JavaScript & jQuery: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

JavaScript lets you supercharge your HTML with animation, interactivity, and visual effects—but many web designers find the language hard to learn. This jargon-free guide covers JavaScript basics and shows you how to save time and effort with the jQuery library of prewritten JavaScript code. You’ll soon be building web pages that feel and act like desktop programs, without having to do much programming. The important stuff you need to know: * **Make your pages interactive.** Create JavaScript events that react to visitor actions. * **Use animations and effects.** Build drop-down navigation menus, pop-ups, automated slideshows, and more. * **Improve your user interface.** Learn how the pros make websites fun and easy to use. * **Collect data with web forms.** Create easy-to-use forms that ensure more accurate visitor responses. * **Add a dash of Ajax.** Enable your web pages to communicate with a web server without a page reload. * **Practice with living examples.** Get step-by-step tutorials for web projects you can build yourself. JavaScript lets you supercharge your web pages with animation, interactivity, and visual effects, but learning the language isn’t easy. This fully updated and expanded guide takes you step-by-step through JavaScript basics, then shows you how to save time and effort with jQuery—the library of prewritten JavaScript code—and the newest innovations from the jQuery UI plug-in.The important stuff you need to know:Make your pages come alive. Use jQuery to create interactive elements that respond to visitor input.Get acquainted with jQuery UI. Expand your interface with tabbed panels, dialog boxes, date pickers, and other widgets.Display good forms. Get information from visitors, help shoppers buy goods, and let members post their thoughts.Go beyond the browser with Ajax. Communicate with the web server to update your pages without reloading.Put your new skills right to work. Create a simple application step-by-step, using jQuery and jQuery UI widgets.Dive into advanced concepts. Use ThemeRoller to customize your widgets; avoid common errors that new programmers often make. JavaScript lets you supercharge your web pages with animation, interactivity, and visual effects, but learning the language isnt easy. This fully updated and expanded guide takes you step-by-step through JavaScript basics, then shows you how to save time and effort with jQuerythe library of prewritten JavaScript codeand the newest innovations from the jQuery UI plug-in. The important stuff you need to know: JavaScript lets you supercharge your HTML with animation, interactivity, and visual effects--but many web designers find the language hard to learn. THis jargon-free guide covers JavaScript basics and shows you how to save time and effort with the jQuery library of prewritten JavaScript code. You'll soon be building web pages that feel and act like desktop programs, without a lot of programming With lots of illustrations and code examples, this 'Missing Manual' teaches web designers with little programming experience how to use JavaScript to define a site's look and function, and offers experienced scripters advanced techniques for client-sided programming Provides information on creating Web applications with JavaScript and the jQuery library of code