HollyJahangiri's Full Review: Danny Goodman - Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Refer...
Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference, by Danny Goodman, provides the best comprehensive command syntax reference on the market today. Don't let its size (1088 pp.) or its "technical" appearance intimidate you. If you have never dabbled in coding HTML tags and don't understand the basic structure of an HTML document, then you're probably not quite ready for this book. But it'll be there when you are ready.
If you do understand the basics and can code a simple HTML page by hand (using a basic text editor such as Notepad, rather than a WYSIWYG editor that hides all those nasty codes from you), then buy this book. You'll grow into it.
If you're already an experienced HTML guru, Danny Goodman's book will serve you well as a quick reference to some of the commands and attributes you don't use every day. I think this book is as essential to any Web designer, novice or expert, as a good dictionary or thesaurus is to a writer.
What This Book is NOT
This book is not a step-by-step tutorial on Dynamic HTML, Cascading Style Sheets, the Document Object Model, or JavaScript. It won’t help you learn Web design in 21 days, or while you sleep. It is an excellent reference, like a combination dictionary, thesaurus, and grammar guide for Web designers.
Part I: Applying Dynamic HTML
Danny Goodman provides some background and explanation of what is meant by "Dynamic HTML" or DHTML, and it's close relatives: HTML, cascading style sheets, the Document Object Model (DOM), and ECMAScript. He touches on the challenges faced by Web developers in a world where "standards" are moving targets; where different browsers and their many versions make it difficult to design a single Web page that will work the same for all viewers. An excerpt:
"It should be clear from the sheer size of the reference section in this book that those good ol' days of flourishing with only a few dozen HTML tags in your head are gone forever. ... Perhaps it's for the best that content, formatting, and scripting have become separate enough to allow specialists in each area to contribute to a major project. ... This is a model that works, and is likely to become more prevalent..."
The chapters in this section deal with the use of cascading style sheets, element positioning, dynamic content, and scripting events. Goodman discusses how these DHTML technologies are implemented in the leading browsers, and how to deploy them in such a way that they will work under both Netscape and Internet Explorer.
Part II: Dynamic HTML Reference
Pages 167-977 comprise the DHTML Reference, and were my main reason for buying the book. Part II is broken down into the following sections (each conveniently marked by bleed tabs for quick reference): HTML Reference, Document Object Reference, CSS Reference, and JavaScript Reference.
HTML Reference
This section is organized alphabetically by element, or HTML tag. Each tag is followed by an alphabetical list of the attributes it supports. Goodman demonstrates the proper syntax for each tag, lists the browsers that support it, and with what version of HTML it is associated. Attributes are identified as optional or required, and are defined as fully as the tags themselves. Helpful examples are also provided, so that you can see how these tags and attributes my be used in a real-world scenario.
DOM Reference
This section (pp. 460-835) is best left to the more advanced Web designer or programmer. Objects are “scriptable entities that are maintained in a browser’s memory whenever a document is loaded.” Objects are “described by their properties, methods, collections (or arrays) of nested items, and event handlers.” This section, like the previous section, is arranged alphabetically and describes each object and its properties, methods, arrays, and event handlers in just the right level of detail to serve as a useful reference.
CSS Reference
I knew nothing about Cascading Style Sheets when I first bought this book. Everything I know about creating a Cascading Style Sheet, I learned from this book and a lot of trial-and-error experimentation. I can do a lot now with CSS, thanks to the very clear syntax and examples demonstrated in the CSS Reference (pp. 836-908). You’ll need to pay close attention to browser implementation shown for the various CSS tags, though, or your beautifully formatted Web page (designed for Internet Explorer) will look like amateurish gibberish on that other browser (Netscape Navigator). Where possible, Goodman highlights the different ways style sheets are implemented in the two browsers and demonstrates ways to avoid pitfalls in design.
JavaScript Reference
This won’t teach you JavaScript, but if you’re already learning it or know how to code JavaScript—if you at least have a grasp of the basics, or know another programming or scripting language—then don’t be afraid to dive in here, either. Another excellent command syntax reference, arranged alphabetically.
Part III: Cross References
This section lets you look up the name of an HTML attribute or an object property, method, or even handler to find out which elements and/or objects support it.
Appendices include a list of color names and their RGB values, a complete list of HTML character entities (for example, “&” for “&”, or how to type accented letters, or special symbols), keyboard event character values, and Internet Explorer commands. There’s also a good Glossary and an Index.
Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference, by Danny Goodman (O’Reilly and Associates, July 1998).
ISBN: 1-56592-494-0
Price: US $39.95 CAN $56.95
Where to find it:
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