Introduction to JavaScript

Javascript can turn basic sites into highly ‘responsive’ interactive sites. Usually we reserve the word ‘responsive’ for CSS because it means the page responds different windows and environments. Javascript can be programmed to react to different environments, it’s main use is for its scripting ability. You may have heard of the programming language Java, and thought it must be related to JavaScript. JavaScript is quite different from Java and was only named similarly to Java [to try and pick up adoption of the language on the web.] Here are the [major differences] between Java and JavaScript. Still, JavaScript has wide uses and has many different ‘libraries,’ or add-ons including JQuerry which you can try out on W3Schools. JavaScript is also used in Ajax which allows for new content/data to be exchanged on a page without having to reload the entire page like PHP would have to. You may be a CSS pro and know that with some tricks you make content move, animate, or appear/disappear with only CSS. Although this shows CSS’ strengths as a language, all of the data that you are changing is loaded all at once onto the user’s browser. Think of the upside-down tree example on the CSS page. The water can do all sorts of things to the appearance of the tree, even making branches invisible (magical water! This can be done with {display: none}; and some sort of condition). What the water cannot do is cut of a branch or seemingly make a new branch. JavaScript, especially with Ajax technologies (Ajax is a group of technologies not one language), can send and fetch information from the hosting server depending on user input.