Appendix. JavaScript that you need to know but might not!

 

This appendix covers

  • Which JavaScript concepts are important for effectively using jQuery
  • JavaScript Object basics
  • How functions are first-class objects
  • What’s an IIFE?
  • Determining (and controlling) what this means
  • What’s a closure?

One of the great benefits that jQuery brings to your web applications is the ability to implement a great deal of scripting-enabled behavior without having to write a whole lot of script yourself. jQuery handles the nuts-and-bolts details so that you can concentrate on the job of making your applications do what they need to do!

For the first few chapters in this book, you needed only rudimentary JavaScript skills to code and understand the examples provided. In the later chapters, such as those on event handling, animations, and Ajax, you had to understand a handful of fundamental JavaScript concepts to make effective use of the jQuery library. You may have found that a lot of things that you perhaps took for granted in JavaScript (or took on blind faith) started to make more sense.

We’re not going to go into an exhaustive study of all JavaScript concepts here—that’s not the purpose of this book. The purpose of this appendix is to give you the fundamental JavaScript concepts you need to make the most effective use of jQuery.

1. JavaScript Object fundamentals

2. Functions as first-class citizens

3. Summary