As a client-side language used by web browsers, JavaScript is a powerful tool; useful code, however, may require substantial programming. jQuery is essentially a library of JavaScript code that allows web programmers to create rich, robust code quickly and easily. This book concentrates on the application of jQuery to commonly encountered tasks. It contains 12 chapters divided into four parts.

The first part (five chapters) covers core jQuery functionality, beginning with basic operations on variables, arrays, and objects. Selecting elements from the underlying content is covered, and the relationship between jQuery and similar functionality offered by the underlying cascading style sheets (CSS) is carefully explained. The underlying web page can be modified in place by JavaScript, and jQuery can simplify this process by supporting both static and dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and CSS modifications, in response to various mouse and other events (keyboards, forms, scrolling, and so on). Finally, this part looks at the use of jQuery to enable communication between the browser and a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server, and focuses on ensuring a robust client-server interaction by checking error conditions and validating form input.

The second part, on UI development, contains three chapters. Chapter 6 looks at dragging, dropping, resizing, and sorting elements on the screen. Chapter 7 covers widgets, specifically buttons, sliders, tabs, progress bars, and date pickers. The section concludes with chapter 8, which briefly discusses how to apply customized CSS styling. Unfortunately this chapter is indexed in the table of contents as being in Part 3 (which covers mobile devices); this is presumably a typographical error.

Part 3 focuses on jQuery and mobile devices. Chapter 9 introduces the basics of jQuery Mobile and discusses the requirements of displaying material effectively on a (small) mobile device, including mobile events, control of headers and footers, and back and forward buttons. This is followed by chapter 10, which considers input strategies on a mobile device and how buttons, forms, and lists are best handled.

The final section discusses plug-ins (that is, extensions to jQuery objects), how simple plug-ins can be coded, and how plug-ins relate to templates within jQuery libraries. Part of the discussion in chapter 11 (for example, information related to callbacks) is relatively complex. Chapter 12 includes an overview of what to look for (and what to avoid) when considering third-party plug-ins.

A comprehensive index concludes the book, and the full source code for the examples in the book can be downloaded from the publisher’s website (http://www.informit.com/store/jquery-jquery-ui-and-jquery-mobile-recipes-and-examples-9780321822086).

It is assumed that readers are familiar with website-supporting technologies, including basic knowledge of JavaScript. The code fragments are focused, and each is used to illustrate a specific feature. The explanation given for each code fragment is clear and concise.

I do, however, have two slight concerns, both related to situating jQuery in a wider context. First, after reading this book, one might be seduced into seeing jQuery as a technology that will potentially solve almost all problems associated with implementing dynamic web pages. It is undoubtedly a powerful tool, but it is not a magic bullet; there are many design problems that are best implemented in other ways. jQuery provides a high-level view of JavaScript, but it can’t be expected to do those tasks for which JavaScript would be inappropriate. Readers should have been given more guidance as to the limitations of jQuery. A particular issue is what happens when a particular functionality is required and the web user does not have access to a compliant browser. What strategy might be employed to code up a page so that there is a fallback? Second, jQuery adds a layer of code on top of JavaScript, and this has resource implications, especially with regard to mobile devices. The efficiency of jQuery is not really addressed in sufficient detail, especially in the final section.

Notwithstanding the above comments, this is a well-written book. The examples are clearly explained; succinct explanations are given for why the examples were chosen and why they are technically correct. For the experienced web programmer, this book is highly motivational and gives a useful overview of the power of jQuery. For the less-skilled reader, it is possible to use the recipes provided to construct useful dynamic web pages with only a modest knowledge of JavaScript.

More reviews about this item: Amazon, GoodReads, IProgrammer