Preface
Before you begin, it is important to understand the various stylistic nuances employed
throughout this book. Please do not skip this section because it contains information that will aid
you as you read.
jQuery semantics
The term "jQuery function" refers to the jQuery constructor function (jQuery() or alias $()) that
is used to create an instance of the jQuery object.
The term "wrapper set" refers to DOM elements that are wrapped within jQuery methods.
Specifically, this term is used to refer to the elements selected using the jQuery function. You
may have heard this referred to as a "jQuery collection." In this book I will be using the term
"wrapper set" instead of "jQuery collection."
How the book is structured
The book is organized into chapters loosely based on the arrangement of the jQuery API
documentation. Each chapter contains isolated jQuery concepts relevant to the chapter's title.
More code, less words
This book is purposely written with the intention that the reader will examine the code examples
closely. The text should be viewed as secondary to the code itself. It is my opinion that a code
example is actually worth a thousand words. Do not worry if you initially find the explanations in
the book to be confusing. Examine the code. Tinker with it. Reread the code comments. Repeat
this process until the material becomes clear. This is the level of expertise I hope you achieve,
where documented code is all that is necessary for you to understand new development
concepts.
Why oh why did I use alert() for code examples?
Believe me, I hate the alert() method as much as you do. But like it or not, it works reliably in
every browser. To borrow a line from Dr. Seuss: It works "Here, there, and everywhere!" It is not
necessarily ideal, but I did not want the added complexity o f console solutions to adversely
affect code clarity. It is my goal to cut away any code overhead not directly supporting the
concepts being taught.
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