Speaking JavaScript

Like it or not, Java Script is everywhere these days—from browser to server to mobile—and now you, too, need to learn the language or dive deeper than you have. This concise book guides you into and through JavaScript, written by a veteran programmer who once found himself in the same position.

Speaking JavaScript helps you approach the language with four standalone sections. First, a quick-start guide teaches you just enough of the language to help you be productive right away. More experienced JavaScript programmers will find a complete and easy-to-read reference that covers each language feature in depth. Complete contents include:

• JavaScript quick start: Familiar with object-oriented programming? This part helps you learn JavaScript quickly and properly.
• JavaScript in depth: Learn details of ECMAScript 5, from syntax, variables, functions, and object-oriented programming to regular expressions and JSON with lots of examples. Pick a topic and jump in.
• Background: Understand JavaScript’s history and its relationship with other programming languages.
• Tips, tools, and libraries: Survey existing style guides, best practices, advanced techniques, module systems, package managers, build tools, and learning resources.

“The most concise and yet complete JavaScript book written to date for the initiated programmer.”

—Cody Lindley, front-end engineer, author of JavaScript Enlightenment

Table of Contents

Part I: JavaScript Quick Start
Chapter 1. Basic JavaScript

Part II: Background
Chapter 2. Why JavaScript?
Chapter 3. The Nature of JavaScript
Chapter 4. How JavaScript Was Created
Chapter 5. Standardization: ECMAScript
Chapter 6. Historical JavaScript Milestones

Part III: JavaScript in Depth
Chapter 7. JavaScript’s Syntax
Chapter 8. Values
Chapter 9. Operators
Chapter 10. Booleans
Chapter 11. Numbers
Chapter 12. Strings
Chapter 13. Statements
Chapter 14. Exception Handling
Chapter 15. Functions
Chapter 16. Variables: Scopes, Environments, and Closures
Chapter 17. Objects and Inheritance
Chapter 18. Arrays
Chapter 19. Regular Expressions
Chapter 20. Dates
Chapter 21. Math
Chapter 22. JSON
Chapter 23. Standard Global Variables
Chapter 24. Unicode and JavaScript
Chapter 25. New in ECMAScript 5

Part IV: Tips, Tools, and Libraries
Chapter 26. A Meta Code Style Guide
Chapter 27. Language Mechanisms for Debugging
Chapter 28. Subclassing Built-ins
Chapter 29. JSDoc: Generating API Documentation
Chapter 30. Libraries
Chapter 31. Module Systems and Package Managers
Chapter 32. More Tools
Chapter 33. What to Do Next