The Web Programmer's Desk Reference

Rating:
Summary: Much better single-volume reference than I expected...
Review: As a web developer, you'll most likely own a few reference books for JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and other related technologies. Surprisingly, you can get most of what you need in a single volume - The Web Programmer's Desk Reference by Lazaro Issi Cohen and Joseph Issi Cohen (No Starch Press).

Chapter list - Cascading Style Sheets; Object-Oriented Programming: The DOM and the Node Tree; Events and Event Handlers; JavaScript Core Language and Fundamentals; HTML Elements; HTML Attributes; Event Handlers; CSS Attributes and JavaScript Style Properties; Microsoft Internet Explorer Behaviors; Microsoft Filters and Transitions; JavaScript Properties; JavaScript Methods; JavaScript Collections; JavaScript Objects; HTML+TIME Microsoft Technologies; Index of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Listings

I'll admit to not being a fan of single volume reference guides to multiple technologies. In nearly all cases, the authors try to do too many things and be everything for everyone. As a result, the book ends up being useless. This one feels different, however. The first 60-some-odd pages do a quick coverage of the overall technology, like CSS, JavaScript, and the DOM model. In all likelihood, you probably won't use this part of the book. It's not enough for a beginner, and it's too basic for an experienced developer. But the book shines when it comes to the reference section.

Each entry in the reference portion lists the tag or keyword, which browser versions support the option, the syntax of the option, code examples, and what other options or tags the original tag refers to. Because there is so much information included (1000+ pages), it will take you a little while to get comfortable with the page layout. But once you get that under your belt, this book could become very valuable to you.

While I'm not ready to ditch my stand-alone reference books on CSS, HTML, and JavaScript, this book might have caused me to think twice before buying them. A good job...

Rating:
Summary: Meets a real need
Review: Some books present new information, others organize old information. This is an exceptional example of an organizing book.

The intended reader already uses HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and maybe some Microsoft-only technologies, and has references on them. Those references may show which HTML elements allow STYLE values, but not what values have meaning for that element. They may show what JavaScript methods and properties exist, but not which HTML elements support which ones, and so on. Details like which particular properties apply to which particular elements in which versions of Internet Explorer are critical to complex web sites, but generally hard to find - unless you look here.

This book is the missing link. The subtitle really says it best: "A complete cross-reference to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript." This supplements the references you already have, it doesn't supplant them. You'll still need other books for the how and why of each topic, and beginners may not even understand the problem that's being solved here.

I have very few complaints about the content. One is that it's not very explicit about versions of the HTML, CSS, or JavaScript standards that define each feature. Another is that it discusses Internet Explorer and Netscape, but disregards other browsers. And, as expected in a new title of this size, there are a few formatting glitches and typos. None of those problems interfere much with the book's value. A web reference to its many brief examples would have been helpful, too, but seems to be missing.

This isn't a tutorial. There are no "coolness" tips or slick demos. This is for people with plenty of coolness of their own, but lots of hard problems to solve in bringing it to life. Perhaps you've already got a stack of web development manuals, but an ongoing "The answer is in there SOMEWHERE" frustration. In that case, you probably want this book - maybe the answer won't be here, but this book will probably tell you where it is.

//wiredweird

Rating:
Summary: Absolute reference for a specific audience
Review: The audience for this book has to be web developers who already know DHTML (HTML, CSS, DOM, etc.) and who are looking for a pure reference that provides details primarily on platform compatibility. The exposition between the reference sections is terse and dry.

For those interested in a book that covers this material that has a workable learning curve I recommend O'Reilly's classic "Dynamic HTML". There is more exposition in that book, which means that you can actually learn HTML from it. I also think the reference section is better organized.

There is value in the content that is here, but I recommend looking at the book in person before purchasing it.

Rating:
Summary: Not a How-To, But a Complete Reference
Review: This book has a lot going for it. No Starch Press does some very good stuff. They have a style and a way of putting a book together that suits my reading style very well.

This book is no exception. The world of putting together a web page has changed. Not too many years ago, you learned HTML and you pretty well had a handle on doing a web page. Not true any more. The simple font statement controlled what font you used and various modifiers to the command gave additional things like color and size. This has been replaced with Cascading style sheets. Java and JavaScript have come in to provide a programming capability that didn't exist before.

Here in one volume are the three main web programming languages. It is not, quite possibly, the best introductory text you could find. It is, as the title says, a desk reference. It doesn't say this is HTML and if you want to do a web page start here and try this tag, then let's use that tag. It has every HTML tag, every attribute in HTML and CSS, collections, classes, methods, etc. They are arranged alphabetically, so you can find them easily if you know what you are looking for. Finally, it's up to date with the latest standards so it is probably more current than the individual books you bought earlier.

You don't have to save much time to justify having this book on your desk.

Rating:
Summary: Nice cross referencing across languages
Review: We are all familiar with web browsers. Indeed, you are probably reading this using such a program. The language of the pages is HTML. But for people who maintain a large set of pages, or an entire website, Cascading Style Sheets has proved to be a very handy way to maintain a uniform style across the pages. And JavaScript is the most common scripting language across different browsers.

This triad of (HTML,CSS,JavaScript) essentially covers the entirety of client side browsing. That is the appeal of this book. The authors reasonably guessed that you might find it useful to have one text encompassing all three. They offer a short first part with the rudiments of how these languages work. But over 90% of the book is pure reference. With the added bonus that the material for a given language cross references relevant items in another language. With 3 different books, you don't get this synergy.

What surprised me was the sheer length of the book. Remember when HTML was a slim little standard? Since their inceptions, each language became very popular and was heavily added to. Lots of little options. Often obscure even to regular programmers in those languages. But it is all here.