Javascript is a dynamic computer programming language.
It is lightweight and most
commonly used as a part of web pages, whose implementations allow client-side
script to interact with the user and make dynamic pages. It is an interpreted
programming language with object-oriented capabilities.
JavaScript was first known as LiveScript, but Netscape changed its name to
JavaScript, possibly because of the excitement being generated by Java. JavaScript
made its first appearance in Netscape 2.0 in 1995 with the name LiveScript. The
general-purpose core of the language has been embedded in Netscape, Internet
Explorer, and other web browsers.
Client-side JavaScript is the most common form of the language. The script should
be included in or referenced by an HTML document for the code to be interpreted by
the browser.
It means that a web page need not be a static HTML, but can include programs that
interact with the user, control the browser, and dynamically create HTML content.
The merits of using JavaScript are:
Less server interaction: You can validate user input before sending the page
off to the server. This saves server traffic, which means less load on your
server.
Immediate feedback to the visitors: They don't have to wait for a page
reload to see if they have forgotten to enter something.
Increased interactivity: You can create interfaces that react when the user
hovers over them with a mouse or activates them via the keyboard.
Richer interfaces: You can use JavaScript to include such items as drag-and-
drop components and sliders to give a Rich Interface to your site visitors.
Limitations of JavaScript
We cannot treat JavaScript as a full-fledged programming language. It lacks the
following important features:
Client-side JavaScript does not allow the reading or writing of files. This has
been kept for security reason.
JavaScript cannot be used for networking applications because there is no such
support available.
JavaScript doesn't have any multithreading or multiprocessor capabilities.
JavaScript can be implemented using JavaScript statements that are placed within
the <script>... </script> HTML tags in a web page.
You can place the <script> tags, containing your JavaScript, anywhere within you
web page, but it is normally recommended that you should keep it within the <head>
tags.
You are not restricted to be maintaining identical code in multiple HTML files.
The script tag provides a mechanism to allow you to store JavaScript in an external
file and then include it into your HTML files.
One of the most fundamental characteristics of a programming language is the set
of data types it supports. These are the type of values that can be represented and
manipulated in a programming language.
JavaScript allows you to work with three primitive data types:
Numbers, e.g., 123, 120.50 etc.
Strings of text, e.g. "This text string" etc.
Boolean, e.g. true or false.
JavaScript also defines two trivial data types, null and undefined, each of which
defines only a single value. In addition to these primitive data types, JavaScript
supports a composite data type known as object. We will cover objects in detail in a
separate chapter.
Global Variables: A global variable has global scope which means it can be
defined anywhere in your JavaScript code.
Local Variables: A local variable will be visible only within a function where it
is defined. Function parameters are always local to that function. Fai differenze var e let scope
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