Staples of the Bookshelf: ppk on JavaScript
Peter-Paul Koch explains how to create beautiful JavaScript and shows you how to combine it with proper HTML and CSS for the best web experience in ppk on JavaScript. Here is my review.
The structure of this book
ppk begins with a brief history of JavaScript and explains the “fat and thin” JavaScript cycle. I would agree with him on that we are in a fattening state right now, but I think the tides will turn soon (my guess is before 2010).
Then ppk gives a basic overview of accessibility (which he adds to later) before introducing us to the 8 real world scripts used as examples in this book:
- Textarea Maxlength
- Usable Forms
- Form Validation
- Dropdown Menu
- Edit Style Sheets
- Sandwich Picker
- XMLHTTP Speed Meter
- Site Survey
We then see chapters on browsers, how to prepare your markup for good JavaScript and a series of chapters that use his examples heavily giving light on several very diverse topics of JavaScript.
Bits of ingenuity
Here I am going to sum of a few particularly useful snippets of this book.
A section on object detection vs. browser detection explains that object detection is the better way to go in general. ppk makes a good case for object detection: browsers will change, and by using object detection we can determine if an action is executed by directly tying the action to its dependencies. A lot of good JavaScript coders believe in this but it cannot be stressed enough.
Koch also knows that we need other fundamentals of how to setup our HTML and CSS for good JavaScript. He makes a very appropriate example for this is his Sandwich Picker script in Chapter 4: Preparation He summed up his advice well by saying:
Obviousness is the key to creating HTML structures that will help your script instead of hinder it
Since we want to separate content from behavior, we need to develop obvious element hooks to neatly tie our JavaScript to our HTML and CSS. We learn that the id attribute is the best known and most popular element hook. Another great idea that ppk presents here, though, is using custom attributes, such as a rel attribute.
One last bit I’d like to mention here is that ppk’s createXMLHTTPObject() function in Chapter 10: Data Retrieval is really quite elegant and I think you might check it out here. Your homework is to make this function rewrite itself upon successful completion so that it doesn’t have to try different methods of creation after the first call. ;)
Conclusion
There are several reasons I highly recommend this book, and Koch’s site: quirksmode.org.
First of all ppk gives us a really good foundation in Chapter 5: Core, one that I would recommend even experienced JavaScript-ers read. He also covers the BOM, JavaScript Events, and DOM in great detail also keeping accessibility fresh in your head as you pick up JavaScript’s quirks and issues with different browsers. That said, I would say that the amount of history covered by the book may have been excessive but may be more helpful to other readers.
ppk on JavaScript is a good reference book that I keep as one of only 10 books within arms reach at work (I obviously have others but I don’t feel the need to keep many so close by). I think that more than a few of you would also benefit from keeping this book handy as well as checking out quirksmode.org for other bits.
A 24 year-old programmer for