JavaScript Reference and Specs

In this section we will get acquainted with reference books and specifications.

If you are just starting to learn, they are unlikely to be needed right now. In this case, take note of this page, later they will be useful to you.

Directories, and how to search in them

The most complete and detailed information on JavaScript and browsers is in reference books.

Its volume is such that it is impossible to translate everything from English. It is not even possible to make a “single complete reference book”, since there are many changes and they are constantly occurring.

Nevertheless, it is quite possible to live if you know where to look.

There are three basic javascript references in English :

1. Mozilla Developer Network - contains information that is correct for the main browsers. Also, there are only extensions for Firefox, they are marked.

   When I need to quickly find “standard” information on RegExp - I enter “RegExp MDC” into Google, and the keyword “MDC” (Mozilla Developer Center) leads to information from this directory.

2. MSDN - reference book from Microsoft. There is a lot of information there, including JavaScript (they call it “JScript”). If you need something that is specific to IE, it’s better to go there right away.

   For example, for information about the features of RegExp in IE - a useful combination: "RegExp msdn" . Sometimes it is better to add the term “JScript” to the search phrase: “RegExp msdn jscript” .

3. The Safari Developer Library is less well known and less common, but you can also find valuable information in it.

There are also reference books, not from browser developers, but also good ones:

1. http://help.dottoro.com - contains detailed information on HTML / CSS / JavaScript.
2. http://javascript.ru/manual - reference for JavaScript in Russian, it contains basic information on the language, without functions to work with the document. You can contact him at the address if you know what to look for. For example, like this: http://javascript.ru/RegExp.
3. http://www.quirksmode.org - information about the support of certain features and incompatibilities.
   To search, you can use the combination of "quirksmode onkeypress" in Google.

Specs

The specification is the most important, defining document in which it is written how JavaScript behaves, browser, CSS, etc.

If something is not clear, and the directory does not give an answer, the specification, as a rule, reveals the topic much deeper and allows you to dot the i.

ECMAScript specification

The specification (a formal description of the syntax, basic objects and algorithms) of the Javascript language is called ECMAScript.

Her translation is on the website in the standard language section.

The specification can tell a lot about how a language works, and is the most fundamental, trusted source of information.

We live in a time when things change quickly. The modern standard is ECMA-262 5.1 (or just ES5), supported by all modern browsers.

The new specification of ES6 is just around the corner, with many more useful features that make development faster and more fun.

HTML / CSS specifications

JavaScript is a general purpose language, so there is not a word about browsers in the ECMAScript specification.

Relevant information can be found on w3.org. There are standards for HTML, CSS and many others.

Unfortunately, finding what you need in this pile may not be easy, especially when it is not known which standard to look for. The best way is to ask Google for the site.

For example, to search document.cookie type document.cookie site: w3.org.

The latest standards are located on the domain dev.w3.org.

Total

So, let's see what we have sources of information.

Directories:

• Mozilla Developer Network - information for Firefox and most browsers.
  Google combo: "RegExp MDC" , the keyword "MDC".
• MSDN - information on IE.
  Google combo: "RegExp msdn" . Sometimes it is better to add the term "JScript": "RegExp msdn jscript" .
• Safari Developer Library - information on Safari.
• http://help.dottoro.com - detailed information on HTML / CSS / JavaScript, taking into account browser compatibility.
  Google combo: "RegExp dottoro" .
• http://javascript.ru/manual - reference for javascript in Russian. You can contact him at the address if you know what to look for. For example, like this: http://javascript.ru/RegExp.
  Google combo: "RegExp site:javascript.ru" .

Specifications contain crucial information about how it “should work”:

• JavaScript, the modern standard of ES5 (English), and the previous ES3 (rus).
• HTML / DOM / CSS on w3.org.
  Google combo: "document.cookie site:w3.org" .

The way it actually works and incompatibilities:

• See http://www.quirksmode.org/. Google combo: "innerHeight quirksmode" .