Introduction

I was asked by Packt publishing to do a book review of jQuery Mobile: First look. And I accepted. I have done this once before for a book that interested me. I don’t read that many technical books since they tend to bore me really quickly. But I got this one for free so why not.

And it is a subject I blogged about before.

And about jQuery

The book

jQuery Mobile First Look by Giulio Bai

  • Easily create your mobile web applications from scratch with jQuery Mobile
  • Learn the important elements of the framework and mobile web development best practices
  • Customize elements and widgets to match your desired style
  • Step-by-step instructions on how to use jQuery Mobile

Table of Contents

  • Preface
  • Chapter 1: What is jQuery Mobile?
  • Chapter 2: Organizing Content: Pages and Dialogs
  • Chapter 3: Configuring and Extending jQuery Mobile
  • Chapter 4: Reading, Writing, Communicating: Content
  • Chapter 5: Navigation Made Easier: Toolbars
  • Chapter 6: Mobile Clicking: Buttons
  • Chapter 7: Transmitting Information: Forms
  • Chapter 8: Organizing Information: List Views
  • Appendix A: API Calls and Properties
  • Appendix B: Resources and Troubleshooting
  • Index

The review

First of all, this is what jQuery mobile looks like on an iPhone.

You will note that jQuery mobile is in active development and so every book you look at will be out of date, and so is this one. But it is still helpful if you want to get started.

The book starts with an overview of other frameworks that do the same thing. This is however not a very detailed comparison, the author just skims the frameworks and points out why and why not.

And then it goes on by listing all the different controls and shows how to theme them. In essence the book is a better version of the jQuery mobile documentation. The jQuery mobile on line documentation has one big thing going for it, and that is that you can see what it is supposed to look like in real time and how it feels. And that is something you kind of miss with a book.

So I would recommend reading the book and keeping the on line documentation open at all times. Or just try the code that comes with the book. Trying jQuery mobile is very easy and it will work in any browser even on your laptop or desktop.

Conclusion

If you are up to speed with html, css and jQuery you can buy this book to be up to speed with jQuery mobile in no time flat. If you already know jQuery mobile than this is not the book for you.