Shelley Powers has been working with, and writing about, web technologies-from the first release of JavaScript to the latest graphics and design tools-for more than 12 years. Her recent O'Reilly books have covered the semantic web, Ajax, JavaScript, and web graphics. She's an avid amateur photographer and web development aficionado, who enjoys applying her latest experiments on her many web sites.

If you're new to JavaScript, or an experienced web developer looking to improve your skills, Learning JavaScript provides you with complete, no-nonsense coverage of this quirky yet essential language for web development. You'll learn everything from primitive data types to complex features, including JavaScript elements involved with Ajax and dynamic page effects. By the end of the book, you'll be able to work with even the most sophisticated libraries and web applications. Complete with best practices and examples of JavaScript use, this new edition shows you how to integrate the language with the browser environment, and how to practice proper coding techniques for standards-compliant websites. This book will help you: Learn the JavaScript application structure, including basic statements and control structures Identify JavaScript objects -- String, Number, Boolean, Function, and more Use browser debugging tools and troubleshooting techniques Understand event handling, form events, and JavaScript applications with forms Develop with the Browser Object Model, the Document Object Model, and custom objects you create Learn about browser cookies and more modern client-side storage techniques Get details for using XML or JSON with Ajax applications Learning JavaScript follows proven learning principles to help you absorb the concepts at an easy pace, so you'll learn how to create powerful and responsive applications in any browser.