JavaScript in Context

1. JavaScript in Context

2. Server-Side Programming

3. Client-Side Programming

4. Combining Client-Side and Server-Side Programming

5. The Development of JavaScript • Java • Developed by Sun Microsystems • Programs designed to be run within Java Environment • An example of a compiled language • JavaScript • An interpreted language • Scripts are executed within a Web Browser

6. Comparing Java and JavaScript

7. The Development of JavaScript • Jscript is a version of JavaScript supported by Internet Explorer • The European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) develops scripting standards • The standard is called ECMAScript but browsers still generally call is JavaScript

8. JavaScript Principles • An object-based programming language • Object • Can be any item, including mouse pointer or window scrollbars • Object • Property (features) • Method • Event • Method • Process/action by which JavaScript manipulates the features of an object • Event • Use event handlers to propagate JavaScript actions

9. DOM object hierarchy

10. DOM Object Method example • One way to send output to the Web document object is; document.write() Method

11. document.write() Method • To write text to a Web page, use the following JavaScript commands: document.write(“text”); or document.writeln(“text”)’ Where text is the content to be written to the page. The doucment.write() and document.writeln() methods are identical, except that the document.writeln() method preserves any line breaks in the text string.

12. Understanding JavaScript Rules and the Use of White Space • JavaScript • Is case sensitive • Ignores most occurrences of extra white space • Line breaks occurring within a statement can cause error • Good practice to not break a statement into several lines

13. A JavaScript program can be: • placed directly in a Web page file • saved in an external text file

14. 1. Inserting JavaScript into a Web Page File • Insert a client-side script in a Web page when using the script element • Comments are useful for hiding scripts from older browsers • Specify alternative content using the nonscript element for browsers that don’t support scripts (or have their script support disabled)

15. Working with the Script Element • Script element • Used to enter scripts into an HTML or XHTML file • Syntax <script type="mime-type"> script commands </script>

16. Supporting Non-JavaScript Browsers • noscript element • Used by browsers that do not support scripts • Syntax <noscript> alternative content </noscript>

17. Supporting Non-JavaScript Browsers • CDATA section • Marks text as data that should not be processed by HTML parsers • Syntax <script type="text/javascript"> <![cdata[ JavaScript code ]]> </script>

18. Commenting JavaScript Code • Comments • Explain what your programs are designed to do and how they work • Multiline comment /* comment statements */ • Single line comment // comment statement

19. Working with Variables • Variable • A named item in a program that stores information • Used to represent values and text strings • Values can change as the program runs

20. Working with Variables and Data • JavaScript variable types: • Numeric variables • String variables • Boolean variables • Null variables • You should declare a variable before using it

21. Working with Variables and Data • Numeric variable- any number, such as 13, 22.5, etc • Can also be expressed in scientific notation • String variable- any group of text characters, such as “Hello” or “Happy Holidays!” • Must be enclosed within either double or single quotations (but not both) • Boolean variable- accepts only true and false values • Null variable- has no value at all

22. Declaring a JavaScript Variable • You can declare variables with any of the following JavaScript commands: var variable; var variable = value; variable = value; Where variable is the name of the variable and value is the initial value of the variable. The first command creates the variable without assigning it a value; the second and third commands both create the variable and assign it a value.

23. Declaring a Variable • Tells JavaScript interpreter to reserve memory space for the variable • Statement to declare a variable var variable; • Declaring three variables var emLink, userName, emServer;

24. Declaring a Variable • Limits on variable names • First character must be either a letter or an underscore character ( _ ) • Remaining characters can be letters, numbers, or underscore characters • Variable names cannot contain spaces • Reserved words cannot be used

25. Writing a Variable Value to a Web Document • Variable • Can be used in place of value it contains • Writing a text string to a Web page var libName = ”Duston Public Library"; document.write(libName); • Plus symbol ( + ) • Can be used to combine variable with text string

26. Working with Expressions and Operators • Expressions are JavaScript commands that assign values and variables • Operators are elements that perform actions within expressions • Arithmetic operators: perform simple mathematical calculations • Binary operators: work on two elements in an expression • Unary operators: work on only one variable • Increment operators: can be used to increase the value of a variable by 1 • Assignment operators: used to assign values in expressions

27. Creating a Function to Perform an Action • Functions • Collection of commands that perform an action or return a value • Include a function name • Include a set of commands that run when function is called • Some require parameters

28. Creating a Function to Perform an Action • Syntax of a JavaScript function function function_name(parameters){ JavaScript commands } • Calling a function function_name(parameter values)

29. Functions and Variable Scope • Variable scope • Indicates where and how the variable can be used in your application • Can be local or global

30. Functions and Variable Scope • Local scope • Variable created within a JavaScript function • Global scope • Variables not declared within functions

31. Creating a Function to Return a Value • For a function to return a value • It must include a return statement • Syntax of a function that returns a value function function_name(parameters) { JavaScript commands return value; }

32. 2. Using an External JavaScript File • Common practice to • Create libraries of functions located in external files • Script elements that point to external files are • Placed in a document’s head section • Extension “.js” • Used by external files containing JavaScript commands and functions

33. Using an External Script

34. Debugging Your JavaScript Programs • Three types of errors: • Load-time errors (occurs when the script is loading) • Run-time errors (occurs when the being executed) • Logical errors (free from syntax and structural mistakes, but result in incorrect results)

35. Common Mistakes • You need to debug your program to fix the mistakes • Common mistakes include: • Misspelling a variable name • Mismatched parentheses or braces • Mismatched quotes • Missing quotes • Using ( instead of [ • Using = in place of ==

36. Using Comments to Hide JavaScript Code • Syntax for hiding script <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- Hide from non-JavaScript browsers JavaScript commands // Stop hiding from older browsers --> </script>

37. Debugging Tools and Techniques • Writing modular code • Breaking up a program’s different tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks • Alert dialog box • Dialog box generated by JavaScript that displays a text message with an OK button • Firefox Tools • Web Developer, Web Console • Chrome Tools • Developer, JavaScript console The above two tool sets can help to create and debug JavaScript programs

38. Tips for Writing Good JavaScript Code • Use good layout to make your code more readable. Indent command blocks to make them easier to read and to set them off from other code • Use descriptive variable names to indicate the purpose of your variables • Be careful how you use uppercase and lowercase letters in your code, because JavaScript commands and names are case-sensitive

39. Tips for Writing Good JavaScript Code • Add comments to your code to document the purpose of each script • Initialize all variables at the top of your script and insert comments describing the purpose and nature of your variables • Create customized functions that can be reused in different scripts. Place your customized functions in external files to make them available to your entire Web site