Beginning JavaScript®, Fourth Edition

Chapter 15. JavaScript Frameworks

As you've seen in several examples in this book, especially the latter chapters, the problem with client-side development is the many different web browsers you have to account for. Be it writing event-driven code or an Ajax application, somewhere down the line you'll run into the incompatibilities between the browsers.

Many professional developers found cross-browser development to be too time-consuming and cumbersome to deal with on a daily basis, so they set out to develop frameworks or libraries to aid in their cross-browser development. Some framework authors released their frameworks to the public, and a few of them gained quite a following, like jQuery, Prototype, and MooTools.

In this chapter, you'll take a look at three of the many JavaScript frameworks available on the Internet, and you'll learn how to use them to make your cross-browser development much easier.

Before beginning, a word of note from your authors: There is no doubt that JavaScript frameworks add benefit to your development time and process. But they are no substitute for a solid understanding of the JavaScript language and the intricacies of the different browsers you have to develop for. Frameworks and libraries come and go, but knowledge is forever.

Picking a Framework to Work With

Over the course of several years, the web has seen many JavaScript frameworks, and they can typically be categorized into two groups: general and specialty.

The aim of general frameworks is to balance ...