Review of the Learning jQuery 1.3 Book
What Is jQuery?
jQuery is a modern Javascript framework. It helps you, the web developer, to write client-side interactive code without worrying about cross-browser issues and a lot of the boring elements of DOM manipulation and animation. Moreover, as a Ruby on Rails developer (and a PHP developer before that) jQuery makes javascript easy!
Generally most of the frontend interaction a backend developer will want to add are simple things like showing and hiding elements, applying styles and properties to things that may not be easy with CSS and loading AJAX content. jQuery makes all these things easy in a nice chainable syntax.
About The Book
I received a copy of the Learning jQuery 1.3 book from Packt Publishing and had high hopes based on their previous books. I had seen a copy of an earlier version of the book (I think it was called Learning jQuery) and was very impressed with that, so I looked forward to seeing what the new version (of the book and jQuery had in stall for me).
The book is very well structured. It leads you in quite nicely with selecting sets of elements on a page with the Selectors chapter, in to how to take action when things happen to those elements with Events, then on to showing animation effects on them and manipulating them. After getting through the basics, it then takes you through some more thorough examples using table manipulation and decent web forms.
The final section of the book is on jQuery plugins and what they can do. Obviously, any printed material will follow behind online changes and new plugins, but it helps give you an idea of what can be achieved very easily using ready built plugins, even if they aren’t available in the core of jQuery.
At all times the information is clear and easy to follow.
Packt Publishing has kindly provided me with a sample chapter for you to download and read and see the sort of information you get.
Is It Worth Buying?
If you already know Javascript well, are a frontend developer or web designer I’d probably say No – you can easily pick up jQuery online.
However, if like me you’re a backend developer (ASP, PHP, Rails, Django, etc) with little Javascript experience, then 100% Yes! It’s an easy read and easy to refer back to later when you want to do something and remember reading about it (the structure really does lend itself to browsability). jQuery itself is awesome and this book is a great introduction.
The only downside is it could do with a chapter showing clearly the differences/enhancements to 1.3 from the previous version.
5 Stars.
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