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MooTools Essentials

Another book from apress and another one i am impressed of. As easy as the cmd zend framework book written and with 276 pages full of knowledge, this book kickstarts your feelings for a java script framework.

From my point of view, this book is smart as the MooTools Framework. Especially if you consider that in my world, java script means always "double the work for a bit better of user experience". But as AJAX evolves, the java script frameworks sprouting out as fresh grass on a damp ground.

So back to the book. I have already "index" the book by using some stickers and it finaly covers all ... well as the book title labels it ... the essentials.

  1. More or less then 15 pages explain the philosophy of MooTools and of Java Script itselfs. Nice to know, the author writes about the pro's and con's of MooTools and on the major other java script frameworks (like jquery, prototype and so on). After this, the reader learns about the basic of java script and of using common techniques to implement the features you are searching for. There are some pages about the prototype concept in Java Script and also all about the MooTools Core.
  2. The Core is represented by a bunch of core files. Depending of how you are using the MooTools, here is the first part where you can downsize your whole Java Script library! After that, you learn about native objects, in particular for arrays and hashs (aka objects). Following this, there is a chapter about the elements and some methods and filters. When you have reached chapter seven. The basics and theoretical stuff starts to blur. As in the other apress book i have mention some weeks ago, the theory is implemented by real problems. This implementations are getting complexer and of course better, so you learn more by refactoring you code. You learn about requests, respons, json and cookies, swiff and classes and there inheritance concept, also about writing your own class and extend them with options, events and chains. The book also covers the basics of the fx.js (where all the wonderfull magic for effects are stored ;-) ). Even more, you read about plug-ins.
  3. Finally, the appendix is rounding off the book.

If you are interested in a robust and modern java script framework (or if you have to be concerning of request by customer ;-) ), mootools and this book is your way to dig in.