Yes, another tutorial based guide to JavaScript. Does the world need another one? Do you need another one? Well, it’s made it to a second edition, there must be something to that. At least that was what made it worth checking out for me. In fact, after having spent some time with this volume, I come away very impressed. Suehring’s JavaScript Step by Step in a superb ‘missing manual’ for novices and those already somewhat acquainted with aspects of JavaScript.
This is a well crafted guidebook that has clearly adopted a proven progression. A very basic introduction that familiarises someone new to JS with a couple handy development environments (Visual Studio and Eclipse – hey it’s a Microsoft Press book what do you expect…at least an open source alternative was suggested), and moves to the basic grammar and the philosophy behind the language. It gradually builds on your working knowledge moving from syntax to operators and variables and then to expressions and control mechanisms. The approach is in very well constructed and steps are scoped and paced for an absolute beginner, but also allow someone with moderate experience to move quicker through the material and refresh their knowledge. Hands-on exercises are sprinkled throughout and the companion downloadable files allow you to avoid extensive typing and pick and choose where you really want to go hands-on. There are even specific exercises at the end of each section for those used to a little self-evaluation. All of which means that this book will suit a variety of learning styles.
The steps continue beyond the language basics to apply the building blocks of JavaScript into the important aspects of how it ties into the DOM and interacts with the browser – aspects that obviously are very much to the raison d’etre of JavaScript specifically. This builds into AJAX and Server-side integration, which was very much what I was most interested in seeing the handling of. For someone that played around with JavaScript in the more distant past, getting up to speed with how it is being used more recently (a wonderfully subjective reference 😉 is a real plus and I feel that Suehring accomplishes this well in this volume.
There are obvious limitations to how far one can go in an introductory (or even in a single) volume and exposure to the more advanced applications of JavaScript (Such as AJAX and JQuery) are more lightly handled, but enough of a taste to give the novice an basic understanding and at least know where to go next and be able to be more critically understand what is needed to know to move on, i.e. when shopping for the next volume of instruction.
The only critical issue I can raise, and it is more preferential than a defect, is the choice of Microsoft products largely exclusively, whether Visual Studio or integration with Bing and LiveMaps. All fine products and in widespread use. I do tip my hat to the suggestion of other OS products such as Eclipse, but am not used to seeing a volume aimed as particularly at a Microsoft-certified audience. Just me I suppose.
I am actually very impressed with this book and preceding comment aside I think this is a particularly notable volume for covering such a wide amount of information, in a very well considered and effective level of detail. For a novice to JavaScript, or someone that perhaps explored it within the last decade and wants to brush up on how it has been extended and functions well with new API’s and frameworks, this is a great choice.
