New Features in this Release

What You Should Already Know

JavaScript Versions

Where to Find JavaScript Information

Document Conventions

What Is JavaScript?

Core, Client-Side, and Server-Side JavaScript

Core JavaScript

Client-Side JavaScript

Server-Side JavaScript

JavaScript and Java

Debugging JavaScript

Visual JavaScript

JavaScript and the ECMA Specification

Relationship Between JavaScript and ECMA Versions

JavaScript Documentation vs. the ECMA Specification

JavaScript and ECMA Terminology

Part 1 Core Language Features

Values

Data Type Conversion

Variables

Declaring Variables

Evaluating Variables

Variable Scope

Literals

Array Literals

Boolean Literals

Floating-Point Literals

Integers

Object Literals

String Literals

Unicode

Unicode Compatibility with ASCII and ISO

Unicode Escape Sequences

Displaying Characters with Unicode

Expressions

Operators

Assignment Operators

Comparison Operators

Arithmetic Operators

Bitwise Operators

Logical Operators

String Operators

Special Operators

Operator Precedence

Creating a Regular Expression

Writing a Regular Expression Pattern

Using Simple Patterns

Using Special Characters

Using Parentheses

Working with Regular Expressions

Using Parenthesized Substring Matches

Executing a Global Search and Ignoring Case

Examples

Changing the Order in an Input String

Using Special Characters to Verify Input

Conditional Statements

if...else Statement

switch Statement

Loop Statements

for Statement

do...while Statement

while Statement

label Statement

break Statement

continue Statement

Object Manipulation Statements

for...in Statement

with Statement

Comments

Defining Functions

Calling Functions

Using the arguments Array

Predefined Functions

eval Function

isFinite Function

isNaN Function

parseInt and parseFloat Functions

Number and String Functions

escape and unescape Functions

Objects and Properties

Creating New Objects

Using Object Initializers

Using a Constructor Function

Indexing Object Properties

Defining Properties for an Object Type

Defining Methods

Using this for Object References

Deleting Objects

Predefined Core Objects

Array Object

Boolean Object

Date Object

Function Object

Math Object

Number Object

RegExp Object

String Object

Class-Based vs. Prototype-Based Languages

Defining a Class

Subclasses and Inheritance

Adding and Removing Properties

Summary of Differences

The Employee Example

Creating the Hierarchy

Object Properties

Inheriting Properties

Adding Properties

More Flexible Constructors

Property Inheritance Revisited

Local versus Inherited Values

Determining Instance Relationships

Global Information in Constructors

No Multiple Inheritance

Part 2 Client-Specific Features

Using the SCRIPT Tag

Specifying the JavaScript Version

Hiding Scripts Within Comment Tags

Example: a First Script

Specifying a File of JavaScript Code

URLs the SRC Attribute Can Specify

Requirements for Files Specified by the SRC Attribute

Using JavaScript Expressions as HTML Attribute Values

Using Quotation Marks

Specifying Alternate Content with the NOSCRIPT Tag

Defining an Event Handler

Example: Using an Event Handler

Calling Event Handlers Explicitly

The Event Object

Event Capturing

Enable Event Capturing

Define the Event Handler

Register the Event Handler

A Complete Example

Validating Form Input

Example Validation Functions

Using the Validation Functions

Navigator Object Hierarchy

Document Properties: an Example

JavaScript Reflection and HTML Layout

Key Navigator Objects

window and Frame Objects

document Object

Form Object

location Object

history Object

navigator Object

Navigator Object Arrays

Using the write Method

Printing Output

Displaying Output

Opening and Closing Windows

Opening a Window

Closing a Window

Using Frames

Creating a Frame

Updating a Frame

Referring To and Navigating Among Frames

Creating and Updating Frames: an Example

Referring to Windows and Frames

Referring to Properties, Methods, and Event Handlers

Referring to a Window in a Form Submit or Hypertext Link

Navigating Among Windows and Frames

Using JavaScript URLs

Using Client-Side Image Maps

Using Server-Side Image Maps

Using the Status Bar

Creating Hints with onMouseOver and onMouseOut

Using Cookies

Limitations

Using Cookies with JavaScript

Using Cookies: an Example

Determining Installed Plug-ins

mimeTypes Array

plugins Array

Same Origin Policy

Origin Checks and document.domain

Origin Checks of Named Forms

Origin Checks and SCRIPT Tags that Load Documents

Origin Checks and Layers

Origin Checks and Java Applets

Using Signed Scripts

Introduction to Signed Scripts

Identifying Signed Scripts

Using Expanded Privileges

Writing the Script

Signing Scripts

Troubleshooting Signed Scripts

Using Data Tainting

How Tainting Works

Enabling Tainting

Tainting and Untainting Individual Data Elements

Tainting that Results from Conditional Statements

Part 3 Working with LiveConnect

What Is LiveConnect?

Enabling LiveConnect

The Java Console

Working with Wrappers

JavaScript to Java Communication

The Packages Object

Working with Java Arrays

Package and Class References

Arguments of Type char

Controlling Java Applets

Controlling Java Plug-ins

Java to JavaScript Communication

Using the LiveConnect Classes

Accessing Client-Side JavaScript

Data Type Conversions

JavaScript to Java Conversions

Java to JavaScript Conversions

JavaScript Methods for Controlling LiveAudio

Using the LiveAudio LiveConnect Methods

Part 4 Appendixes

Creating the Filter and Adding to Your Rules File

News Filters

Message Object Reference

Mail Messages

News Messages

Debugging Your Filters

A More Complex Example

Opening the JavaScript Console

Evaluating Expressions with the Console

Displaying Error Messages with the Console

Setting Preferences for Displaying Errors

1999 Netscape Communications Corporation Last Updated: 05/27/99 21:21:12