JavaScript Guide

What you should already know ?

• A general understanding of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW).
• Good working knowledge of HyperText Markup Language (HTML).
• Some programming experience. If you are new to programming, try one of the tutorials linked on the main page about JavaScript.

What is JavaScript ?

JavaScript is a cross-platform, object-oriented scripting language used to make webpages interactive (e.g. having complex animations, clickable buttons, popup menus, etc.). There are also more advanced server side versions of JavaScript such as Node.Js which allow you to add more functionality to a website than simply downloading files (such as realtime collaboration between multiple computers). Inside a host environment (for example, a web browser), JavaScript can be connected to the objects of its environment to provide programmatic control over them.

JavaScript contains a standard library of objects, such as Array, Date, and Math, and a core set of language elements such as operators, control structures, and statements. Core JavaScript can be extended for a variety of purposes by supplementing it with additional objects; for example:

• Client-side JavaScript extends the core language by supplying objects to control a browser and its Document Object Model (DOM). For example, client-side extensions allow an application to place elements on an HTML form and respond to user events such as mouse clicks, form input, and page navigation.
• Server-side JavaScript extends the core language by supplying objects relevant to running JavaScript on a server. For example, server-side extensions allow an application to communicate with a database, provide continuity of information from one invocation to another of the application, or perform file manipulations on a server.

This means that in the browser, JavaScript can change the way the webpage (DOM) looks. And, likewise, Node.js JavaScript on the server can respond to custom requests from code written in the browser.

JavaScript and Java

JavaScript and Java are similar in some ways but fundamentally different in some others. The JavaScript language resembles Java but does not have Java’s static typing and strong type checking. JavaScript follows most Java expression syntax, naming conventions and basic control-flow constructs which was the reason why it was renamed from LiveScript to JavaScript.

In contrast to Java’s compile-time system of classes built by declarations, JavaScript supports a runtime system based on a small number of data types representing numeric, Boolean, and string values. JavaScript has a prototype-based object model instead of the more common class-based object model. The prototype-based model provides dynamic inheritance; that is, what is inherited can vary for individual objects. JavaScript also supports functions without any special declarative requirements. Functions can be properties of objects, executing as loosely typed methods.

JavaScript is a very free-form language compared to Java. You do not have to declare all variables, classes, and methods. You do not have to be concerned with whether methods are public, private, or protected, and you do not have to implement interfaces. Variables, parameters, and function return types are not explicitly typed.

Java is a class-based programming language designed for fast execution and type safety. Type safety means, for instance, that you can’t cast a Java integer into an object reference or access private memory by corrupting Java bytecodes. Java’s class-based model means that programs consist exclusively of classes and their methods. Java’s class inheritance and strong typing generally require tightly coupled object hierarchies. These requirements make Java programming more complex than JavaScript programming.

In contrast, JavaScript descends in spirit from a line of smaller, dynamically typed languages such as HyperTalk and dBASE. These scripting languages offer programming tools to a much wider audience because of their easier syntax, specialized built-in functionality, and minimal requirements for object creation.

JavaScript

• Object-oriented. No distinction between types of objects. Inheritance is through the prototype mechanism, and properties and methods can be added to any object dynamically.
• Variable data types are not declared (dynamic typing, loosely typed). Cannot automatically write to hard disk.
• Cannot automatically write to hard disk.

Java

• Class-based. Objects are divided into classes and instances with all inheritance through the class hierarchy. Classes and instances cannot have properties or methods added dynamically.
• Variable data types must be declared (static typing, strongly typed)
• Can automatically write to hard disk.

Getting started with JavaScript

Getting started with JavaScript is easy: all you need is a modern Web browser. This guide includes some JavaScript features which are only currently available in the latest versions of Firefox, so using the most recent version of Firefox is recommended.

There are two tools built into Firefox that are useful for experimenting with JavaScript: the Web Console and Scratchpad.

The Web Console

The Web Console shows you information about the currently loaded Web page, and also includes a command line that you can use to execute JavaScript expressions in the current page.

To open the Web Console (Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows and Linux or Cmd-Option-K on Mac), select “Web Console” from the “Developer” menu, which is under the “Tools” menu in Firefox. It appears at the bottom of the browser window. Along the bottom of the console is a command line that you can use to enter JavaScript, and the output appears in the panel above:

The console works the exact same way as eval: the last expression entered is returned. For the sake of simplicity, it can be imagined that every time something is entered into the console, it is actual surrounded by console.log around eval like so.

Scratchpad

The Web Console is great for executing single lines of JavaScript, but although you can execute multiple lines, it’s not very convenient for that, and you can’t save your code samples using the Web Console. So for more complex examples Scratchpad is a better tool.

To open Scratchpad (Shift+F4), select “Scratchpad” from the “Developer” menu, which is under the menu in Firefox. It opens in a separate window and is an editor that you can use to write and execute JavaScript in the browser. You can also save scripts to disk and load them from disk.

Hello world

To get started with writing JavaScript, open the Scratchpad and write your first “Hello world” JavaScript code:

JavaScript code:

Select the code in the pad and hit Ctrl+R to watch it unfold in your browser! In the following pages, this guide will introduce you to the JavaScript syntax and language features, so that you will be able to write more complex applications. But, for the time being, remember to always include the (function(){"use strict"; before your code, and add })(); to the end of your code. You will learn what these mean, but for now they can be thought of as doing the following —

1. Massively improve performance

2. Prevent stupid semantics in JavaScript that trip up beginners

3. Prevent code snippets executed in the console from interacting with one-another (e.g. having something created in one console execution being used for a different console execution).