JavaScript is the brains of your Web page—it enables you
to modify a document’s structure, styling, and content in
response to user actions without requesting new pages from the
server. Scriptin' with JavaScript and Ajax teaches you how to
master this powerful and elegant language so you can develop
intuitive user interactions that take the user experience to new
levels of sophistication and responsiveness.
Today’s application-like Web experiences (such as
Salesforce.com and Google Maps) and Web 2.0 sites (such as
Flickr.com and Twitter) are powered by JavaScript and Ajax. Using
the techniques shown in this book, you will be able to start
creating similar experiences in the sites you design.
Scriptin' with JavaScript and Ajax will teach you how to:

• Start developing with JavaScript fast!

• Write lightweight but powerful object-oriented code

• Modify the Document Object Model

• “Progressively enhance” your pages with JavaScript
  to provide the highest levels of accessibility to all users

• Learn sophisticated techniques for making your pages respond to
  user actions

• Use the downloadable Scriptin’ library of helper
  functions to speed development and ensure cross-browser
  compatibility

• Use Ajax scripting techniques to update specific areas of the
  page with data from the server

• Create powerful interface interactions, such as sliding panels
  and tree menus

• Evaluate frameworks such as jQuery and Prototype to find the
  best one for your needs

• Build an online application that looks and responds like a
  regular desktop application

• Easily adapt the Scriptin’ code examples for use in your
  own projects—download them at www.scriptinwithajax.com