[Review] Django and Javascript Integration: A balanced discourse for advanced developers
Django and Javascript Integration: AJAX and jQuery written by Jonathan Hayward and published recently (Jan 2011) is an excellent and balanced discourse about how application usability issues can be solved through the appropriate use of jQuery scripting, backed by a robust Django backend.
The book offers detailed examples illustrating how form validation, sign-up, login, edit in-place and search autocomplete can be implemented in a user-centric manner by coupling jQuery and Django in a pythonic manner.
How the Book is organized
Jonathan Hayward guides us through eleven chapters of fascinating read. His examples and explanations certainly validate a lot of the techniques that we have already used (and are using) in our various projects - including our mobile web implementation for ETH Zurich and large scale web apps for University of Southern California and Senatus.The eleven chapters are organized as following:-
Chapter 1: jQuery and Ajax Integration in Django
Chapter 2: jQuery - the Most Common JavaScript Framework
Chapter 3: jQuery - Validating Form Input on the Server Side
Chapter 4: Server-side Database Search with Ajax
Chapter 5: Signing Up and Logging into a Website Using Ajax
Chapter 6: jQuery In-place Editing Using Ajax
Chapter 7: Using jQuery UI Autocomplete in Django Templates
Chapter 8: Django ModelForm: a CSS Makeover
Chapter 9: Database and Search Handling
Chapter 10: Tinkering Around: Bugfixes, Friendler Password Input and a Directory That Tells Local Time
Chapter 11: Usability for Hackers
Chapter Extracts
Here's a sneak peek at what happens in 3 select chapters in the book.In chapter 2, Jonathan discusses jQuery and summarizes the various ways ajax calls are made and different ways jQuery APIs can be used. Towards the end of this chapter, Django is brought into the picture briefly and he explains how a json url (defined in django) is related to an ajax call (by jQuery).
In chapter 3, Jonathan raises interesting examples on how credit card and phone numbers could be stored in the database via Django ORM while balancing between preserving user-provided formatting, site security and data re-usability. He correctly pointed out the need to be user-centric in form design and avoiding mistakes (such as forcing users to provide data restricted to USA-format) made by sites of a bygone era.
Chapter 11 is entitled "usability for hackers". This is a topic which is particularly interesting for me because this is my specific area of interest and passion. He talks about anthropology as the foundation of usability and explains why Django developers - as a fortunate by-product and consequence of the framework design and (Python) language design - tend to be user-centric in their implementations and often share anthropologists' strengths.
Good Job by Jonathan Hayward and Packt Publishing
I have always enjoyed - as a personal preference - Apress books more compared to Packt Publishing's but this might just be the one that changes my mind. This is a job well-done by Jonathan Hayward and I would certainly recommend intermediate/advanced Django developers to consider buying this book and hear what Jonathan has to say.And finally, here's a link to chapter 10 of the book for you, compliments of Packt Publishing and my little token to you for bearing with this book review! :-)
Absolutely free for you to download and read; before making your own buy-or-not decision! Have fun!
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