D3.js in Action: Data visualization with JavaScript

D3.js in Action is a great book on D3v4 but, just like Interactive Data Visualization for the Web: An Introduction to Designing with D3 , it is not for everyone. Someone looking for a book on D3.js and D3v4 in particular would most likely hesitate between these two options so it's only logical to compare them. D3.js in Action is much more ambitious in scope and complexity. The flip side of that is that it doesn't have the gentle pace of Interactive Data Visualization for the Web. As such, I would recommend D3.js in Action for people who either have experience with front-end development or with earlier versions of D3.js. D3.js in Action could also be seen as the tome 2 to Interactive Data Visualization for the Web. I found parts 2 and 3 of the book to be the most relevant. Part 2 covers more advanced use cases of D3.js such as hierarchical layouts. While there is ample documentation and examples on the web on how to do that, to the best of my knowledge, this wasn't covered in a book until now. Part 3 goes beyond D3.js, with a very topical discussion on how D3.js and React can share responsibilities, or on mixed-mode rendering - that is, how to create visualizations that mix Canvas and SVG. D3v4 brings new features for canvas rendering, so it's a very welcome addition. Overall D3.js in Action offers a unique perspective on this subject and is a great resource to learn more advanced aspects of D3.js.

I purchased this through the Manning Early Access Program (MEAP). D3 in Action Second Ed. is a wonderful guided tour of D3 v4. I have also read Interactive Data Visualization, which was also fantastic. I read the first version of that book and it covered D3 v3, so by the time I went to use it, a lot of the API had changed. I see that D3 IDV has a newer version too. I think it would be useful to compare these two great books. D3 IDV served as a great primer. It has a little more hand holding and step by step. By the end of that book, you'll know how the API works and should be able to explore examples online to do whatever you want. D3 in Action, on the other hand, feels more complete. It also has step by step, but takes it a quicker pace, without missing any necessary details. After reading D3 in Action, I don't feel that I have to find the examples online. We have already covered scaling, axis, bar charts, geographic maps, pie charts, nested data, graph data, layouts, you name it, this book has covered it in sufficient depth for you to get up and running. D3 in Action is a full tour of D3, whereas D3 Interactive Data Visualization is a focus on fundamentals. I recommend both books, but this one will continue to serve you into the future as a desktop reference.

Data visualization is an expanding field that likely has a long-term future in world economies. And D3.js is a powerful JavaScript library for creating dynamic, interactive data visualizations that can be viewed in web browsers. Whether you are planning a career in data visualization or are already working in the field with some other library or method, such as the R programming language, you likely will want to add D3.js to your resume. "D3.js in Action" provides an overview of D3.js fundamentals and data visualizations basics, complex data visualizations using D3.js, and advanced techniques, including creating an interactive application that uses React and D3.js. To me, the early parts of the book's first section take a somewhat murky approach to introducing D3.js. (But JavaScript, HTML and CSS themselves can be murky, too, for beginners.) The book becomes more enticing in the second and third parts. And, since I've worked with React, I appreciate the opportunity to create a small, interactive app using the book, React and D3.js, even though, as the author cautions; "the challenge of integrating D3 with React is that React and D3 both want to control the DOM. The entire select/enter/exit/update pattern with D3 is in direct conflict with React and its virtual DOM." This is an excellent problem to confront now, before you are tossed into a new assignment or job with a short deadline and must sort out the battle of the DOM while also learning D3.js or React. I do not recommend this book for beginners new to JavaScript, HTML, CSS *and* D3.js. But if you have some JavaScript and HTML/CSS experience, plus the need and/or desire to learn D3.js, this book definitely is a "keeper," as we say here in the South. There is much to learn and plenty of examples to help guide you. You'll want to keep this one handy in your library. So why should you learn D3.js? Elijah Meeks, the author, makes some compelling arguments. "Although the ability to create rich and varied graphics is one of D3's strong points, more important for modern web development is the ability to embed the high level of interactivity that users expect. With D3, every element of every chart, from a spinning globe to a single, thin slice of a pie chart, is made interactive in the same way. And because D3 was written by someone well versed in data visualization practice, it includes interactive components and behaviors that are standard in data visualization and web development." And:: "You learn D3 because it gives you the ability to implement almost every major data visualization technique. It also gives you the power to create your *own* data visualization techniques, something a more general library can't do." My four-star rating for this book actually represents four and a half stars. "D3.js in Action" is an important guide for developing some data visualization skills while also learning how to use the powerful and important D3.js JavaScript library. Just be sure you have some web development experience before diving in. (My thanks to Manning Books for providing an advance reading copy for review.) .

This welcomed second edition of D3.js in Action is a lovely and colorful book. It covers the entire scope of the D3 library, teaching you how to use color and make simple charts as well as maps and networks. It has a chapter on React showing you how to use D3 with React in different ways. It walks you through the basics of D3 and shows you how to build your own custom data visualization in reusable ways that integrate well with other programs. The author does a great job of introducing fundamentals of D3 and data visualization and even includes short examples in most chapters from real world data visualization to show you how these charts are used.

Kind of messy and will make you think it is more difficult than it really is. Just get the code and walk around it by yourself. There is better info in google for free

Het boek geeft een goed overzicht van wat je allemaal met d3js kan doen, maar het voelt al wat gedateerd aan. (Het gaat over versie 4 van d3, terwijl op het moment van lezen al versie 7 uit is.) Mijn bedoeling was me rustig met een boek in een hoekje terug te trekken en me door het boek te werken, maar dit boek vraagt meer tijd achter de computer dan vergelijkbare boeken om verschillende redenen: 1. het geleverd boek is zwart-wit, terwijl de voorbeelden net heel veel gebruik maken van kleur en je dus moet raden wat de bedoeling zou zijn. Je moet dus regelmatig naar het e-book of de git-repository. (Dat zwart-wit zijn kan wel de verschillende prijzen van het boek verklaren op andere websites) 2. er zitten wel wat fouten in de codevoorbeelden, dus je moet hiervoor opnieuw naar de git-repository, waar de correcte code staat. 3. de kracht van D3 zit in de interactiviteit, en dat kan je moeilijk in een boek ervaren. Verder vind ik de codevoorbeelden niet op de helderste manier uitgewerkt.

Great book, well structured examples which develop a data model to be an all singing all dancing js example. Good explanations

The book has good intentions but I'd have preferred a more systematic look at d3's features. It seems to jump around a lot, introduce a concept, promise to explain it later and then only touch on it briefly when it does. The code examples can be unclear due to the way they are presented. Overall it's OK but I think there are probably better books out there, especially if you are a complete beginner with d3.