Technology / Sunday, July/21/2024 / 11

DOM Scripting By Jeremy Keith

About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

If you were avoiding JavaScript or eyeing it with skepticism then you should get this book. You'll be pleased to find out how much fun DOM scripting can be, and how you can improve your Web sites without bloating your code or creating inaccessible nightmare pages.

Pros

Good overview of JavaScript for Web designers with some knowledge.
Clear explanation of the DOM and how it can be used.

Intelligent suggestions for use of DOM scripting and when not to use it.
Fun sample pages like an image gallery and animated slideshow.

Cons

None

Description

Chapters 1 and 2 cover the basics of JavaScript and its history.
Chatper 3 explains the Document Object Model.
Chapters 4 and 6 teach how to build an Image Gallery.
Chapter 5 is a great overview of best practices - why and why not to use DOM scripting.
Chapter 7 shows how to use JavaScript to create markup without a reload.
Chapter 8 explains when to use the DOM to enhance content and how to do it.
Chapter 9 links together CSS with the DOM and JavaScript.
Chapters 10 and 11 put together everything you've learned into a slideshow and review.
Chapter 12 suggests where the DOM might go in the future.
Finally, there is an extensive reference section at the back of methods and properties.

Guide Review - DOM Scripting By Jeremy Keith

I am a lot like Dave Shae (the forward writer) in that I've avoided JavaScript for a long time. I wasn't interested in building popup windows, and JavaScript seemed too simple for anything less annoying and more useful.

But scripting with the DOM and browsers that are consistent in their handling of it make it much more interesting and fun. And this book helps make it fun too.

What I Like About This Book

I really like how reasonable he is about using DOM scripting. In fact, he suggests that before you go forward with scripts on your page, you question whether you really need the script. If you use your scripts to benefit your customers, you will make everyone happy.

This book is also very good with accessibility issues. It advocates over and over progressive enhancements to make your site better while not sacrificing customers with lower level browsers or accessibility issues. This is very important in DOM scripting.

What I Might Improve

There's really nothing that particularly needs improving in this book. But if you have never used JavaScript or some other scripting language before, you should definitely read the first three chapters. And you might want to get an introductory JavaScript book as well.