Javascript 1
Client Side Scripting 2
Why use client-side
programming? 3
PHP already allows us to create dynamic web
pages. Why also use client-side scripting?
• client-side scripting (JavaScript) benefits:
• usability: can modify a page without having to post
back to the server (faster UI)
• efficiency: can make small, quick changes to page
without waiting for server
• event-driven: can respond to user actions like clicks
and key presses
Why use client-side
programming? 4
• server-side programming (PHP) benefits:
• security: has access to server's private data; client
can't see source code
• compatibility: not subject to browser compatibility
issues
• power: can write files, open connections to servers,
connect to databases, ...
What is Javascript? 5
• a lightweight programming language ("scripting
language")
• used to make web pages interactive
• insert dynamic text into HTML (ex: user name)
• react to events (ex: page load user click)
• get information about a user's computer (ex:
browser type)
• perform calculations on user's computer (ex: form
validation)
What is Javascript? 6
• a web standard (but not supported identically
by all browsers)
• NOT related to Java other than by name and
some syntactic similarities
Javascript vs Java 7
• interpreted, not compiled
• more relaxed syntax and rules
• fewer and "looser" data types
• variables don't need to be declared
• errors often silent (few exceptions)
• key construct is the function rather than the
class
• "first-class" functions are used in many situations
• contained within a web page and integrates
with its HTML/CSS content
JavaScript vs. PHP 8
• similarities:
• both are interpreted, not compiled
• both are relaxed about syntax, rules,
and types
• both are case-sensitive
• both have built-in regular expressions
for powerful text processing
Linking to a JavaScript file:
script 9
<script src="filename" type="text/javascript"></script>
HTML
• script tag should be placed in HTML page's head
• script code is stored in a separate .js file
• JS code can be placed directly in the HTML file's body or
head (like CSS)
• but this is bad style (should separate content, presentation, and
behavior
Event-driven programming 10
split breaks apart a string into an array using
a delimiter
can also be used with regular expressions (seen
later)
join merges an array into a single string,
placing a delimiter between them
A JavaScript statement: alert 11
alert("IE6 detected. Suck-mode enabled.");
JS
• a JS command that pops up a dialog box with a message
Event-driven programming 12
you are used to programs start with a main
method (or implicit main like in PHP)
JavaScript programs instead wait for user
actions called events and respond to them
event-driven programming: writing programs
driven by user events
Let's write a page with a clickable button
that pops up a "Hello, World" window...
Buttons 13
<button>Click me!</button> HTML
• button's text appears inside tag; can also contain
images
• To make a responsive button or other UI control:
1. choose the control (e.g. button) and event (e.g. mouse 1.
click) of interest
2. write a JavaScript function to run when the event occurs
3. attach the function to the event on the control
JavaScript functions 14
function name() {
statement ;
statement ;
...
statement ;
} JS
function myFunction() {
alert("Hello!");
alert("How are you?");
} JS
the above could be the contents of
example.js linked to our HTML page
statements placed into functions can be
evaluated in response to user events
Event handlers 15
<element attributes onclick="function();">...
HTML
<button onclick="myFunction();">Click me!</button>
HTML
• JavaScript functions can be set as event handlers
• when you interact with the element, the function will
execute
• onclick is just one of many event HTML attributes
we'll use
• but popping up an alert window is disruptive and
annoying
• A better user experience would be to have the message
appear on the page...
Document Object Model (DOM) 16
• most JS code manipulates elements on an
HTML page
• we can examine elements' state
• e.g. see whether a box is checked
• we can change state
• e.g. insert some new text into a div
• we can change styles
• e.g. make a paragraph red
DOM element objects 17
Accessing elements:
document.getElementById 18
var name = document.getElementById("id");
JS
<button onclick="changeText();">Click me!</button>
<span id="output">replace me</span>
<input id="textbox" type="text" /> HTML
function changeText() {
var textBox = document.getElementById("textbox").value;
document.getElementById(‘output').innerHTML= textBox;
textbox.style.color = "red";
} JS
Accessing elements:
document.getElementById 19
document.getElementById returns the DOM
object for an element with a given id
can change the text inside most elements by
setting the innerHTML property
can change the text in form controls by
setting the value property
Changing element style:
element.style 20
Attribute Property or style object
color color
padding padding
background-color backgroundColor
border-top-width borderTopWidth
Font size fontSize
Font famiy fontFamily
Preetify 21
function changeText() {
//grab or initialize text here
// font styles added by JS:
text.style.fontSize = "13pt";
text.style.fontFamily = "Comic Sans MS";
text.style.color = "red"; // or pink?
} JS
Variables 22
var name = expression; JS
var clientName = "Connie Client";
var age = 32;
var weight = 127.4; JS
• variables are declared with the var keyword (case sensitive)
• types are not specified, but JS does have types ("loosely
typed")
• Number, Boolean, String, Array, Object,
Function, Null, Undefined
Number type 23
var enrollment = 99;
var medianGrade = 2.8;
var credits = 5 + 4 + (2 * 3);
JS
• integers and real numbers are the same type (no int vs.
double)
• same operators: + - * / % ++ -- = += -= *= /= %=
• similar precedence to Java
• many operators auto-convert types: "2" * 3 is 6
Comments (same as Java) 24
// single-line comment
/* multi-line comment */
JS
• identical to Java's comment syntax
• recall: 4 comment syntaxes
• HTML: <!-- comment -->
• CSS/JS/PHP: /* comment */
• Java/JS/PHP: // comment
• PHP: # comment
Math object 25
var rand1to10 = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10 + 1);
var three = Math.floor(Math.PI);
JS
methods: abs, ceil, cos, floor, log,
max, min, pow, random, round, sin,
sqrt, tan
properties: E, PI
Special values: null and undefined 26
var ned = null;
var benson = 9;
// at this point in the code,
// ned is null
// benson's 9
// caroline is undefined
JS
undefined : has not been declared, does
not exist
null : exists, but was specifically assigned
an empty or null value
Why does JavaScript have both of these?
Logical operators 27
> < >= <= && || ! == != === !==
most logical operators automatically convert
types:
5 < "7" is true
42 == 42.0 is true
"5.0" == 5 is true
=== and !== are strict equality tests; checks
both type and value
"5.0" === 5 is false
if/else statement (same as Java) 28
if (condition) {
statements;
} else if (condition) {
statements;
} else {
statements;
}
JS
identical structure to Java's if/else statement
JavaScript allows almost anything as a
condition
for loop (same as Java) 29
var sum = 0;
for (var i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
sum = sum + i;
} JS
var s1 = "hello";
var s2 = "";
for (var i = 0; i < s.length; i++) {
s2 += s1.charAt(i) + s1.charAt(i);
}
// s2 stores "hheelllloo" JS
while loops (same as Java) 30
while (condition) {
statements;
} JS
do {
statements;
} while (condition);
JS
break and continue keywords also behave as
in Java
Popup boxes 31
alert("message"); // message
confirm("message"); // returns true or false
prompt("message"); // returns user input string
JS
Arrays 32
var name = []; // empty array
var name = [value, value, ..., value]; // pre-filled
name[index] = value; // store element
JS
var ducks = ["Huey", "Dewey", "Louie"];
var stooges = []; // stooges.length is 0
stooges[0] = "Larry"; // stooges.length is 1
stooges[1] = "Moe"; // stooges.length is 2
stooges[4] = "Curly"; // stooges.length is 5
stooges[4] = "Shemp"; // stooges.length is 5
JS
Array methods 33
var a = ["Stef", "Jason"]; // Stef, Jason
a.push("Brian"); // Stef, Jason, Brian
a.unshift("Kelly"); // Kelly, Stef, Jason, Brian
a.pop(); // Kelly, Stef, Jason
a.shift(); // Stef, Jason
a.sort(); // Jason, Stef
JS
array serves as many data structures: list,
queue, stack, ...
methods: concat, join, pop, push, reverse,
shift, slice, sort, splice, toString, unshift
push and pop add / remove from back
unshift and shift add / remove from front
shift and pop return the element that is removed
String type 34
var s = "Connie Client";
var fName = s.substring(0, s.indexOf(" ")); // "Connie"
var len = s.length; // 13
var s2 = 'Melvin Merchant';
JS
• methods: charAt, charCodeAt, fromCharCode,
indexOf, lastIndexOf, replace, split,
substring, toLowerCase, toUpperCase
• charAt returns a one-letter String (there is no char type)
• length property (not a method as in Java)
• Strings can be specified with "" or ''
• concatenation with + :
• 1 + 1 is 2, but "1" + 1 is "11"
More about String 35
escape sequences behave as in Java: \' \" \&
\n \t \\
converting between numbers and Strings:
var count = 10;
var s1 = "" + count; // "10"
var s2 = count + " bananas, one two three!"; // "10
bananas, one two three!"
var n1 = parseInt("42 is the answer"); // 42
var n2 = parseFloat(“Eight"); // NaN JS
• accessing the letters of a String:
var firstLetter = s[0]; // fails in IE
var firstLetter = s.charAt(0); // does work in IE
var lastLetter = s.charAt(s.length - 1); JS
Splitting strings: split and join 36
var s = "the quick brown fox";
var a = s.split(" "); // ["the", "quick", "brown", "fox"]
a.reverse(); // ["fox", "brown", "quick", "the"]
s = a.join("!"); // "fox!brown!quick!the"
JS
split breaks apart a string into an array using
a delimiter
can also be used with regular expressions (seen
later)
join merges an array into a single string,
placing a delimiter between them
Popup Window - onClick 37
<input id="go" type="button" value="Open new window"
onclick="window.open('/javascript/examples/sample_popup.cfm','popUpWindow'
,'height=500, width=400, left=100, top=100, resizable=yes, scrollbars=yes,
toolbar=yes, menubar=no, location=no, directories=no, status=yes');">
Alert Box if user tries to
change text 38
<FORM>
<INPUT TYPE="text" VALUE= "dont change"
NAME = "leavebutton"
onChange= "alert('Please dont change this')">
</FORM>
Timed Redirect - onClick 39
<input type="button" value="Go"
onclick="window.setTimeout(
function(){
location.href =
'https://www.quackit.com’;
}, 1500);">
Current Date/Time 40
<time id="msg"></time>
<script>
document.getElementById("msg").innerHTML =
Date();
</script>
Change the background color of
a document 41
setTimeout(expression to be evaluated, milliseconds)
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE= "javascript">
setTimeout("document.bgColor='white'", 1000)
setTimeout("document.bgColor='lightpink'", 1500)
setTimeout("document.bgColor = 'pink'", 2000)
setTimeout("document.bgColor = 'deeppink'", 2500)
setTimeout("document.bgColor = 'red'", 3000)
setTimeout("document.bgColor = 'tomato'", 3500)
setTimeout("document.bgColor = 'darkred'", 4000)
</SCRIPT>
