Rating: 
Summary: Finally, javascript without the cheap tricks......
Review: After working through the first chapter (site search engine) I felt that this was a book work reading. It isn't a beginner's book, but anyone with intermediate javascript skills and an interest in using client-side processing will pick up a good amount of useful techniques and some needed perspective on how client-side scripting can be a powerful asset.The code could be better (as could anyone's). There is a strong focus on using local variables instead of global and the naming conventions make following the logic from one function to the next a little difficult. This, however, does not diminish the value of the concepts presented. To use the book, you "MUST" download the files. Not only are they a lot easier to read, you can comment them extensively as you go and pick up logic bits. An inportant suggestion is to not blow through the example application too quickly. If you take the time to take them apart, modify them and reassemble, you will pick up much more than just running them reading the code and moving on. I wish there were more books that presented the business functionality of javascript and how it can be used to handle many of the things that are being passed to server-side processing. I bought it, used it and would buy it again...
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Reading
Review: Anyone interested in serious programming with Javascript should definitely consider "Javascript Application Cookbook" by Jerry Bradembaugh. First and foremost, this book is not for the lighthearted. One should be well versed with programming (Javascript, Java, C, C++) before considering taking on this book. From the very first sample (Online Test), I knew this book would be teaching me a lot of new techniques. Having a web-based application running solely (actually, more like 99%) on Javascript is great. Bradenbaugh is very thorough in his writing, explaining, and guiding readers through various sections of each application. His presentations of the processes and variables used are so helpful when walking through the source code. Right out of the book, there is no need to configure anything except to download the samples. Once you have it saved on your machine, it's time to make things happen. The best thing about the author's walk-through is that he tells you explicitly what is going on, and he offers ways to enhance each application. That's a must when you are looking for ideas from someone with as much knowledge as he has. I see combining several chapters worth of code into a bigger and better application. For example, using the file I/O techniques used in the Online Test application in conjunction with the Slideshow application, one could create a database of images used and allow users to load and save them. Better yet, why not offer something like a shopping cart for your users to select which image to include in a slideshow. The possibilities are endless from the use of this book. If time permits, incorporate other functions and create a true scripting-library. Use the include directive to bring in what is needed to make your application lean and user-friendly. There are some sample chapters of the JavaScript...
Rating:
Summary: Good Book for moving past javascript cheap tricks....
Review: I bought the book expecting to pick up techniques to accomplish some serious client-side actions. After working through the first chapter, I was pleased with the purchase. This is a no nonsense book that gets right to some usable applications. Chapter one's search engine is not a lengthy script, but takes a while to digest because so many local variables are used. While this is economical, it makes picking up the logic flow from one function to the next a little more difficult. Having said that, the concepts presented in the code are well worth the effort to work through every line. Downloading the zip file is the only way to go with this book. the code in the book is, due to format limitations, much more difficult to follow than the code viewed in a good editor. Besides you can comment the code line-by-line if that helps you. If I was looking for an intermediate business oriented javascript book, this would be it!! After fully mastering the approach of any one of the samples, you can begin immediately to see ways to either expand or apply the code. That's really what most of us are looking for. Thanks for writing it.
Rating:
Summary: PEFECTION!!!
Review: I bought this book about 3 weeks ago to help with my newest assignment at work. WOW! IT works wonders with all good browsers (sorry, Netscape isn't in this section). The information presented in this book is concise and logical. The examples are superior to anything else I've ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: Toughtful and complete
Review: I definately stress that you have some experience with Java script before diving into this book but it is by far one of the best intros I've read. This book guides you through semi-complicated to very complex application designs that would be useful for any web site. The coments on the code are clear and pretty much line by line explainations. This book will be exceptionally useful to the user wanting to refine his/her Java script skills in regards to the web. Its books like this that make O'Reilly what they are.
Rating:
Summary: Good .. at being what it is
Review: I must say I don't understand some of you saying this book isn't what you hoped for - you certainly didn't know what you were buying. As for being an "application cookbook" this book does what it's supposed to do and does it well. The application examples include an online test system, a slideshow/image viewer and something I found very useful, a cookie based shopping cart. Even if there isn't really a wide variety of different examples, those provided are advanced enough to show the capabilities of JavaScript at a high level, and gave me ideas on other things I could program myself, using the examples as guidelines while moving along.. My impression of the code in the book is that it is clean and hi-qual, it works w/o glitches in 4.x gen browser, which really are what you should be developing for these days. Only gripe is the price.. a little too much maybe.. but I guess I could live with that after saving alot of work cop.. *cough* .. learning from the code in the book :)
Rating:
Summary: Good .. at being what it is
Review: I must say I don't understand some of you saying this book isn't what you hoped for - you certainly didn't know what you were buying. As for being an "application cookbook" this book does what it's supposed to do and does it well. The application examples include an online test system, a slideshow/image viewer and something I found very useful, a cookie based shopping cart. Even if there isn't really a wide variety of different examples, those provided are advanced enough to show the capabilities of JavaScript at a high level, and gave me ideas on other things I could program myself, using the examples as guidelines while moving along.. My impression of the code in the book is that it is clean and hi-qual, it works w/o glitches in 4.x gen browser, which really are what you should be developing for these days. Only gripe is the price.. a little too much maybe.. but I guess I could live with that after saving alot of work cop.. *cough* .. learning from the code in the book :)
Rating: 
Summary: Examples do not work
Review: I purchased this book and downloaded the sample code from O'reilly. I then applied the errata from the o'reilly site. The first example does not work in either netscape communicator 4.72 or ie 5.0. It is full of script errors. This really irritates me. I don't mind doing a little debugging but this is ridiculous.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not what I wanted.
Review: I thought this book would be the Javascript equivalent of the Perl Cookbook, but not even close. This book just doesn't serve the same purpose. It's not a bad book, but it needs to be simplified into categories. Us programmers don't need to have our hands held while we code stuff, we just need help here and there and that's what made the Perl Cookbook so good. This book just describes whole projects. Screw that. Believe it or not, I think JavaScript for Dummies is still king for a reference when being stuck on something. Either that or rack your own brain and solve it yourself. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I too expected something modeled after The Perl Cookbook, which provides coded solutions to common problems. While the JavaScript Application Cookbook ("Application" wasn't in the title when I preordered it!) does show the power of JavaScript as a programming language, it is not, in my view, nearly as useful as The Perl Cookbook, so if that's what you were looking for, you'll probably be disappointed as well.
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