When you browse the Internet, the web pages you interact with are presented to you using three technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which we will discuss in this article.
Of the three, JavaScript is the most advanced. It adds dynamic functionality to web pages, making them more complex and interactive. Without JavaScript, some of your favorite websites would not be possible.
In this article, let’s take a look at what JavaScript is, how it works, and how to use it on the web.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a scripting language. HTML, one of its most popular cousins, is a markup language. The main difference between the two is that markup languages ​​are structural and prepare the look and feel of the page. The markup language is functionally presentational, while the scripting language is logical and algorithmic.
In layman’s terms, HTML changes the look and feel of web pages, while JavaScript actually offers computational functionality. There is no way in HTML to even compute a simple equation like 1 + 1. JavaScript can do this and more.
JavaScript can be implemented both server-side and client-side. Client-side JavaScript is most common when JavaScript code is referenced through HTML and interpreted by a web browser. This code can do much more than just change the appearance of the page, such as dynamically generating HTML content, prompting for user input, etc.
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In short, JavaScript is a lightweight, interpreted scripting language that can improve the interactivity of a website.
How is JavaScript used online?
As with almost all scripting languages, the possibilities are limited only by what you can think of. If you have the skills and can dream about it, you should be able to do it.
However, there are some very common JavaScript that the Internet would be different without. Let’s discuss some of the more popular JavaScript use cases.
Form validation
If you’ve ever filled out a registration form just to find out that your username or password is too short, this was JavaScript in action!
Form validation can be performed in several different scripting languages, but JavaScript allows you to do this dynamically and without publishing any data. This can cut server costs by reducing bandwidth and is a great way to avoid user frustration.
It’s never fun to submit a form and then say your information is invalid. JavaScript can do this on the fly.
Converters and Calculators
Whether it’s Fahrenheit to Celsius, US dollars to Euros, or the like, dynamic data transformation is where JavaScript excels at. If you’ve ever taken a JavaScript course, probably one of your first lessons will be building something like an interest rate calculator. This is a great experience that introduces the basics of JavaScript.
Client-side JavaScript is one of the best solutions when it comes to handling this kind of computation.
Random Number Generators
Math.random () is a favorite function of many JavaScript lovers, and is extremely useful. It allows you to generate random floating point numbers from 0 to 1, which allows for a lot of clever scenarios.
One of the most popular scripts of this kind is a random password generator. You can find them all over the internet and they are a reliable source for generating random passwords since client-side JavaScript does not interact with the server, so it is never cached or stored behind the scenes.
Games
That’s right – JavaScript can even be used to code your own games. Although client-side JavaScript does not support any kind of web collaboration, single-player games or games that can be played by two users with the same keyboard are quite possible.
Here are some classic examples:
- Tic Tac Toe
- Hangman
- Snake
JavaScript is a really good scripting language that works even for less serious projects!
If you’re already good at HTML and CSS, JavaScript is a great next step that can really improve your coding game. If you are not interested in coding, this article should help you evaluate the functionality this scripting language has brought to millions of websites. The Internet wouldn’t be the same without JavaScript.
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