Press releases

Canvas Pocket Reference: Scripted Graphics for HTML5--New from O'Reilly

Sebastopol, CA—The Canvas element is a revolutionary feature of HTML5 that enables powerful graphics for rich Internet applications, and this pocket reference provides the essentials you need to put this element to work. If you have working knowledge of JavaScript, Canvas Pocket Reference (O'Reilly Media, $12.99 USD) will help you create detailed, interactive, and animated graphics—from charts to animations to video games—whether you're a web designer or a programmer interested in graphics.

"The Canvas tag is a revolutionary advance in what we can do with web browsers," says author David Flanagan. "I really do think that the client-side graphics enabled by the Canvas tag has the potential to change the web. The Canvas tag is one of the most important features of HTML5. And, it's fun to program!"

"Readers will learn everything they need to know about scripted client-side graphics and will be able to draw whatever they want in their web pages: this might be scientific data visualizations, a video game, or cool special effects. In short, readers will learn to master their pixels!"

This book provides both a tutorial that covers all of the element's features with plenty of examples and a definitive reference to each of the Canvas-related classes, methods, and properties.

You'll learn how to:

• Draw lines, polygons, and curves
• Apply colors, gradients, patterns, and transparency
• Use transformations to smoothly rotate and resize drawings
• Work with text in a graphic environment
• Apply shadows to create a sense of depth
• Incorporate bitmapped images into vector graphics
• Perform image processing operations in JavaScript

"The Canvas tag," Flanagan promises, "makes web programming fun again."

Speaking of fun, try David's holiday bookmarklet, a marvelous example of splendid Canvas coding.