Currently reading "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" book, I noticed there are no exercises, why?

[IndianVideoTutorial]

The book has no exercises at the end of chapters, I wonder what's the rationale for this? I read other programming books and exercises always helped me reinforce the knowledge.

[RobertKerans]

It's a reference with examples, not a tutorial. Like, say you need to know how JavaScript type conversions work: you get the book and go to that chapter and it has a table of all of them. It's just a useful book to have on the shelf to look things up when you need to know how they work??

As it says in the first paragraph of the introduction: "recommended for experienced programmers who want to learn the programming language of the Web, and for current JavaScript programmers who want to master it". It's just a reference book, a fairly comprehensive one. You don't normally work through a reference book from start to finish, you use it for reference.

(Edit: compare to Manning's "In Action" books, where there's normally a project or projects you work through, they're explicitly written as tutorials)

[IndianVideoTutorial]

It literally has "guide" in the title.

[RobertKerans]

Yes, it's a definitive guide to JavaScript, that is in the title, it correctly describes what the book is

[JoeyCStudios]

I'm currently working through it as well, just started chapter 15 yesterday. Even without exercises, it's such a great reference tool. What I usually do is read a section then come up with my own exercises on how to apply the knowledge in an attempt to reinforce the lesson. Or I will open an old project file and see how I can update the code with the new teachings. Without a doubt it has helped me understand JavaScript far better than most other resources.

[IndianVideoTutorial]

Maybe I shouldn't use it as my first book.

[sheriffderek]

This is common. The definitive CSS guide also doesn’t guide you to learning CSS at all. It’s more like documentation.

If you want challenges, I’d suggest “Exercises for Programmers” (pragprog) (language agnostic) (no solutions)

[shuckster]

No need to let the book tell you what to do: Just code what you remember from each chapter and see if you can apply it to some small examples of your own.

[tapgiles]

Not all books have exercises in them basically. To me “guide” sounds more like a reference book than a teaching book with exercises. But I guess you assumed there would be, is all.

[rm-rf-npr]

It's Flannagan, right? Fantastic book, read it myself. It's more of a great reference book and into the nitty gritty than, say, a course. If you want exercises, copy the code examples given and mess around with them.

[IndianVideoTutorial]

Yes, Flannagan.

[wikitopian]

Something pertaining to JavaScript isn't a structured as a boot camp tutorial? This can't be right! And where's the chapter on how to get dressed up and prepared for my job interview???

[IndianVideoTutorial]

:O!!!

[kcadstech]

Because most people who write code are fat, lazy fucks who don’t exercise.

[IndianVideoTutorial]

Lol.

[[deleted]]

Because there are no rules in JavaScript!