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Closed 10 years ago.
What's a good book, or a good way to learn HTML, XHTML, and CSS? I recently graduated from school and I only know Java, and C++.
I would like to learn some web development so I am looking for some good books and resources.
If you ask me, whatever introductory level book you can find at your public library on html or css or "web programming" is a great place to start as far as books go. Typically, those kinds of books are a little bit "stale" as far as you're likely to find something that's not the latest greatest version of HTML, but for the most part very few parts of the HTML spec get deprecated or removed from version to version, so anything you'd learn from slightly obsolete books will generally still exist, but
There's a ton of great stuff online too about every specific topic you could want, for the most part, you could get by without buying any books
Here's a link (http://jwinblad.com/webprogramming/webdesign.php) to some of my personal bookmarks on web-development that I like to keep handy like the specifications for CSS and HTML that enumerate every possible tag or CSS property and give you a brief description of what each one means and is used for.
Of course, actually trying out different tags and CSS experimentally is sometimes much more helpful in learning. If there's a website that does something cool, you can often times learn how to they do their cool feature by viewing the source-code of the page or its style sheet using the tools provided in your web-browser. Create a hello-world demo-page and then work from there on adding extra tags and a style sheet and so on. If there's something specific you want to do, you can search for tips on how to do that particular thing
If you already know Java and C++, it should not be difficult to learn HTML/XHTML and CSS. But if you're looking at learning this with the hopes of it being a career direction or paying job, you will probably want to delve into more than just HTML, nobody seems to be looking for people to write webpages that look like they came out of 1998 or 2001, you can get nicer looking stuff that that with almost no HTML knowledge using WYSIWYG tools...once you get the basics of HTML understood and know where to look up tags and CSS descriptors, you may want to branch out either into a client-side scripting language like Javascript or a server-side programming language or framework (PHP, Ruby on Rails, etc) or trendy web-technology like Flash. It kind of depends what your goals are in learning web-programming.
If you are interested in online resources, The SitePoint Reference seems good. It covers HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The information seems clear, and there is the capability to add user notes as well.
If you prefer printed material, I started out with HTML for Dummies - despite the common opinion on For Dummies books, they are actually useful for picking up a new subject. I keep handy the HTML/XHTML Definitive Guide and the CSS Definitive Guide - both from O'Reilly. Those two are good for references.
For JavaScript, I recommend Simply JavaScript from SitePoint, and Dom Scripting from Friends of Ed.
Based on personal experience, coming from no programming experience at the time:
View source is a great tool. Read other people's code. [EDIT: To access view source, right click on the page in your browser and choose view source from the context menu. Alternatively, you can look in the browsers "Page" menu, although the menu name and placement varies by browser and OS.]
I used a tutorial site on geocities (may it rest in peace) but there are many other good sites. Use a search engine.
Books - Jeff Zeldman's book "Designing with web standards" was one of my first reads a number of years back. Books do tend to get outdated, but that one is a keeper. I think that there is a new edition in the works. Also, Visual Quickstart books are a personal favorite, but hey teach particular things and not the whole languages. There is a Visual QuickStart book with fairly recent code and a great reference for your desk. ( I forgot the title...)
good luck! Bing is your friend!
If you know programming languages like Java, then I'd recommend checking out the HTML4 spec on the W3C site.
It is as close as you'll come to the official docs.
I'd also recommend learning the differences between HTML and XHTML, why XHTML has no benefits to today's web (IE, content types, error handling too unforgiving) and also I'd look into HTML5, just to keep current.
Here is a quick overview of differences between HTML and XHTML that I found whilst surfing Jessica's website.
IMHO, the best way to learn it is by doing it, make a plan for a website, and have a go at making it happen (repeat as required), by the time you put html, css, javascript, and eventually a server side framework together, it can be a bit of a dark art, and there is much learning that can only happen when you are actually doing it (and feeling the pain of IE 6).
As mentioned by others, Sitepoint, Smashingmagazine, W3Schools (to name a few) are all handy references.
Would also suggest learning jquery as you learn javascript, some good starting tutorials here http://docs.jquery.com/Tutorials.
Also install firebug in firefox so you can start digging under the hood of sites you like.
With regard to books, from personal experience, I have a stack of outdated technology specific books that I have not touched for quite a few years. The ones that focus on why rather than how get much higher rotation.
If you have learnt java and c++, the mechanics of the technologies shouldn't be too hard to pick up, but many programmers tend to suck at things related to UI, so if you were to get a book, I would recommend "Don't Make Me Think" or other books related to usability and interface design.
HTH. Good Luck.
I'd recommend Professional CSS: Cascading Style Sheets for Web Design. There apparently is a second edition now, but my first edition has:
Chapter 2: Best Practices for XHTML and CSS
The book (first edition) is basically comprised of case studies of css and xhtml implementations at ESPN, PGA Championship, and the University of Florida, with many great tips and explanations of why things are done a certain way.
I'm working through Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML. I have found it to be quite useful in staring me off with these technologies.
If you're looking for reference information, W3 Schools is a great place to start. Smashing Magazine is great for pretty much everything to do with web development. I'd also recommend A List Apart, which often has great articles about some of the more difficult CSS concepts. And last, but certainly not least, I'd check out the articles on 24 ways; while they only have 24 updates every year (in December), they are written by some of the best people in the industry.
Ans since you're interested in web development, you'll probably end up wanting to learn some Javascript as well. ppk's site quirksmode.org is a great place for that.
Well, I hope this can be some help to you, and wish you best of luck. Also, of course, you can always ask any question that you have here at Stack Overflow.
Related
I have completed codeacademy twice, freecodecamp twice and read a few online articles...I believe I now have a good understanding of the fundamentals of Javascript.
However, I feel lost in terms of where to go next. People say build projects, but where do I start? How do I plan? Even though I know the fundamentals of Javascript, I still feel there is a lot to learn. I feel like I will only truly start understanding Javascript once I start putting projects together but I cant think of any.
Also, codeacademy, freecodecamp and these other online course websites dont seem to really teach DOM manipulation. Is there any online coding sites, similar to the ones mentioned, which will allow me to practice DOM manipulation?
I would be hufely grateful if people who have developed their understanding in Javascript can give me some advice based on how they did it.
I am just sitting here staring at my laptop and going back and forth. I cant really seem to figure out what to do next, now that I have gained a basic understanding of the core concepts of Javascript. Please guys, help!
This is not a very good question, but I still would like to try and explain.
Questions you need to ask yourself
Frontend or backend js?
I assume frontend based on the "DOM manipulation" part, but there is also Node.js for the backend with it's own unique API to use and interact with the operating system.
Do I want to use libraries and/or frameworks
Depending on your needs and preferences you will come in touch with these things, they all have their own learning curve, on top of learning js. Libraries are mostly just function in order to help you. However frameworks like Vue and Angular require a way of writing your code that is like it's own language. (opinionated)
What version(s) of js and browsers do you want to support?
Javascript has evolved over time and the javascript engines in browsers as well. Older IE browsers will be harder to support without the help of a library like jQuery.
Now about the learning part and where you can practice.
There are probably thousands of great sites to practice, however I will give you my favorites.
The stackoverflow documentation on javascript (top navigation on this page)
I will get hate for this: W3Schools
To read the docs on Mozilla
interactive on both codeschool and codeacademy
JSFiddle for practicing in a closed environment
https://bento.io/topic/javascript
https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/javascript/
http://www.allitebooks.com/ for specific ebooks
Have a look at what frameworks are popular nowadays and why. If they suit your needs. Learn them one or two at a time but not more, so you won't mix them all up in the end. Try to at least understand OOP in javascript even if you don't intend to use it later. Anyone feel free to expand this answer because it is hard to cover it all myself.
What are the best resources on Design Patterns catering specifically to web development with JavaScript and JQuery?
I'm particularly interested in information on programming my own libraries, reusable components, widgets, etc. and the merits of various techniques (for instance in the case of components/widgets comparing those employed in jQuery UI vs. rolling your own).
I'm also curious about the intricacies of JavaScript as a programming language, and the finer points of object-based programming with JavaScript.
Big fan of Douglas Crockford and the Yahoo video series. Looking for additional examples.
One very instructional thing you might do is read over the jQuery source code. It's a treasure-trove of interesting and efficient coding techniques. You might then broaden your horizons by reading over the source for Prototype or some other library.
The nice thing about reading good code and trying to understand it is that it's really real; it is the good code, so you bypass a layer of rhetoric.
Similar to Pointy's answer, you should take a look at these two videos, which help you understand the source code of JQuery (it might be difficult for some to dive into the code from start to finish):
10 things I learned from the jquery source
11 more things I learned from the jquery source
Paul Irish, a member of the JQuery team, goes through some very interesting design patterns in the JQuery source in a humorous way. I think he picks some really interesting spots, which really gives you a lot of usable knowledge you can use elsewhere.
It's probably the resource that has given me the most knowledge about a particular field in the shortest time. It's just really valuable.
This guy has some really good stuff as far as the "intricacies of JavaScript as a programming language" part of your question is concerned:
http://devlicio.us/blogs/sergio_pereira/default.aspx
e.g.
http://devlicio.us/blogs/sergio_pereira/archive/2009/02/09/javascript-5-ways-to-call-a-function.aspx
The comp.lang.javascript group on Usenet is an excellent resource: pretty much everything related to browser scripting has been discussed there and is available in the archive, and some of the regulars, while not always the most polite, are incredibly knowledgeable.
I'm looking to improve the standard of my javascript as I'm moving beyond simple AJAX forms towards much richer interactions and it's quickly getting out of hand.
There's lots of resources about how to write proper javascript, many of the best are from Douglas Crockford, but very little about relevant design patterns and how to implement them.
Do you know of any resource, books or blogs, on how to produce and manage non-trivial javascript applications?
I plan to read Pro JavaScript Techniques by John Resig as well as his upcoming Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja.
Also, in my mind, "advanced" and "JavaScript" are often associated with Dean Edwards.
EDIT: it's not strictly devoted to JavaScript, though I'm also learning a lot from 24ways.org
EDIT2: from time to time, gems also pop up from Simon Willison's feed: today Dean's getElementsByTagName() implementation and John's jQuery.require().
As mentioned :
Pro JavaScript Techniques by John Resig is an excellent book.
If you're intention is to use Javascript for more than just everyday form validation etc then I personally think understanding OO principles is important.
With Javascript being such a flexible language I would reccommend reading up on discipline and approaches to coding Javascript, not just the syntaxy stuff.
This book Pro Javascript design patterns should help there.
You're halfway there already with Douglas Crockford, but there are plenty of others writing great articles on the web.
UPDATED:
I'm finding that over and above most languanges and tech there is a real buzz about Javascript right now and it's difficult to keep up with new stuff so I tend to check out relevant news sites like Ajaxian for posts with content linking to good authors for up to to date advances with libraries, frameworks and the like.
I recently visited the fullfrontal09 Javascript conference, all the speakers there gave excellent talks on Javascript so read anything they have written!
Read up on Closures and Scope, sugaring and currying! Robert Nyman's slides from FullFontal09 should get you started
If you can stomach the tone of some of the regulars, the comp.lang.javascript newsgroup is an excellent resource. I have learned a great deal there.
Regarding design patterns, there is a book called "Pro JavaScript Design Patterns" by Ross Harmes and Dustin Diaz, although having read it I wouldn't recommend several of the practices it suggests.
Make sure to also have a look at free web toolkits that are available, such as: Google Web Toolkit and Dojo or Jquery. These will help your application development efforts go much faster.
Also check out the Javascript tutorials at:
http://www.w3schools.com/ajax/ajax_intro.asp
Hope that helps. :)
Apart from books, i would say start hacking the existing JS libraries (like amazing JQuery). Its a better way to look around the power of javascript..
Lynda.com has an introduction to jQuery (and other Javascript classes). It provides a decent introduction as you go deeper and read the excellent books already recommended.
Here's the link:
http://www.lynda.com/home/DisplayCourse.aspx?lpk2=48370
This was only published recently (8th Dec.) but I've already found it extremely useful as a refresher of common JS practices.
http://stevej.name/js_executable_guide.html
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Closed 9 years ago.
I noticed most questions related to client-side script on SO are jQuery related and that got me thinking. I'm wondering what the ease of these libraries is doing to actual KNOWLEDGE of JavaScript and the DOM.
So much is done for you that my fear is there is a growing number of web developers that actually know very little about JavaScript besides how to include the jQuery library and use the plug-ins they download. It's the "fast food" approach to software development and, based on nothing more than anecdotal evidence, I think a lot of web "developers" would be in the dark when it comes to client script if they were suddenly unable to use the jQuery library.
My question: are these libraries helping or hurting REAL knowledge of client-side scripting?
In my opinion jQuery is to DOM as the .NET Framework is to the Win32 API, or GTK+ is to X11 programming. It's another layer on top of the "raw" API. It makes things a lot easier to work with, at the "cost" of abstracting the lower level details. Usually this is OK, but sometimes these details are important. It can help at times to be familiar with the underlying API (I think moreso in the jQuery/DOM case than .NET/Win32), but I wouldn't worry overmuch if someone has to hit a reference site or two before coding a pure DOM solution.
It's also important to recognize the difference between "JavaScript" and "the DOM". The DOM is not part of the JavaScript language; it is merely an API exposed by to the JavaScript engines in the major browsers. So while using jQuery might hinder one's knowledge of the DOM, it won't hurt their knowledge of the JavaScript language itself.
This is common question in programming.
Libraries and high levels of abstractions, in general, make things that were once difficult, much simpler. This tends to make the number of people who understand low-level internals smaller, but also increases the overall productivity of the industry.
jQuery have hurt my knowledge of DOM: I forget this **** DOM as a nightmare.
jQuery will never hurt my knowledge of JavaScript. You can't forget JavaScript after Crockford's texts
I started by learning Javascript as a child - HTML + Javascript was the easiest thing to deploy without having to actually know much about how computers worked. Since then, I feel that I know more about Javascript than I ever would have to.
However, there are very few projects now for which I use Javascript without jQuery. In fact, before I knew about jQuery, I made my own libraries. They weren't great, but they worked, and saved me loads of time and repeated code.
I guess my point is that the Javascript pros would have produced great libraries for themselves, no matter how many n00bs ended up grabbing onto them. Even if we're hurting beginners' knowledge of Javascript (an assertion which I'm not even going to make), jQuery is still definitely a good thing. What it does to beginners is a question of the learning process we offer beginners, rather than the tool itself.
I think that jQuery and its peers are probably greatly increasing general knowledge of Javascript. When I discovered jQuery I went from disliking Javascript and using it as little as possible to thinking it was a wonderful and beautiful language. Indeed, it might now be my favourite language in which to program, and I've learned an awful lot by reading the source code of the jQuery library. I can't believe that my experience is in any way unusual.
Why do you care about the "real" knowledge? The end result is all that matters.
If a developer can make a website that loads really fast with a great interface and layout, then he or she is a successful developer. How (s)he did it is irrelevant.
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Closed 10 years ago.
I'm gearing up to do some Ajax style client-side JavaScript code in the near future, and I've heard rave reviews of jQuery when it comes to this realm. What I'm wondering is:
What are all the cross-browser JavaScript libraries out there?
What is the experience using them?
An excellent resource is Jeff Atwood's post on JavaScript libraries.
He lists:
Prototype and Script.aculo.us
jQuery
Yahoo UI Library
Ext JS
Dojo
MooTools
ALL the cross browser JavaScript libraries out there? You do realize that there are
well over 100 libraries out there, so you should narrow this down a little, IMO.
A good place to start is with Wikipedia's Comparison of JavaScript frameworks, which covers Dojo, Ext JS, jQuery, midori, MochiKit, MooTools, Prototype & script.aculo.us, qooxdoo, YUI, and SweetDEV RIA.
Prototype FTW.
I do like jQuery, but Prototype serves my needs most of the time. It may just be because I'm more familiar with it, but I seem to get stuff done faster in Prototype than in jQuery.
I want to report this almost unknown library entitled: "BBC Glow".
Other libraries are praised for bells and whistles, but Glow is about cross-browser support. The project has a clear statement about its goals, and there is also a browsers support table.
It is a solid starting point.
Most of the existing answers are either gateways to slimy marketing or libraries long past their due date.
What is conveyed as "cross-browser" is most often "multi-browser", meaning a small umbrella of browsers. Libraries such as Dojo Toolkit and Ext JS (anything by Sencha, really) are guilty of this behavior. jQuery used to behave similarly before some loud calls for sane code arose (the project still has a giant mountain to climb yet). "Cross-browser" most often refers to abstractions for the DOM and a few other APIs.
I've recently completed an HTML DOM library that covers a very wide range of browsers, which I think may interest the community here. The current list is:
Internet Explorer 5-9;
Firefox 1-13;
Opera 5-12;
Safari 3.1-5;
Chrome 1-4 (presumed to work on all Chrome builds, but Chrome versions remain difficult to test independently); which is the second-widest coverage I've encountered, just trailing another, which I will mention in the next paragraph. The library I've created is entitled: "Matt's DOM Utils" (Utils) and can be accessed via GitHub[[0]] or my own site[1]. It's fully modular and focuses specifically on DOM traversal while providing other utilities such as an Element::classList module.
However, the most comprehensive DOM library on the Internet is David Mark's "My Library". The library contains a giant pile of utilities, with coverage for nearly all browsers beyond Netscape 4. It has a pseudo-modular build stage, and can be very minimal if desired. It can be accessed via GitHub[2] or David's site[3]. I suggest to anyone reading this thread to give that API a thorough glance. I have learned immensely from both the author and the code itself.
If you want to jump on the same bandwagon everyone else does, jQuery is the end-all, be-all. You don't have to think, just listen to everyone else. :P
Personally, I use and love MochiKit. It seems to do everything jQuery does, but the philosophy is a bit different and the community is by far smaller. There are not tons of additional plugins, but there are some. It was designed with a lot of Pythonic style and functional programming constructs, so if that sounds interesting to you, you might want to take a look.
jQuery.
(Added so as to have an entry for voting.)
Loads!
jQuery, Prototype, Ext JS, Dojo, MooTools, YUI, Mochikit, the list goes on!
jQuery is very popular, and an excellent choice. However, some frameworks are better for some things, and others better for others. If you could give us a better idea of what you want to do, or how you will be using it (or even which other languages you use) we'd be able to give you a nudge towards one or the other.
The list that Dori posted is pretty comprehensive, and I don't think that it's possible to list all the libraries out there since there might be one being written even as I type (it seems to be a passion for some people).
I feel that going with jQuery and/or Prototype will probably get you off the ground and building neat stuff pretty quickly, and chances are that you will fall in love with them as so many of us have.
Gucci had Thomas Fuchs (the creator of script.aculo.us) create their website without using Flash, but check it out, it looks amazing for being JavaScript / CSS only.
A post about it is Gucci Relaunches on Script.aculo.us.
These libraries are so powerful and versatile (with some nice plugins) that you won't "hit the wall" and start looking to other libraries anytime soon.
I have also seen people do some nice stuff with Dojo and Ext JS, but I have never worked with them myself.
I like jQuery. Prototype is very similar. There are several others but I highly recommend you evaluate them yourself.
I prefer Mootools because it is lightweight and is based on Prototype, but like Jay said you should check them out for yourself.
Do have a closer look at MooTools.
I can't think of doing any JavaScript development without using jQuery (also take a deep look to jQuery UI).
jQuery is a good choice. It leans towards the 'skinny and speedy' side, and allows for some fantastic DOM manipulation.
Of the popular ones are jQuery, Dojo Toolkit, Prototype (with Script.aculo.us) and MooTools. I'd encourage you to test out MooTools unless you're on ASP.NET in which case I'd encourage you to check out the project I am working on (Ra-Ajax) which is a fully server-side binded Ajax Framework for ASP.NET...