The JavaScript Anthology

612 Pages·2006·2.35 MB·English

by  James Edwards

Summary of Contents
Preface ........................................................................................................ xi
1. Getting Started with JavaScript ................................................................ 1
2. Working with Numbers .......................................................................... 31
3. Working with Strings ............................................................................. 45
4. Working with Arrays .............................................................................. 65
5. Navigating the Document Object Model................................................. 79
6. Processing and Validating Forms ........................................................... 103
7. Working with Windows and Frames ..................................................... 127
8. Working with Cookies .......................................................................... 143
9. Working with Dates and Times ............................................................ 151
10. Working with Images ......................................................................... 167
11. Detecting Browser Differences ............................................................ 191
12. Using JavaScript with CSS ................................................................. 201
13. Basic Dynamic HTML ....................................................................... 229
14. Time and Motion ............................................................................... 267
15. DHTML Menus and Navigation ........................................................ 321
16. JavaScript and Accessibility ................................................................ 385
17. Using JavaScript with Flash ................................................................ 457
18. Building Web Applications with JavaScript ......................................... 467
19. Object Orientation in JavaScript ......................................................... 515
20. Keeping up the Pace ........................................................................... 535
Index ....................................................................................................... 565

The JavaScript Anthology
101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks
by James Edwards
and Cameron Adams
The JavaScript Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks
by James Edwards and Cameron Adams
Copyright © 2006 SitePoint Pty. Ltd.
Expert Reviewer: Bobby van der Sluis Editor: Georgina Laidlaw
Expert Reviewer: Derek Featherstone Index Editor: Bill Johncocks
Managing Editor: Simon Mackie Cover Design: Jess Bentley
Technical Editor: Kevin Yank Cover Layout: Alex Walker
Printing History: Latest Update: December 2006
First Edition: February 2006
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Notice of Liability
The author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information herein.
However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied.
Neither the authors and SitePoint Pty. Ltd., nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any
damages to be caused either directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book, or by
the software or hardware products described herein.
Trademark Notice
Rather than indicating every occurrence of a trademarked name as such, this book uses the names
only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner with no intention of infringe-
ment of the trademark.
Published by SitePoint Pty. Ltd.
424 Smith Street Collingwood
VIC Australia 3066.
Web: www.sitepoint.com
Email: [email protected]
ISBN 0-9752402-6-9
Printed and bound in the United States of America
About the Authors
James Edwards (aka brothercake1) is a freelance web developer based in the United
Kingdom, specializing in advanced DHTML programming and accessible web site devel-
opment. He is an outspoken advocate of standards-based development, a part-time forum
moderator, and author of the Ultimate Drop Down Menu2 system—the first commercial
DHTML menu to be WCAG-compliant.
Cameron Adams has a degree in law and one in science; naturally he chose a career in web
development. His business cards say, “Web Technologist” because he likes to have a hand
in graphic design, JavaScript, CSS, PHP, and anything else that takes his fancy that
morning. While running his own business—themaninblue.com3—he’s consulted and
worked for numerous government departments, nonprofit organizations, large corporations,
and tiny startups. Cameron lives in Melbourne, Australia, where, between coding mara-
thons, he likes to play soccer and mix some tunes for his irate neighbors.
About the Expert Reviewers
Bobby van der Sluis lives in the Netherlands and works at Blast Radius4 in Amsterdam,
where he manages the interface development department. He’s a client-side web techno-
logies and design specialist, occasionally writing about these topics on his personal web
site.5 Bobby is an evangelist of unobtrusive JavaScript, progressive enhancement, and the
use of best practices, and has contributed to many notable sites, including A List Apart
and CSS Zen Garden. He spends his scarce spare time with his wife Anita and newly-born
daughter, Sofie.
Derek Featherstone is a well-known instructor, author, speaker, and developer with expert-
ise in web accessibility consulting. Derek delivers technical training that is engaging, in-
formative, and immediately applicable. A high-quality instructor, he draws on his back-
ground as a former high school teacher, plus seven years running his web development
and accessibility consultancy Further Ahead.6 Derek blogs at boxofchocolates.ca.7
About the Technical Editor
As Technical Director for SitePoint, Kevin Yank oversees all of its technical publica-
tions—books, articles, newsletters, and blogs. He has written over 50 articles for SitePoint,
but is best known for his book, Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP &
1http://www.brothercake.com/
2http://www.udm4.com/
3http://themaninblue.com/
4http://www.blastradius.com/
5http://www.bobbyvandersluis.com/
6http://www.furtherahead.com/
7http://boxofchocolates.ca/
MySQL. Kevin lives in Melbourne, Australia, and enjoys performing improvised comedy
theatre and flying light aircraft.
About SitePoint
SitePoint specializes in publishing fun, practical, and easy-to-understand content for web
professionals. Visit http://www.sitepoint.com/ to access our books, newsletters, articles
and community forums.
For Kizzy—I missed @media
for all the right reasons.
—James
This is for Mum, Dad,
Darren, and Davina, who
gave me their love and support
throughout the writing of this
book, even though I had to
explain it all using plasticine
dinosaurs.
—Cameron