JavaScript

JavaScript is a programming language that (almost) all web browsers understand. It's the main language used for client-side scripting: adding logic and commands into a web page to get it to do stuff.

It's used in other places (like server-side code, inside Flash movies etc.), but it started life as a lightweight script for the web. It's compact and fairly easy to learn, similar in style to other languages like C and PHP.

DHTML covers a range of techniques whereby you manipulate the HTML document, and HTML elements within the document, using client-side scripting (i.e. JavaScript).

DHTML lets you do pretty much anything you want to a web page, including moving stuff around, changing the way it looks, remove bits of the page and even add new ones.

In this section I'll introduce you to the basics of how to write JavaScript, and include some examples of what you can do with it to make your web pages and applications more powerful, easier and nicer to use.

JavaScript 101: Hello World!: Start here with JavaScript. I show you a bit of what you can do with a web page using client-side scripting, through some practical worked examples.
Datasheet-style form using HTML, CSS and JavaScript: Make a datasheet-style web form using HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Tabular list-style form using HTML, CSS and JavaScript: Create a tabular list-style web form using HTML, CSS and JavaScript

Recommended resources

Onlinetools.org: Christian Heilmann's great collection of pre-made JavaScript (DOM) tools and tutorials. Donationware.
Unobtrusive Javascript: A great concise guide to making the step from inline JavaScript to proper DHTML
Scriptbum - Javascript and other tutorials: A clean, usable scripts site with good explanations as well as a growing library of handy scripts.
From DHTML to DOM scripting: And a more extensive guide... from the same guy.
Decision Grid - an advanced DHTML web application: Check out this handy tool, which I created entirely in DHTML. Helps you compare various options based on weighted criteria, and share the results with friends/colleagues..

Recommended reading

DHTML Utopia - Modern Web Design Using JavaScript & DOM

By Stuart Langridge

Level Intermediate > Advanced

One of the most useful and well-written technical books I've ever read!

Stuart Langridge takes you through the principles and potential of DHTML from basics, and develops the principles to a fairly advanced level through a series of useful worked examples.

This book moves at a good fast pace, so you need to be familiar with JavaScript and HTML documents first. Highly recommended.

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