JavaScript and DOM

This tutorial site contains complete JavaScript examples. These are useful for beginners. It also demonstrates fundamental programming constructs and techniques.

What You Need

• A text editor (e.g. Notepad)
• A web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer)

Nice to have ...

• An html editor (e.g. Macromedia Dreamweaver)
• A web server (e.g. Apache, IIS (Win2K and WinXP pro but not home) or Personal Web Server (Win95 and 98 but not ME))

JavaScript

JavaScript allows you to write complex programs that run inside web pages. The web browser executes the JavaScript code.

JavaScript does not have file handling routines. This limitation makes it nearly impossible to load or save data files. This limitation is intentional. It prevents web pages from interfering with a computer's file system. This makes JavaScript relatively safe. JavaScript has no graphics functions.

Don't confuse "JavaScript" with "Java Applets" and "Java Applications" which have very different capabilities.

The Document Object Model

This is a standard way of naming and accessing things like forms, text fields and buttons on a web page. It also provides ways to detect and handle events like a button being clicked, a key being pressed or a mouse being moved.