JavaScript for Not Yet Techies

"Computer Careers: High Tech Jobs to Design Smart Interactive Web Pages"

by Richard Stooker, President Info Ring Press and author of Secrets of Changing to a Computer Career

JavaScript is the next most common Internet technology behind only HTML itself. If you're not careful in your computer career, there’s bound to be some confusion here, between JavaScript and Java.

JavaScript is NOT Java

If it were, it wouldn’t have "script" added on to it.

And that added word "script" is a clue. While Java is full, compiled language, which means it has long programs, JavaScript is a scripting language, designed for small applications. Which means that you may need only a line or two to do what you want.

JavaScript is used on web sites in conjunction with HTML

Java Script is program commands that are embedded right in with HTML. If you don’t know HTML, you should learn that before trying to learn JavaScript. It will make your life much easier, I promise. Java Script is written on the website right alongside the HTML.

You do not need a compiler or anything fancy, as you do to write programs in heavy duty languages such as C or C++. You simply write the Java Script commands into the HTML file.

HTML is static and passive. It tells your browser how to display text and graphics on your web site.

If you have ever gone to an "active" web site, chances are good you’ve seen Java Script in action

You ran your mouse cursor over a picture of a bag of money and the words "Click here to learn how to make a million dollars from home" suddenly appeared. That was JavaScript. You filled out a form but left out a required field and it immediately informed you of your error. That was probably Java Script.

You can see what it looks like by going to such websites and clicking on View and then Page Source. Since you already HTML, the unfamiliar commands you’ll see will be JavaScript.

You can use Java Script to ask your web site visitors questions and, based on their answers, give them advice or product information

JavaScript can actually give training to people by giving feedback based on their answers to questions.

JavaScript is a way to automate your presence on your web site. You control the conversation even though you’re not there, but answer appropriately based on your visitor’s input.

This can save your time, or that of your staff.

Another advantage to it is that, since it is included on the actual web site along with the HTML, it is known as "client side programming."

That means that it runs along with your web visitor’s browser. That means it is on their computer, and therefore it is much faster than the older, CGI programs.

CGI also can create interactive web sites, but they run on your web site’s server. This means that they are often slower, and your web site host will be very particular about your CGI. Many will not let you use your own CGI scripts. You must use their pre-written scripts even if they are not exactly what you want or need.

This is a legitimate security concern for the web site host. A badly written CGI script can crash their server. But JS does give you a lot more flexibility.

Actually, it can be used for server side programming, but that’s not its main value.

JavaScript - Page 2

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