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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Learning plan for Exam 70-480

The Microsoft exam 70-480 "Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3" is the first step in a couple of MCSD certification paths. It's common in Web, Windows Store apps and SharePoint technologies.
I share the resources I used to get prepared for this exam. Note however that while I'm relatively new to HTML5, CSS3, I have a long web development experience that helped me.
The points below are copied from the skills being measured section in the exam page, augmented with some recommend resources from my side.

General Resources

Implement and manipulate document structures and objects (24%)

  • Create the document structure
    • Structure the UI by using semantic markup, including for search engines and screen readers (Section, Article, Nav, Header, Footer and Aside); create a layout container in HTML
  • Write code that interacts with UI controls
    • Programmatically add and modify HTML elements; implement media controls; implement HTML5 canvas and SVG graphics
  • Apply styling to HTML elements programmatically
    • Change the location of an element; apply a transform; show and hide elements
  • Implement HTML5 APIs
    • Implement storage APIs, AppCache API and Geolocation API
  • Establish the scope of objects and variables
    • Define the lifetime of variables; keep objects out of the global namespace; use the “this” keyword to reference an object that fired an event; scope variables locally and globally
  • Create and implement objects and methods
    • Implement native objects; create custom objects and custom properties for native objects using prototypes and functions; inherit from an object; implement native methods and create custom methods

Preparation resources



Implement program flow (25%)

  • Implement program flow
    • Iterate across collections and array items; manage program decisions by using switch statements, if/then, and operators; evaluate expressions

  • Raise and handle an event
    • Handle common events exposed by DOM (OnBlur, OnFocus, OnClick); declare and handle bubbled events; handle an event by using an anonymous function
  • Implement exception handling
    • Set and respond to error codes; throw an exception; request for null checks; implement try-catch-finally blocks
  • Implement a callback
    • Receive messages from the HTML5 WebSocket API; use jQuery to make an AJAX call; wire up an event; implement a callback by using anonymous functions; handle the “this” pointer
  • Create a web worker process
    • Start and stop a web worker; pass data to a web worker; configure timeouts and intervals on the web worker; register an event listener for the web worker; limitations of a web worker

Preparation resources


Access and secure data (26%)

  • Validate user input by using HTML5 elements
    • Choose the appropriate controls based on requirements; implement HTML input types and content attributes (for example, required) to collect user input
  • Validate user input by using JavaScript
    • Evaluate a regular expression to validate the input format; validate that you are getting the right kind of data type by using built-in functions; prevent code injection
  • Consume data
    • Consume JSON and XML data; retrieve data by using web services; load data or get data from other sources by using XMLHTTPRequest
  • Serialise, deserialise and transmit data
    • Binary data; text data (JSON, XML); implement the jQuery serialise method; Form.Submit; parse data; send data by using XMLHTTPRequest; sanitise input by using URI/form encoding

Preparation resources


Use CSS3 in applications (25%)

  • Style HTML text properties
    • Apply styles to text appearance (colour, bold, italics); apply styles to text font (WOFF and @font-face, size); apply styles to text alignment, spacing and indentation; apply styles to text hyphenation; apply styles for a text drop shadow
  • Style HTML box properties
    • Apply styles to alter appearance attributes (size, border and rounding border corners, outline, padding, margin); apply styles to alter graphic effects (transparency, opacity, background image, gradients, shadow, clipping); apply styles to establish and change an element’s position (static, relative, absolute, fixed)
  • Create a flexible content layout
    • Implement a layout using a flexible box model; implement a layout using multi-column; implement a layout using position floating and exclusions; implement a layout using grid alignment; implement a layout using regions, grouping and nesting
  • Create an animated and adaptive UI
    • Animate objects by applying CSS transitions; apply 3-D and 2-D transformations; adjust UI based on media queries (device adaptations for output formats, displays and representations); hide or disable controls
  • Find elements by using CSS selectors and jQuery
    • Choose the correct selector to reference an element; define element, style and attribute selectors; find elements by using pseudo-elements and pseudo-classes (for example, :before, :first-line, :first-letter, :target, :lang, :checked, :first-child)
  • Structure a CSS file by using CSS selectors
    • Reference elements correctly; implement inheritance; override inheritance by using !important; style an element based on pseudo-elements and pseudo-classes (for example, :before, :first-line, :first-letter, :target, :lang, :checked, :first-child)

Preparation resources



I hope this helps someone get ready for the exam. Good luck.