Here are some of my favorite and most frequently-used resources for learning JavaScript. I’ll update this list on a recurring basis.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| JavaScript Tutorial JavaScript Tutorial JavaScript Reference Series JavaScript Reference JavaScript Closures |
There are more online references and tutorials for JavaScript on the Web than there are naked pictures of Paris Hilton. To find them (the JavaScript stuff, you perv), you only need a firm grasp of Google! Listed to the left are some of my favorites. Most of them speak for themselves. The first one, though, deserves special mention. Most readers will be familiar with it already, but for those of you who aren’t, be sure to bookmark W3Schools. While it has great JavaScript info, it also has loads of other great Web development info. |
| JSLint | JSLint is an online JavaScript code quality tool. It investigates the JavaScript you paste into it and reports tons of information about it. Perhaps the most important thing it reports is sloppy use of undefined variables. JSLint is the work of JavaScript Jedi Douglas Crockford. He promises that JSLint will hurt your feelings! |
| ECMAScript Language Specification | While no one but the official language spec committee calls JavaScript “ECMAScript,” this 188 page manual (it’s a PDF) is quite handy. It’s dry, and probably tells you a little more than you really want to know, but it its value, especially for free, as a JavaScript reference is superb. |
| FireBug JavaScript debugger for FireFox IE8 debugger Opera Dragonfly debugger |
The combination of FireFox and Firebug has probably done more for learning and exploiting JavaScript than all of the JavaScript books ever written. The synergy of the two actually make writing JavaScript fun—and that’s an elusive word association. Both IE8 and Opera also now both offer intrinsic JavaScript debuggers that, while not as good as FireBug, are quite a step forward for these two browsers. |
| jQuery | This isn’t just a superb JavaScript library–it’s a JavaScript game changer. Using it will improve, vastly for the better, the way you write JavaScript. The decision tree for determining if you should use jQuery is very simple: do you write JavaScript? If yes, you need jQuery. |
| JavaScript style guide | JavaScript coding conventions per Crockford. |
| Douglas Crockford JavaScript videos | Douglas Crockford has made several videos about JavaScript and they are very enlightening. There is a series on JavaScript and then one on advanced JavaScript. Also, do an advanced Google search for Crockford’s JavaScript PowerPoints—they are terrific. On a slightly related note, to hear ten or so of the most awkward DotNetRocks minutes ever, give a listen to Carl and Richard welcoming Douglas to their show #422. Listen for a couple of minutes about 9 minutes into the Podcast. Richard’s uncomfortable laughter will make you cringe and Carl trying to explain away his Wierd Al reference draws dead air. I’m generally a big fan of DNR, but this interview had me wishing for a flat tire on my way to work just for an excuse to stop listening. An opportunity to interview a JavaScript god was completely pissed away. To Carl and Richard’s credit, Crockford does come across as a bit of a mooncat. He remains pretty much disengaged throughout the entire interview. |
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This is a good JavaScript book for beginners. The Head First books flirt with being just a little too pretentious (they are a little like a Dummies book gone nearly right) but overall the info in the book overcomes some of its “mom made me a JavaScript scrapbook” impact. |
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One more Crockford reference and I swear I’m done with him (for now). JavaScript: The Good Parts is a very good book on intermediate/advanced JavaScript. If you’re new to JavaScript, don’t make this your first book. But once you think you’ve got a a handle on JavaScript, this book will definitely ramp up your JavaScript knowledge more than one level. |
