Rapid Application Development with Mozilla™

Rapid Application Development with Mozilla™

by Nigel McFarlane
Released November 2003
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 0131423436

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Book description

Rapid Application Development with Mozilla, part of the Bruce Perens Open Source Series, is a concise guide for any programmer who wants to learn the versatility and compatibility of Mozilla, an open source toolset with over a thousand objects and components. An additional feature of Rapid Application Development with Mozilla is the NoteTaker Web browser add-on-a sample Mozilla application that is developed throughout the book. Written by Web and XML expert Nigel McFarlane, this book is the perfect addition to the library of any user-interface software engineer, cross-platform developer, or any programmer looking to discover the benefits of rapid application development.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Bruce Perens' Open Source Series
  3. About Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction: Welcome to Software Development the Mozilla Way
  6. Fundamental Concepts
    1. Understanding Mozilla Product Names
    2. The XML Environment
    3. Platform Concepts
    4. The RAD Environment
    5. Effective RAD Projects with Mozilla
    6. Hands On: Cranking Up the Platform
    7. Debug Corner: Debugging from Outside
    8. Summary
  7. XUL Layout
    1. XUL Means Boxes
    2. Principles of XUL Layout
    3. Box Layout Tags
    4. A Box Improvement: <GROUPBOX> and <CAPTION>
    5. General-Purpose XUL Attributes
    6. Good Coding Practices for XUL
    7. Style Options
    8. Hands On: NoteTaker Boilerplate
    9. Debug Corner: Detecting Bad XUL
    10. Summary
  8. Static Content
    1. XUL and HTML Compared
    2. XUL Content Tags
    3. Understanding Font Systems
    4. Style Options
    5. Hands On: NoteTaker Boilerplate
    6. Debug Corner: The DOM Inspector
    7. Summary
  9. First Widgets and Themes
    1. What Makes a Button a Button?
    2. The Origins of XUL Widgets
    3. XUL Buttons
    4. Themes and Skins
    5. Style Options
    6. Hands On: NoteTaker Buttons and Themes
    7. Debug Corner: Diagnosing Buttons and Skins
    8. Summary
  10. Scripting
    1. JavaScript's Role as a Language
    2. Standards, Browsers, and <script>
    3. ECMAScript Edition 3
    4. Language Enhancements
    5. Mozilla's Scriptable Interfaces
    6. Hands On: NoteTaker Dynamic Content
    7. Debug Corner: Script Diagnosis
    8. Summary
  11. Events
    1. How Mozilla Handles Events
    2. How Keystrokes Work
    3. How Mouse Gestures Work
    4. Style Options
    5. Hands On: NoteTaker User Input
    6. Debug Corner: Detecting Events
    7. Summary
  12. Forms and Menus
    1. XUL and HTML Forms Compared
    2. Where to Find Information on Menus
    3. Forms
    4. Menus
    5. Style Options
    6. Hands On: NoteTaker Events and Forms
    7. Debug Corner: Diagnosing Events and Forms
    8. Summary
  13. Navigation
    1. Navigation Systems
    2. Navigation Widgets
    3. Style Options
    4. Hands On: NoteTaker Toolbars and Tabs
    5. Debug Corner: Navigation Problems
    6. Summary
  14. Commands
    1. Commands and Mozilla
    2. Command Concepts
    3. How Commands Are Started
    4. Using Commands Via XUL
    5. Using Commands Via the AOM
    6. Commands and XPCOM Components
    7. Existing Commands
    8. Style Options
    9. Hands On: Command Design
    10. Debug Corner: Catching Unexpected Commands
    11. Summary
  15. Windows and Panes
    1. Ordinary <window> Windows
    2. Popup Content
    3. Dialog Boxes
    4. JavaScript Window Creation
    5. Embedding Documents in Panes
    6. Mixing Documents
    7. Managing Existing Windows
    8. Style Options
    9. Hands On: NoteTaker Dialogs
    10. Debug Corner: Diagnostic Windows
    11. Summary
  16. RDF
    1. Mozilla Uses of RDF
    2. Learning Strategies for RDF
    3. A Tutorial on Facts
    4. RDF Syntax
    5. RDF Examples
    6. Hands On: NoteTaker: Data Models
    7. Debug Corner: Dumping RDF
    8. Summary
  17. Overlays and Chrome
    1. Overlays
    2. The Chrome Registry
    3. Persisting Window State
    4. Related AOM and XPCOM Objects
    5. Hands On: The NoteTaker Toolbar
    6. Debug Corner: Overlay Tips
    7. Summary
  18. Listboxes and Trees
    1. Text Grids
    2. Listboxes
    3. Trees
    4. Style Options
    5. Hands On: Notetaker: The Keywords Panel
    6. Debug Corner: Making <LISTBOX> and <TREE> Work
    7. Summary
  19. Templates
    1. An Example Template: Hello, World
    2. Template Concepts
    3. Template Construction
    4. Common Query Patterns
    5. Template Lifecycle
    6. Scripting
    7. Style Options
    8. Hands On: NoteTaker Data Made Live
    9. Debug Corner: Template Survival Guide
    10. Summary
  20. XBL Bindings
    1. Binding Concepts
    2. Constructing One XBL Binding
    3. Combining Multiple Bindings
    4. How Bindings Are Processed
    5. Scripting
    6. Style Options
    7. Hands On: The <noteplacer> Tag
    8. Debug Corner: XBL Diagnosis
    9. Summary
  21. XPCOM Objects
    1. Concepts and Terms
    2. General-Purpose Scripting
    3. Data Transfer
    4. Web Scripting
    5. Platform Configuration
    6. Hands On: Saving and Loading NoteTaker Notes
    7. Debug Corner: Working with Data Sources
    8. Summary
  22. Deployment
    1. Overview of Install Strategies
    2. Steps Toward Remote Deployment
    3. Install Technologies
    4. Hands On: Bundling Up Notetaker
    5. Debug Corner: Logging and Testing
    6. Summary
  23. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: Rapid Application Development with Mozilla™
  • Author(s): Nigel McFarlane
  • Release date: November 2003
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 0131423436