Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))

Amazon.com

In 1998, Jennifer Niederst wrote the first edition of this very successful book after she found herself spending way too much time chasing down the solutions to HTML problems. From hexadecimal color specs to mouseover scripts, the answers are all out there, but finding the exact one you need can soak up a whole day. "I wrote Web Design in a Nutshell because it was the book I needed--one place to find quick answers to my questions."

With all that's changed in the meantime, an overhaul is welcome. This is the rare book for designers that is almost completely nonvisual. It doesn't show what's hip in navigational bars or what the coolest colors are. Rather, it gives readers the kind of know-how that can make a difference between someone who just whips up pretty pages with WYSIWYG applications like Dreamweaver and someone who can make those pages cross-platform, cross-browser, fast loading, and accessible to all.

The clear organization makes it easy to locate any specific topic. There are six sections. "The Web Environment" discusses the realities of browser compatibility, display-resolution problems, a useful bit of Unix, and tips for print designers looking to move into Web design. "Authoring" shows how to write accurate and up-to-date HTML, cascading style sheets, and Server Side Includes (like putting the current date and time on your homepage).

"Graphics" brings together all you need to know to make effective use of images (GIFs, JPEGS, PNGs, and animated GIFs). "Multimedia and Interactivity" helps with adding audio, video, or Flash to your site (including some succinct tips on optimization and publish settings). And "Advanced Technologies" covers JavaScript, DHTML, XML, XHTML, and WAP and WML. And there are six useful look-up tables in the appendix, which include HTML 4.0 tags, deprecated tags, attributes, and CSS support across browsers. Web Design in a Nutshell could easily have been titled The Web Designer's Companion--it's mighty handy to have around. --Angelynn Grant

Book Description

Are you still designing web sites like it's 1999? If so, you're in for a surprise. Since the last edition of this book appeared five years ago, there has been a major climate change with regard to web standards. Designers are no longer using (X)HTML as a design tool, but as a means of defining the meaning and structure of content. Cascading Style Sheets are no longer just something interesting to tinker with, but rather a reliable method for handling all matters of presentation, from fonts and colors to the layout of the entire page. In fact, following the standards is now a mandate of professional web design.

Our popular reference, Web Design in a Nutshell, is one of the first books to capture this new web landscape with an edition that's been completely rewritten and expanded to reflect the state of the art. In addition to being an authoritative reference for (X)HTML and Cascading Style Sheets, this book also provides an overview of the unique requirements of designing for the Web and gets to the nitty-gritty of JavaScript and DOM Scripting, web graphics optimization, and multimedia production. It is an indispensable tool for web designers and developers of all levels.

The third edition covers these contemporary web design topics:

Structural layer: HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 (9 chapters), including an alphabetical reference of all elements, attributes and character entities
Presentation layer: Ten all-new chapters on Cascading Style Sheets, Level 2.1, including an alphabetical reference of all properties and values.
Behavior layer: JavaScript and scripting with the Document Object Model (DOM)
Web environment: New web standards, browsers, display devices, accessibility, and internationalization
Web graphics optimization: Producing lean and mean GIF, JPEG, PNG, and animated GIFs
Multimedia: Web audio, video, Flash, and PDF

Organized so that readers can find answers quickly, Web Design in a Nutshell, Third Edition helps experienced designers come up to speed quickly on standards-based web design, and serves as a quick reference for those already familiar with the new standards and technology.

There are many books for web designers, but none that address such a wide variety of topics. Find out why nearly half a million buyers have made this the most popular web design book available.

Customer Reviews:

Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference.......2007-07-17

Web Design in a Nutshell is not merely an updated edition of the previous book (2001) of the same title. Extremely quick substantial changes in the web design systems over these past few years simply wouldn't allow for such an update. Instead, the author has composed this book from the ground up to address the issues and concerns of web designers in 2006. This reference covers all the basics of web design how tos from basics like choosing text elements and creating links through more challenging topics such as optimization of graphics and using flash on web pages. However, the portion of the book that I found most useful was the sections on designing sites for a variety of different browsers and increasing accessibility on your website. Together, these aspects create an easy to understand guide for those individuals wanting an introduction to web design or as very solid reference material for current web designers.

Very good book for CSS.......2007-04-01

I really enjoy this book. I used it to learn Cacading Style Sheets. A few years ago I had been part of a team to develop a web application where I used the "old" way of constructing a web page - with the tags, etc. I used this book to learn to separate page content from formatting using CSS. I find that it is a good reference book to have on my desk.

question.......2007-03-25

I read a lot of reviews. I have still 1 edition of this book from 2001 year.
And there was information how design stuff works for IE and Netscape.

But IE is sucks and Netscape is also and in all reviews of this book i saw only mention of IE.

Is there any information 'bout difference in how pages look in IE and Mozzila FireFox?

Great Reference Book.......2007-03-08

This is a great book that I use on a daily basis. Well most of it is reference material, from W3C and elsewhere, it's very well-organized. I owned the previous edition and will probably purchase the next edition as well.

Excellent non-beginner book.......2007-03-05

For years I have been doing sporadic web work, but I recently started a job that required a lot more. I picked this book based on a few reviews, and it was the perfect resource. It works as a reference book, but a lot of it is so well written that I found myself reading whole chapters just because I got "sucked in".

Average customer rating:

How many stars??
Quick Reference Version
Excellent reference
By my side at all times.
It just tells you what you want to know

JavaScript for Dummies Quick Reference
Emily A. Vander Veer
Manufacturer: For Dummies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb

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ASIN: 0764501127

Book Description

Tucking a few JavaScript statements in among the HTML code that makes up your Web pages makes a dramatic difference. Enhanced, more interactive navigation buttons, user input validation, and scrolling messages are but a few of the improvements that you can make with JavaScript.

Now, with JavaScript For Dummies Quick Reference, all the JavaScript statements and examples of how to use them are right at your fingertips. Internet technology expert Emily A. Vander Veer not only organizes all the relevant HTML and JavaScript topics for easy access but also points out potential pitfalls, offers neat tricks, and provides complete code for doing such things as interacting with cookies, displaying pop-up messages, and making your script compatible with JavaScript-challenged Web browsers.

Best of all, JavaScript For Dummies Quick Reference features handy cross-references to topics covered in greater depth in JavaScript For Dummies.

Customer Reviews:

How many stars??.......2001-04-13

Pain has a new name.

After looking at the rating for this book I had to look not twice but three times to make sure I was seeing the correct one; I did my best to get through this book but gave up after the author promised to go step by step and then dived into code and terminology without explanation; she would introduce an example, then surround it with code she did not explain or even refer to for the rest of the book! She tries to insert a bizarre sort of humor at strange times that makes you wince, again without explanation. Her explanations are hackneyed and incomplete; after giving up and reading Javascript Goodies, then several chapters of The Javascript Bible, I went back just to see if I could understand some of the code she laid out; I did, but with no thanks to the author; it only made it more clear that she did not adequately explain how the code worked and how it is used. Worse, the chapters do not build in any sense at all on previous chapters. Interesting that the worst reviews for this book seem to have disappeared in the last several months, raising the rating considerably. It was one of the lowest rated. (I thought all reviews were supposed to remain on this website...?) Avoid, or you too may give up learning JS for a year like I did.

Quick Reference Version.......2001-02-25

Note that this book is not THE JavaScript for Dummies book, but is instead the Quick Reference version of the book. Like a dummy, I accidently ordered this one for a novice friend when I meant to be ordering the original! After browsing the Quick Reference, I decided to keep it for myself, as it appears to be a qood reference work for a more experienced JavaScript programmer.

Excellent reference.......2000-10-20

I have found this to be my favorite Javascript reference book. It is organized and indexed far better than my larger and heavier tomes and seems to have more USEFUL information in it as well! An excellent book.

By my side at all times........2000-06-23

This book is practically indispensible. It is a fairly complete reference on core JavaScript. There is no banter, no unrelated quips or anecdotes... just the answers to my questions.

The sections are organized well: Overview, Objects, Functions, Methods, and Properties. In each section, all related functions, objects, etc. are listed alphabetically, with a concise explanation of its use and syntax, and an example.

I always keep this book within my reach when I need to verify syntax or usage of JavaScript.

The only drawback to the book is that the material is somewhat dated. It doesn't include any information on layers, mouse or keyboard events, or other DHTML features. However, everything in this book is fully cross-browser compliant, and well organized.

It just tells you what you want to know.......1999-12-23

This book is great to the new JavaScript user who is muddling through confusing codes. Usually the index points you to exactly what you are looking for. While this book is not to be used as a sole reference, it does a great job of cutting through the jargon and getting right to the point.

Perl in A Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (2nd Edition)

Average customer rating:

I've used Perl for several years and love this book
A handy reference, but...
Great reference!
High Level Descriptions with Few Samples
Missing basic syntax rules. I wonder if the authors use Perl

Perl in A Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (2nd Edition)
Ellen Siever , Stephen Spainhour , and Nathan Patwardhan
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596002416

Amazon.com

Perl in a Nutshell strives to be a perfect set of socket tools for the active Perl programmer. By and large, it succeeds, providing endless and well-thought-out lists and tables on the language's modules, flags, and extensions. The authors briefly address basic learner's questions--such as the difference between a hash and an array--but these concepts are not the purpose of the book. (Those new to Perl would be better off with others in the O'Reilly Perl series, such as Learning Perl, while programmers making the switch to Perl can pick up the nuances of the language with Programming Perl.) This book is pure Perl reference, briefly covering Perl/Tk (for GUI Perl programs on Unix and Windows 95/NT) and Perl for Win 32.

The authors do start at the very beginning, and even in a self-described "desktop quick reference" find the time to comment on less urgent--but still interesting--Perl-related matters (like how to find online help amidst the "Perl culture"). The format of the book makes sections on topics such as Perl debugging easily understandable, illustrating how to make an interactive and timesaving environment.

Of particular convenience is the outstanding section on the standard Perl modules. A four-page "quick look" allows you to easily scan through short definitions of all the modules and find the entry you're looking for. An index with full definitions for each module follows, showing you how to use each module and providing a more in-depth explanation (and often, examples). Perl in a Nutshell concludes--as you might expect--with an excellent and well-cross-referenced index. --Jennifer Buckendorff

Book Description

This complete guide to the Perl programming language ranges widely through the Perl programmer's universe, gathering together in a convenient form a wealth of information about Perl itself and its application to CGI scripts, XML processing, network programming, database interaction, and graphical user interfaces. The book is an ideal reference for experienced Perl programmers and beginners alike. With more than a million dedicated programmers, Perl is proving to be the best language for the latest trends in computing and business, including network programming and the ability to create and manage web sites. It's a language that every Unix system administrator and serious web developer needs to know. In the past few years, Perl has found its way into complex web applications of multinational banks, the U.S. Federal Reserve, and hundreds of large corporations. In this second edition, Perl in a Nutshell has been expanded to include coverage of Perl 5.8, with information on Unicode processing in Perl, new functions and modules that have been added to the core language, and up-to-date details on running Perl on the Win32 platform. The book also covers Perl modules for recent technologies such as XML and SOAP. Here are just some of the topics contained in this book:

Basic Perl reference
Quick reference to built-in functions and standard modules
CGI.pm and mod_perl
XML::* modules
DBI, the database-independent API for Perl
Sockets programming
LWP, the library for Web programming in Perl
Network programming with the Net modules
Perl/Tk, the Tk extension to Perl for graphical interfaces
Modules for interfacing with Win32 systems

As part of the successful "in a Nutshell" book series from O'Reilly & Associates, Perl in a Nutshell is for readers who want a single reference for all their needs. "In a nutshell, Perl is designed to make the easy jobs easy, without making the hard jobs impossible." -- Larry Wall, creator of Perl

Customer Reviews:

I've used Perl for several years and love this book.......2004-05-03

Exactly as advertised, "Perl in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference" is a great reference book if you already have a basic understanding of Perl. Although it does have a section that it refers to as an "Introduction to Perl" it is actually a pretty cursory introduction and there are better books for learning the basics of Perl.

The book does have an excellent section on installing Perl including installation on both the Unix and Windows platforms. I've worked with both platforms and the installation process is well documented including how to install modules. This brings us to the large chapter on getting and installing Perl modules. I have spent hours sometimes trying to find an appropriate module for a special situation. This chapter lists all the most common modules and includes descriptions of what they do. This alone makes it a valuable resource for anyone involved in Perl.

The authors also include a lot of technical information including command line options and environment variables as well as a section on program structure, data types, special variables, operators, expressions, subroutines, filehandles, and just about anything else that you might need a quick refresher on.

Functions are listed both by category and by alphabetical order with descriptions and syntax information. I had a couple of problems on a large project recently and it took three days to get an answer through the forums on the Internet. The answers to all of them are right here and I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had had this book then.

A lot of other information is available in the book including CGI programming, Webserver programming, database programming, SOAP, Network modules including Net, Mail, NNTP, FTP, and LDAP, Perl/Tk, Win32 Modules and Extensions, OLE Automation, and ODBC Extensions. This book will be the one I keep close at hand when working with Perl and deserves its location on my desktop instead of in the library. "Perl in a Nutshell" is highly recommended for Perl programmers from basic to advanced level.

A handy reference, but..........2003-12-14

This is a handy reference, but if you have a limited budget you should probably go with Programming Perl and the Perl Cookbook before this one. This is a fine reference but it doesn't have the depth that the other books have and the information on the modules is available online through CPAN. I have the entire Perl library on my bookshelf and I hardly ever pick this one up.

Great reference!.......2002-09-06

I am not a beginning programmer nor am I what you would call an expert. Having a background in PHP made Perl easy to learn, so I didn't need a book that would "teach" Perl. All I needed was a good reference to figure out the differences between PHP and Perl. This book did exactly that! I was able to start programming within a day and I have referenced this book more times than I can count during my most recent development efforts. The binding is nearly worn out! I recommend this book to intermediate programmers that only need a small boost to get to work. If you're a beginner, buy this book to use after you learn the basics and you'll find it to be one of the most valuable tools on your desk!

High Level Descriptions with Few Samples.......2002-07-24

This book is full of alphabetical high level descriptions (which are always ambiguous) of Perl language statements with few or no illustrative examples (which always help clear up ambiguity).
It is a waste of money.

Missing basic syntax rules. I wonder if the authors use Perl.......2002-04-30

My 2-star review is from the perspective of an intermediate Perl user. From my exp. with 'Unix in a Nutshell', I expected this book to be all I needed in my briefcase at work. As it turns out, I'll take the "Camel" (Programming Perl) and leave this uninspiring book at home.

Let me give you an example: I was poring over a (slightly) complicated regular expression, trying to figure out what was going on...there seemed no rhyme or reason to it.....there were way too many spaces and yet the pattern was matching!! I then noticed the "x" option on the end of it: /reg-ex/x Thinking this could be the culprit, I broke out Perl:NUTSHELL...I found the appropriate table and it said: this option used to Enable Extended regular expressions. Ah-ha! But wait, what are Extended regular Epressions, and what is the deal with all these extra spaces in my reg-ex? I forwarded a bit and found the section about Extended Regular Expressions. And I found.........nothing. As it turns out (after looking in the Camel), the "x" means that all whitespace in the pattern is ignored, hence all the darn spaces. I made a point to look (again) for this bit of syntactic info in Perl:NUTSHELL, and it is not there. So what is the use of this book then, considering it is missing such a BASIC SYNTAX rule? Good question.
Another gripe: where's the freakin examples? While I don't expect NUTSHELL books to EXPLAIN the examples tutorial style, I do expect some basic usage examples to help me with commands I havn't used (again, see Unix in a Nutshell)!!

Another quick example for you Perl non-gurus (like myself): I came upon the Perl "filetest" operator "-t"....but the test had no following argument (e.g. the file's name), so I was confused. Off to the Nutshell. Oops. Nothing there except the shortest little description possible. Sigh. Back to the Camel, where I found that this particular file test operator defaults to a filehandle, , and not the usual variable which is $_ (perl's typical default). Hello? This isn't important!? Totally ridiculous for a supposed "reference" book.

In conclusion, this book seems to have zero "learning" value, being so terse (not to mention boring) and having so few examples, and only mediocre reference usefulness. Don't buy this one, buy the other O'Reilly books on Perl (Learning Perl and Programming Perl are high quality, as is Perl Cookbook). You might have to lug the Camel around (dromedaries are heavy), but it is superior to this inconcise man-page in every way (has a big reference section + a big 'learning' section).

Customer Reviews:

a good handy Javascript refrence book..........2000-05-16

Most of the books on Javascript are unwieldy. If you want a slim and quick refernec book, this is that. Very handy and useful desktop reference. However, this may not be a good book for beginners.

Vbscript in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference

Average customer rating:

2nd edition didn't document all the changes in 5.6
A great book for VB Scripters
Very useful VBScript reference
Good Reference Book
NUTSHELL

Vbscript in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference
Paul Lomax , Matt Childs , and Ron Petrusha
Manufacturer: Amazon Remainders Account
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: B00008CM4D

Amazon.com

Because it applies the concise and popular Nutshell format to Microsoft's preferred scripting language, VBScript in a Nutshell is a valuable learning resource and reference. Focusing on the core language rather than on any specific application, this book teaches how to write clear, efficient VBScript code. Whether developing for the Web, automating Windows, or customizing Microsoft Outlook, this book will help the reader do a better job.

Though it caters to new users, VBScript is mainly a reference book. Each piece of the core VBScript specification (plus the Dictionary and FileSystemObject objects that make up the Microsoft Scripting Runtime) is described in an alphabetized entry. For each statement, function, operator, and object, the book gives a quick description of the element's syntax, concise rules of its proper use, information on returned values (if any), and some examples of the language element used correctly in practice. Two additional sections on each language element will be valuable to novices and anyone stumped by errors: a "Rules at a Glance" section that documents correct usage, and a section called "Programming Tips & Gotchas" that highlights common mistakes. --David Wall

Topics covered: Core VBScript and the most important object models on which it operates, including Microsoft Internet Explorer and the Windows Scripting Host. Tutorial material and reference entries explain structure, syntax, and program design.

Book Description

Lightweight yet powerful, VBScript from Microsoft® is used in four main areas: server-side web applications using Active Server Pages (ASP), client-side web scripts using Internet Explorer, code behind Outlook forms, and automating repetitive tasks using Windows Script Host (WSH). VBScript in a Nutshell, Second Edition delivers current and complete documentation for programmers and system administrators who want to develop effective scripts. Completely updated for VBScript 5.6, WSH 5.6 and ASP 3.0, VBScript In a Nutshell, Second Edition includes updated introductory chapters that will help you keep current with the significant changes since the first edition was published. New chapters introduce the Windows Script Component for creating binary COM components, and the Script Encoder. The main part of the book is a comprehensive reference focusing on VBScript essentials with an alphabetical reference to all statements, keywords and objects, and a section of notes and solutions to real-world gotchas--various undocumented behaviors and aspects of the language--to help you avoid potential problems. Each entry in the reference section details the following:

The keyword's syntax, using standard code conventions
A list of arguments accepted by the function or procedure, if any exist
A discussion of how and where the keyword should be used within the scripting environment
A discussion of the differences between the operation of the keyword in Visual Basic or VBA and in VBScript

Regardless of your level of experience programming with VBScript, VBScript in a Nutshell, Second Edition is the book you'll want by your side--the most complete, up-to-date, and easy-to-use language reference available.

Customer Reviews:

2nd edition didn't document all the changes in 5.6.......2007-04-25

I've been a big fan of the 1st edition for years and found it very helpful. I use Regular Expressions a lot in Perl and found VBScript's support for RE's a bit lacking (could not extract the submatches). I was pleasantly surprised to find that this capability was added in VBScript 5.5. I bought the 2nd edition of this book because it claimed to cover VBScript 5.6. Imagine my surprise when the SubMatches collection isn't documented at all.

Overall I'm quite disappointed in the 2nd edition.

A great book for VB Scripters.......2007-02-12

This text is excellent for folks working on VBs projects. It contains good examples, great information about syntax and also warnings for "gotcha's" -- it's great!

Very useful VBScript reference.......2006-07-17

This is not intended for beginners in scripting or VBScript in particular. But for anyone with even moderate programming or scripting, this may be all you'll need to become familiar with VBScript.

Written in the spare, terse style of all Nutshell books, the book is very dense in terms of information. The major aspects of VBScript's versatility are explored (though there are no references to HTML Applications (HTAs)). The major functions are explained and there is a complete reference.

An essential volume for anyone using VBScript.

Jerry

Good Reference Book.......2006-02-01

This is not the book to learn the basics of VBScript, but it's exactly what I needed; a good reference book. I got tired of trying to find syntax of commands and functions online. Now I have it at my fingertips.

NUTSHELL.......2005-12-06

I don't have this book, I've never read it. But the negative reviews for it are out of line. People have reviewed it claiming it isn't for the beginner or for learning VB Script. NO KIDDING!! It is called NUTSHELL for a reason. It is a reference book, NOT a learning book. Don't give bad reviews for a book because you were too stupid to realize you bought the wrong book. That's just as bad as buying a Java book and complaining that it doesn't have any Javascipt examples in it.

JavaScript Quick Reference (Russian Language Version)

Average customer rating:

JavaScript Quick Reference (Russian Language Version)

Manufacturer: Que
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Average customer rating:

Don't bother, buy full O'Reilly book
Better books on the subject !

Javascript: Quick Reference Guide
Marc Miyashiro
Manufacturer: ASP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0935739289

Customer Reviews:

Don't bother, buy full O'Reilly book.......2001-12-19

This quick reference doesn't do you any good. It's just as quick to look up something in a normal reference, not to mention a normal reference will provide you with more information. Everytime I tried to use this book, I had to go to my other reference because this "quick reference" didn't have the information I was looking for. Save your money and buy O'Reilly's Definitive Guide.

Better books on the subject !.......2000-04-25

The book itself is average...though...some scripts were not working and/or only working with IE or NS.

They advertize a link for downloadable scripts. Unfortunately, there are no scripts on their link.

Product Description

Covers Core and Client-Side JavaScript thru JavaScript 1.5 and ECMAScript version 3.

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