[...]... the book 5 6 JavaScript & AJAX For Dummies ✓ Check out the Cheat Sheet The Cheat Sheet at www .dummies. com/ cheatsheet/javascriptandajax is a handy reference of common programming variables and coding miscellany ✓ Pick a spot and dig in If you’re already comfortable with JavaScript programming, take a look at Part III on AJAX If not, you might need to back up a little bit and find the more appropriate... start JavaScript is a pleasant and relatively easy language for beginners It uses the familiar Web page as a user interface, which makes it an easy way to develop forms and user interfaces If you’re already a programmer, you’ll find that your previous knowledge extends easily to JavaScript, and you’ll be fluent in this skill in no time 2 JavaScript & AJAX For Dummies AJAX extends the capabilities of JavaScript. .. 218 Part III: Moving Up to AJAX 221 Chapter 9: AJAX Essentials 223 AJAX: Return to Troy 223 AJAX Spelled Out 225 A is for asynchronous 225 J is for JavaScript 226 A is for and? 226 And X is for data? 226 Making a Basic AJAX Connection 227 Building the HTML form 230 Creating an... input, validate that input, and dance around on the screen It’s pretty fun 3 4 JavaScript & AJAX For Dummies Part III: Moving Up to AJAX If you’ve been hanging around with Web geeks, you’ve probably heard of AJAX It’s kind of a big deal, and it has the potential to change the way Web development works Learn what this thing is really about Create some AJAX requests by hand, and then use the incredible... style information to an HTML or XHTML page HTML and XHTML provide the general framework, and CSS describes the color and layout ✓ JavaScript: JavaScript is a programming language embedded in all modern Web browsers It’s specially designed to interact with Web pages; you can use it to extract information from parts of a page, and to manipulate the page in real time ✓ AJAX: (Asynchronous JavaScript And XML)... like missing quotes, and to see the general structure of your page quickly ✓ Syntax support: Programmer’s editors often provide some sort of help for remembering the syntax of your language This boost can be in the form of buttons and macros for handling common code, pre-written templates for standard layouts and patterns, and syntax completion (which looks at what you’re typing and suggests completions... information on these topics.) I’ve also added two bonus chapters to the Web site: one on HTML and XHTML, and another on CSS See them at www aharrisbooks.net/jad and www .dummies. com/go /javascript andajaxfd if you need a refresher So what do you need? Imagination, perseverance, and a little bit of time Introduction How This Book Is Organized I organized this book by renting time on a supercomputer and. .. Chapter ▶ Reviewing HTML, XHTML, and CSS ▶ Examining the role of JavaScript and AJAX ▶ Exploring what JavaScript and AJAX can add to Web pages ▶ Choosing an editor ▶ Building your browser toolkit T he Web is a pretty big deal It’s a lot of fun to build Web pages, and just about every business needs them As the Web has grown and changed, the expectations of what a Web page is and does have also changed If... either the companion Web site at www .dummies. com/go/javascriptandajaxfd or my own site at www.aharrisbooks.net/jad As the Web has evolved so have the tools that are used to create Web pages and documents JavaScript and AJAX are two powerful tools for creating dynamic Web documents This chapter gets you started with a look at some of the primary technologies out there for building Web pages Building Something... www dummies. com/go/javascriptandajaxfd This program and every other program and example in the book are available at that site At first, the Web page looks pretty simple, but when you open it in your own browser (as you should) and begin playing with it, you’ll soon discover that it packs a lot of surprises This very simple page illustrates a lot of the reasons why you should learn JavaScript and AJAX . www .dummies. com/cheatsheet/javascriptandajax spine=.864” by Andy Harris JavaScript ® & AJAX FOR DUMmIES ‰ 01_417997-ffirs.indd i01_417997-ffirs.indd i 10/26/09 9:53 PM10/26/09 9:53 PM JavaScript ® . http:// www .wiley. com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy. HTML and XHTML, and another on CSS. See them at www. aharrisbooks.net/jad and www .dummies. com/go /javascript andajaxfd if you need a refresher. So what do you need? Imagination, perseverance, and