Beginning JavaScript

JavaScript is the preferred programming language for Web page applications, letting you enhance your sites with interactive, dynamic, and personalized pages. This fully updated guide shows you how to take advantage of JavaScript's client-side scripting techniques for the newest versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer, even if you've never programmed before.

You begin with basic syntax and learn about data types and how to structure code for decision-making. Then you learn to use dates, strings, and other basic objects of JavaScript. Next, you see how to use JavaScript to manipulate objects provided by the browser, such as forms and windows. From there, you move into advanced topics like using cookies and dynamic HTML.

After you have a solid foundation, you explore dynamic generation of Web content using server-side scripting and back-end databases. And you practice what you learn by building a sample application as you go.

What does this book cover?

Here are some of the things you'll find in this book:

What types of data are used in JavaScript How to identify and correct flaws in your code Techniques for programming the browser How to use Microsoft Script Debugger and Netscape Script Debugger Ways to manage cross-browser issues How JavaScript interacts with XML and HTML

Who is this book for?

This book is for anyone who wants to learn JavaScript programming. You should have some understanding of HTML and how to create static Web pages, but no prior programming experience is necessary.

Author Notes

Paul Wilton. After an initial start as a Visual Basic applications programmer at the Ministry of Defense in the U.K., Paul found himself pulled into the Net. Having joined an Internet development company, he spent the last 5 years helping create Internet solutions and is currently working on an e-commerce website for a major British bank.
Paul's main skills are in developing web front ends using DHTML, JavaScript, VBScript, and Visual Basic, and back-end solutions with ASP, Visual Basic, and SQL Server. Currently, in between web development projects, he is learning Palm OS programming.

Introduction	p. xix
Chapter 1 Introduction to JavaScript and the Web	p. 1
Introduction to JavaScript	p. 1
Tools Needed to Create JavaScript Web Applications	p. 4
The [left angle bracket]script[right angle bracket] Tag and Your First Simple JavaScript Program	p. 5
A Brief Look at Browsers and Compatibility Problems	p. 12
Introducing the Trivia Quiz	p. 14
Summary	p. 18
Chapter 2 Data Types and Variables	p. 19
Types of Data in JavaScript	p. 19
Variables--Storing Data in Memory	p. 22
Setting Up Your Browser for Errors	p. 28
Using Data--Calculations and Basic String Manipulation	p. 35
Data Type Conversion	p. 45
Arrays	p. 49
The Trivia Quiz--Storing the Questions Using Arrays	p. 58
Summary	p. 61
Exercise Questions	p. 62
Chapter 3 Decisions, Loops, and Functions	p. 63
Decision Making--The if and switch Statements	p. 64
Looping--The for and while Statements	p. 84
Functions	p. 92
The Trivia Quiz--Building One of the Basic Functions	p. 97
Summary	p. 100
Exercise Questions	p. 102
Chapter 4 JavaScript--An Object-Based Language	p. 105
Object-Based Programming	p. 105
The JavaScript Native Objects	p. 111
Summary	p. 155
Exercise Questions	p. 156
Chapter 5 Programming the Browser	p. 157
Introduction to the Browser Objects	p. 158
Summary	p. 183
Exercise Questions	p. 185
Chapter 6 HTML Forms--Interacting with the User	p. 187
HTML Forms	p. 188
HTML Elements in Forms	p. 191
The Trivia Quiz	p. 228
Summary	p. 233
Exercises	p. 235
Chapter 7 Windows and Frames	p. 237
Frames and the window Object	p. 238
Opening New Windows	p. 257
Security	p. 270
Trivia Quiz	p. 271
Summary	p. 288
Exercise Questions	p. 289
Chapter 8 String Manipulation	p. 291
Additional String Methods	p. 292
Regular Expressions	p. 297
The String Object--split(), replace(), search(), and match() Methods	p. 312
Using the RegExp Object's Constructor	p. 322
The Trivia Quiz	p. 323
Summary	p. 330
Exercise Questions	p. 330
Chapter 9 Date, Time, and Timers	p. 333
World Time	p. 334
Timers in a Web Page	p. 347
The Trivia Quiz	p. 357
Summary	p. 363
Exercise Questions	p. 364
Chapter 10 Common Mistakes, Debugging, and Error Handling	p. 365
I Can't Believe I Just Did That: Some Common Mistakes	p. 365
Microsoft Script Debugger	p. 371
Netscape Debugging	p. 391
Error Handling	p. 400
Summary	p. 411
Exercise Questions	p. 412
Chapter 11 Storing Information: Cookies	p. 415
Baking Our First Cookie	p. 415
Creating a Cookie	p. 427
Getting a Cookie's Value	p. 431
Cookie Limitations	p. 437
Cookie Security and IE6	p. 438
Summary	p. 443
Exercise Questions	p. 444
Chapter 12 Dynamic HTML in Early Browsers	p. 445
Style Sheets	p. 446
Dynamic HTML in Internet Explorer 4.0+	p. 454
Dynamic HTML in Netscape Navigator 4.x	p. 489
Cross Browser IE 4.0+ and NN 4.x DHTML	p. 514
Summary	p. 519
Exercise Questions	p. 520
Chapter 13 Dynamic HTML in Modern Browsers	p. 521
Why Do We Need Web Standards?	p. 522
The Web Standards	p. 524
The Document Object Model	p. 527
Writing Cross-Browser DHTML Using the DOM	p. 557
Summary	p. 580
Exercise Questions	p. 580
Chapter 14 JavaScript and XML	p. 583
What Is XML Used for?	p. 583
The Basics of XML	p. 584
Altering the Look of Our XML	p. 602
Manipulating XML with JavaScript	p. 613
Summary	p. 624
Exercise Questions	p. 624
Chapter 15 Using ActiveX and Plug-Ins with JavaScript	p. 627
Checking for and Embedding Plug-Ins on Netscape Navigator	p. 628
Checking For and Embedding ActiveX Controls on Internet Explorer	p. 634
Using Plug-Ins and ActiveX Controls	p. 638
Summary	p. 646
Exercise Question	p. 647
Chapter 16 Server-Side Scripting with ASP	p. 649
What Is Server-Side Scripting?	p. 649
Personal Web Server (IIS)	p. 651
Introduction to Active Server Pages	p. 667
ASP Objects	p. 673
Trivia Quiz Goes Server-Side	p. 713
Summary	p. 719
Exercise Questions	p. 720
Chapter 17 Databases	p. 721
A Brief Guide to Databases	p. 722
Accessing Databases from a Web Page	p. 746
Trivia Quiz	p. 770
Summary	p. 795
Exercise Questions	p. 796
Appendix A Exercise Solutions	p. 797
Chapter 2	p. 797
Chapter 3	p. 799
Chapter 4	p. 803
Chapter 5	p. 807
Chapter 6	p. 812
Chapter 7	p. 818
Chapter 8	p. 826
Chapter 9	p. 829
Chapter 10	p. 833
Chapter 11	p. 836
Chapter 12	p. 841
Chapter 13	p. 850
Chapter 14	p. 853
Chapter 15	p. 856
Chapter 16	p. 858
Chapter 17	p. 870
Appendix B JavaScript Core Reference	p. 885
Browser Reference	p. 885
Reserved Words	p. 885
JavaScript Operators	p. 887
JavaScript Statements	p. 893
Top-Level Properties and Functions	p. 898
JavaScript Core Objects	p. 900
Appendix C JavaScript Client Reference	p. 923
Browser Support for JavaScript	p. 923
Operators	p. 924
Statements	p. 924
Events	p. 924
Top-Level Functions	p. 926
Objects	p. 926
Appendix D Latin-1 Character Set	p. 949
Index	p. 957

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