chapter 11

The Joy of JavaScript

WE’VE SAID ALL ALONG that the Web is not print. If you’ve harbored lingering doubts on that score, this chapter should clear them up pronto. If this chapter does not clear them up, try club soda and a semiabrasive cloth.

A primary reason the Web is not print is that websites don’t just sit there; they do things—responding to clicks of the mouse, hovering motions, and other user activities. JavaScript is behind much of that interactivity. In JavaScript parlance, user actions such as mouse clicks are called events, and you handle them via event handlers (“onClick,” for example). Similarly, in JavaScript, the components of a web page, such as GIF images and form buttons, are considered objects. Web pages are known as documents, and the whole shebang is held together by a Document Object Model (DOM).

See, it’s not that hard, and you are learning already.

In this chapter you’ll find out what JavaScript is, where it came from, how it brings websites to life, where to learn all about it, and how to begin using it even before you learn all about it.

You’ll also learn how to communicate desired JavaScript functions to the developers on your team, who will handle the heavy scripting when it is needed. If you freelance or work in a graphic design shop instead of a web agency, you’ll learn how to communicate with freelance programmers. But before you can begin doing any of that, a few basics are in order.