch Automatically
10. Summary
Chapter 16 JavaScript and Accessibility
1. Is JavaScript Inaccessible?
2. Making Scripts Accessible to the Keyboard
3. Using Device-independent Event Handlers
4. Making Scripts Accessible to the Keyboard as well as the Mouse
5. Making title Attribute Tooltips Display on Focus
6. Making a DHTML Menu Accessible to the Keyboard
7. Making a DHTML Menu Usable via the Keyboard
8. Making a DHTML Slider Control Accessible to the Keyboard
9. Making Scripts Accessible to Screen Readers
10. Summary
Chapter 17 Using JavaScript with Flash
1. Detecting whether Flash is Installed in a Browser
2. Communicating Between JavaScript and Flash
3. Summary
Chapter 18 Building Web Applications with JavaScript
1. Retrieving Data Using XMLHttpRequest
2. Retrieving Data without Using XMLHttpRequest
3. Creating Custom Dialogs (Such as Popup Forms)
4. Creating Editable Elements
5. Controlling Text Selections
6. Creating an Auto-complete Text Field
7. Summary
Chapter 19 Object Orientation in JavaScript
1. What’s so Good about Object Orientation?
2. Object Based Code vs Object Oriented Code
3. Writing an Object Oriented Script
4. Creating Methods for an Object
5. Modelling Inheritance
6. Understanding Scope
7. Implementing Namespaces
8. Summary
Chapter 20 Keeping up the Pace
1. Making Scripts Run Faster
2. Writing Scripts Using Less Code
3. Optimizing Scripts for the Web
4. Avoiding Memory Leaks
5. Making Scripts Run Before the Load Event
6. Summary

Title:

The JavaScript Anthology

By:

Cameron Adams, James Edwards

Publisher:

SitePoint

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print:

March 2006

Pages:

592

Print ISBN:

978-0-9752402-6-7

| ISBN 10:

0-9752402-6-9

Description

Table of Contents

Product Details

Recommended for You

Chapter 1 Getting Started with JavaScript

JavaScript Defined

JavaScript’s Limitations

JavaScript Best Practices

Providing for Users who Don’t Have JavaScript (Progressive Enhancement)

Separating Content from Behavior (Unobtrusive Scripting)

Using Braces and Semicolons (Consistent Coding Practice)

Adding a Script to a Page

Getting Multiple Scripts to Work on the Same Page

Hiding JavaScript Source Code

Debugging a Script

Strict Warnings

Summary

Chapter 2 Working with Numbers

Doing Math with JavaScript

Rounding a Number to x Decimal Places

Creating and Constraining Random Numbers

Converting a Number to a String

Formatting Currency Values

Converting a String to a Number

Converting Numbers to Ordinals (-st, -nd, -rd, -th)

Summary

Chapter 3 Working with Strings

Including a Special Character in a String

Transforming the Character Case of a String

Encoding a URL

Comparing Two Strings

Finding a Substring within a String

Splitting a String into Substrings

Creating a Regular Expression

Testing whether a String Matches a Regular Expression

Testing whether a String Contains Only Numeric Data

Testing whether a String is a Valid Phone Number

Testing whether a String is a Valid Email Address

Searching and Replacing Text using a Regular Expression

Summary

Chapter 4 Working with Arrays

Using Array-literals

Creating an Array of Arrays

Indexing an Array with Strings Instead of Numbers

Turning an Array into a String

Adding or Removing Members from an Array

Sorting an Array into Alphabetical or Numeric Order

Sorting a Multi-dimensional Array

Sorting an Array Randomly

Summary

Chapter 5 Navigating the Document Object Model

Accessing Elements

Creating Elements and Text Nodes

Changing the Type of an Element

Removing an Element or Text Node

Reading and Writing the Attributes of an Element

Getting all Elements with a Particular Attribute Value

Adding and Removing Multiple Classes to/from an Element

Summary

Chapter 6 Processing and Validating Forms

Reading and Writing the Data in a Text Field

Reading and Setting the State of a Checkbox

Reading and Setting the State of a Radio Button

Reading and Setting the Value of a Select Box

Validating a Mandatory Text Field

Validating a Numeric Field

Validating an Email Address Field

Checking for Unselected Radio Buttons

Stopping a Form Being Submitted Unless all its Fields are Valid

Validating a Form with an Unknown Number of Fields

Printing Inline Error Messages when Validating a Form

Making Form Fields Appear or Disappear, Based on the Value of other Fields

Summary

Chapter 7 Working with Windows and Frames

Using Popup Windows

Opening Off-site Links in a New Window

Communicating Between Frames

Getting the Scrolling Position

Making the Page Scroll to a Particular Position

Getting the Viewport Size (the Available Space inside the Window)

Summary

Chapter 8 Working with Cookies

Writing Cookies

Reading a Cookie