This book was written to provide solid technical guidance to developers who wish to build web sites, browser extensions, and desktop applications using Internet Explorer 8 and 9. During my time on the IE engineering team at Microsoft (and as a web developer before that), I noticed a lack of easy-to-understand and up-to-date information regarding the IE development process.
The release of IE 9 has allowed Microsoft to regain legitimacy in the online space after almost a decade of slipping market share and sour relations with the web development community. This renewed relevancy means IE can no longer be an afterthought or a set of bug fixes for web developers, but rather part of the primary web and browser extension development cycle. Developers need to renew their understanding of this browser, especially IE 9, as it re-emerges as a modern and mainstream development platform.
I hope that this text enables you to grasp key concepts of IE 8 and IE 9 programming quickly and effectively. Using the concepts and examples provided within, you will learn how to create and maintain powerful browser, application and web service software that both uses and extends the functionality of Microsoft's next-generation Internet platform.
This book aids developers in the process of creating browser, application, and web service software that extends the functionality of IE. It will allow you to:
Understand the architecture and design of IE
Build browser-based extensions such as ActiveX controls, toolbars, Explorer bars, Browser Helper objects, and pluggable protocols
Extend existing web services with Accelerators, Web Slices, and search providers
Enhance applications using IE APIs, COM objects, and controls
Design extensions that integrate with Windows security features
Debug applications designed for IE
Address compatibility and upgrade scenarios for applications
Utilize powerful tools for enhancing extension development
Master best practices in constructing world-class applications
Intermediate to advanced developers make up most of this book's intended audience. This book assumes you are familiar with HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Later sections require some understanding of C++ and/or C#. COM/COM+ programming experience is useful in some areas; however, the examples are clear enough that it is not necessary.
This text, while geared toward code-minded individuals, is also meant for a larger segment of the web community. Potential readers include:
Entrepreneurs seeking new ideas for development and deployment
Product planners looking to create new features based on IE's development framework
Marketers pitching add-ons to consumers or enterprise administrators
Hobbyists interested in web browsers and Internet programming
IE is a rich application platform covering the cloud, the desktop, and everything in between. While I cannot cover every nuance and area that IE's API touches, I've organized this book in a way that teaches a breadth of topics without sacrificing the needed depth in each one.
Apart from the first chapter, this book covers topics using a top-down approach from the Web to the desktop. The general areas of this book (reflected by the chapter ordering) are as follows:
Browser architecture (Chapter 1): This part gives an introduction to the history, intent, and architecture of the IE platform. It provides a full architectural overview of the browser and its interactions with web services and the operating system. This chapter makes it easy to understand topics covered in subsequent chapters.
Web applications (Chapters 2, 3, 5, and 7): These chapters include an overview of web improvements in the IE platform. Topics include HTML and CSS standards support, DOM additions, Ajax and JSON features, and accessibility improvements. You will learn how web applications can be enhanced by using the new (and cross-browser) features added in the latest version of the browser.
Web service extensions (Chapter 4, 8, and 9): This part introduces web service interactions. Chapters within this section reveal many ways you can design applications that bridge the gap between the browser UI and web services. Accelerators, Web Slices, search providers, and many more applications are discussed in detail. Advanced topics and best practices are also presented, providing a convenient reference guide.
Browser extensions (Chapters 10, 12, 13, and 14): These chapters include lessons on constructing and deploying browser extensions. I teach you how to build and interact with a number of extensibility services, including Browser Helper objects, ActiveX controls, toolbars, and Explorer bars. Each chapter includes advanced topics and best practices that can be referred to on a regular basis.
Desktop applications and scripts (Chapters 11 and 15): The chapters in this part focus on desktop applications and scripts interacting with the browser platform. Sections include an introduction to the WebBrowser control and a how-to guide for scripting the browser.
This book covers a wide range of topics relevant to building applications for IE 8 and IE 9, but it may not provide all the answers you seek. I encourage you to use the following resources in your development projects if you have questions, notice missing information, or find an error in the text:
The Microsoft Developer Network (
http://msdn.microsoft.com): MSDN is a big online help file used by many developers when creating applications for the Windows operating system. IE has a fair amount of documentation, articles, and videos online, especially with the release of IE 9.The Code Project (
www.thecodeproject.com): The Code Project is a well-known resource for aspiring developers of IE extensions and applications. There are a large number of tutorials, open source examples, and completed projects that guide users through creating the most common extensions for the browser in a variety of languages.
Microsoft CodePlex (www.codeplex.com): CodePlex is Microsoft's open source project site. It provides developers with storage, versioning, promotion, and communication resources for open source development projects. If you are looking for a place to post your IE projects, this is a great option.