The only thing you'll need for this book is a computer and text editor. Your operating system will come with a text editor, and any will do, but if you are using Windows I recommend using Notepad++ (http://notepad-plus-plus.org/), VI if you are using Linux, and Textmate if on OSX. An Internet connection will be required to view the maps, and you'll also need a modern web browser such as Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, or Opera. While a modern browser is required to get the most of the library, OpenLayers even provides support for non standards based browsers such as Internet Explorer (even IE6, to some extent).

No knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is required, nor is extensive JavaScript experience. A basic understanding of JavaScript syntax and HTML / CSS will greatly aid in understanding the material, but is not required.

Chapter 1: Getting Started with OpenLayers. This chapter will introduce OpenLayers and some programming concepts behind it. It covers how to create a map, walking through how to set up the code and configure various settings.

Chapter 2: Squashing Bugs with Firebug. This chapter will cover setting up the Firebug plugin, which we'll use throughout the book, so that we can do simple debugging and better understand how OpenLayers works behind the scenes.

Chapter 3: The 'Layers' in OpenLayers. Here, we'll cover one of the core classes of OpenLayers—the Layer class. We'll discuss what a 'Layer' is, how to work with layers and the different layer classes.

Chapter 4: Wrapping our Heads Around Projections. This chapter will cover a few basic geography concepts and why understanding them will help us use OpenLayers. We'll also cover projections, why they are used, and how to use them.

Chapter 5: Interacting With Third Party APIs. This chapter will focus on creating an OpenLayers map using different third party APIs, such as Google Maps and OpenStreetMaps.

Chapter 6: Taking Control of Controls. We'll cover another core class of OpenLayers, the Control class. We'll cover what controls are and discuss the various types of controls, along with how to work with the events.

Chapter 7: Giving Controls Some Style. This chapter will walk through how OpenLayers uses CSS to style controls.

Chapter 8: Charting the Map Class. This chapter will discuss another core component of OpenLayers—the Map class. We'll learn about how to map functions and their properties, along with how to set up multiple maps on the same page.

Chapter 9: Using Vector Layers. Here, we'll learn what a Vector layer is and how it works. We'll also cover how to work with the data, such as KML files.

Chapter 10: Vector Layer Style Guide. In this chapter we'll cover how to style the vector layer and how to use the Rule and Filter classes.

Chapter 11: Creating Web Map Applications. This final chapter will go over how to build a web-mapping application from scratch, and how to use the OpenLayers build file.

This book is for anyone who has any interest in using maps on their website, from hobbyists to professional web developers. OpenLayers provides a powerful, but easy-to-use, pure JavaScript and HTML (no third-party plug-ins involved) toolkit to quickly make cross-browser web maps. A basic understanding of JavaScript will be helpful, but there is no prior knowledge required to use this book. If you've never worked with maps before, this book will introduce you to some common mapping topics and gently guide you through the OpenLayers library. If you're an experienced application developer, this book will also serve as a reference to the core components of OpenLayers.

This book is primarily designed to be read from start to finish, with chapters building on each other and increasing in complexity. At the same time, however, the chapters are modular so that each can also serve as reference once you've learned the material. This book should preferably be read straight through first, of course, and then serve as a reference later.

In this book, you will find several headings appearing frequently.

To give clear instructions of how to complete a procedure or task, we use:

Instructions often need some extra explanation so that they make sense, so they are followed with:

Lines [21] to [23]
  if(!map.getCenter()){
    map.zoomToMaxExtent();
  }

  var wms_layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.WMS(
    'WMS Layer Title',
    'http://vmap0.tiles.osgeo.org/wms/vmap0',
    {layers: 'basic'},
    {}
  );

Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book—what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us to develop titles that you really get the most out of.

To send us general feedback, simply send an e-mail to <[email protected]>, and mention the book title via the subject of your message.

If there is a book that you need and would like to see us publish, please send us a note in the SUGGEST A TITLE form on www.packtpub.com or e-mail <[email protected]>.

If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide on www.packtpub.com/authors.

Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.

You can download the example code files for all Packt books you have purchased from your account at http://www.PacktPub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.PacktPub.com/support and register to have the files e-mailed directly to you.