The Whole Ed Catalog

Javascript was developed by Netscape as part of its Navigator 2.0 Browser, and is now the default scripting language supported by most browsers. Javascript is the language of choice for creating dynamic (DHTML) pages, in terms of capability as well as interoperability. Because Javascript is typically imbedded in HTML pages in little snippets to create a single effect, many people believe Javascript is a simple, even trivial language. In fact, Javascript is a rich, full-featured object-oriented language that merits serious study.

Netscape's online JavaScript 1.1 reference includes a complete listing of the JavaScript commands and syntax. Version 1.1 will work on earlier browsers, and thus is accessible to a wider audience. If your visitors have Navigator or Explorer 4.0 browsers or later, you can use the new features in JavaScript1.2 described in Netscape's JavaScript 1.2 Guide and Reference.

The European Computer Manufacturer's Association (ECMA) has published a standard (ECMA-262) relating to JavaScript and Microsoft's similar scripting language, Jscript

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide 3rd ed. O'Reilly's "Rhino Book" really is "the definitive guide" to Javascript If you have moderate programming skills in another language, it may be the only book you'll need to master the language. If not, you will still need the 350-page command reference to complement a more user-friendly Javascript tutorial or text.

HTML Goodies' JavaScript Page is a good place to begin learning Javascript. It has links to several good JavaScript tutorials at various levels, as well as a large archive of boilerplate JavaScript programs.