jQuery is the most popular JavaScript library currently on the web. It has revolutionized the way developers provide a user interface to the user without worrying about compatibility issues or complex code. I’m a recent convert to jQuery myself, but cheat sheets have not been helpful and I don’t have the time to read a large and detailed book on the entire framework. I recently discovered jQuery Pocket Reference by David Flanagan just the book I needed to learn while implementing jQuery into my site.
The book starts with a brief overview jQuery and how the fundamentals (selectors, “chaining methods”, modifiers) of the library work. From there each chapter covers the standard features of jQuery: Getting/Setting Elements, Modifying Document Structure, Events, Animations, AJAX, Selectors, Plugins, and UI. Even though the book is titled “pocket reference”, each chapter provides more detail than a simple reference list, which I found very helpful, given my lack of experience with the library. The final chapter does include a cheat sheet, which is also helpful when you need to find an attribute or command on the fly.
This book is perfect for the beginning jQuery programmers that are well versed in other programming languages. It is also helpful for intermediate and advanced jQuery programmers that need a quick way to look up a function or brush up on the concepts behind the jQuery library. You can view a preview of the book by going to the O’Reilly site at http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596806286/.