Draft:Outline of JavaScript
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to JavaScript:
JavaScript (/ˈdʒɑːvəskrɪpt/), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language and core technology of the Web, alongside HTML and CSS. 99% of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior.[1]
What type of thing is JavaScript?
JavaScript is an example of all of the following:
- Programming language – formal computer language designed for writing programs to run on computers. JavaScript is mostly used for automating web pages, or making programs that work within web pages. Its capabilities include producing graphics, and manipulating text, HTML code, as well as CSS rules and elements.
- High-level programming language – programming language more like human language and less tedious than machine code, providing features that standardize common tasks, permit rich debugging, and maintain machine independence. Rather than dealing with registers and memory addresses, JavaScript features variables, functions, and other abstract constructs, which makes it slower than machine code but much easier to write.
- Dynamic programming language – class of high-level programming languages which execute certain programming behaviors as they run, making them more flexible than static programming languages (which perform those behaviors during compilation). For example, as with most scripting languages, JavaScript is dynamically typed: its types are associated with each value, rather than just with each expression. (E.g., a variable that is at one time bound to a number may later be re-bound to a string.[2]).
- Interpreted language – programming language for writing instructions that are executed directly by an interpreter, without compiling. This is what makes JavaScript programs platform independent; they are typically interpreted by the various JavaScript engines embedded in browsers.
- Multi-paradigm programming language – programming language designed to allow programmers to use the most suitable programming style and associated language constructs for a given job, considering that no single paradigm solves all problems in the easiest or most efficient way. See Programming styles supported.
- Object-based language – programming language that uses the idea of encapsulating state and operations inside "objects". Object-based languages need not support inheritance or subtyping, but those that do are also said to be "object-oriented", and include those which support a prototype-based programming style, like JavaScript, which do not have classes, but in which objects instead inherit their code and data directly from other "template" objects.
- Scripting language – programming language that supports scripts. Scripts automate the execution of tasks that could alternatively be executed one-by-one by a human operator. Scripts are programs written for a special run-time environment; the main type of run-time environment that JavaScript programs are written for are browsers.
- Untyped programming language – an untyped language, such as JavaScript, allows any operation to be performed on any data, which are generally considered to be sequences of bits of various lengths.[3]
- High-level programming language – programming language more like human language and less tedious than machine code, providing features that standardize common tasks, permit rich debugging, and maintain machine independence. Rather than dealing with registers and memory addresses, JavaScript features variables, functions, and other abstract constructs, which makes it slower than machine code but much easier to write.
Names of JavaScript
Etymology of JavaScript
- Etymology of JavaScript – the language was initially named Mocha, then changed to LiveScript, then renamed to JavaScript.
- "Java" – the "Java" in "JavaScript" has caused confusion, implying a relation with the Java programming language. JavaScript is not a version, distribution, or spin-off of Java, though JavaScript did take inspiration from Java for its syntax. Netscape's naming JavaScript after Java has been characterized as a marketing ploy to take advantage of the popularity of the word "Java" at the time.
- "Script" – the "Script" in "JavaScript" no longer describes the language accurately. While JavaScript started out as a scripting language, it has developed into a sophisticated multi-paradigmatic programming language, though it retains its scripting language functionality.
Synonyms of JavaScript
- ECMAScript – the specification language upon which JavaScript is based. The terms EMCAScript and JavaScript are used interchangeably within the field. 'ES' has also been used as a prefix for shorthand names of versions of JavaScript: [4]
- 'ES5': ECMAScript Fifth Edition, adopted in 2009.
- 'ES6' / 'ES2015': ECMAScript Sixth Edition, adopted in 2015.
- 'ES7' / 'ES2016': ECMAScript Seventh Edition, adopted in 2016.
- 'ES2017': ECMAScript Eighth Edition, adopted in 2017.
- 'ES2018': ECMAScript 2018 – 9th Edition
- 'ES2019': ECMAScript 2019 – 10th Edition
- 'ES2020': ECMAScript 2020 – 11th Edition
- 'ES2021': ECMAScript 2021 – 12th Edition
- 'ES2022': ECMAScript 2022 – 13th Edition
- 'ES2023': ECMAScript 2023 – 14th Edition
- JScript – essentially, "JavaScript for Internet Explorer". Microsoft reverse engineered JavaScript and then named the implementation JScript to avoid infringing upon Sun's ownership of the JavaScript trademark. Since then, Microsoft has switched over to using the name JavaScript to refer to the implementation of JScript used in its Edge browser.
- Vanilla JavaScript or "Vanilla JS" – jargon for "plain JavaScript", that is, JavaScript not extended by any frameworks or additional libraries.
JavaScript trademark
- Ownership of the JavaScript trademark – "JavaScript" as a trademark is technically owned by Oracle, which acquired Sun, which acquired NetScape, which created JavaScript and initially registered the trademark.
- Non-enforcement of the JavaScript trademark – the trademark doesn't appear to be enforced, and may be indefensible. Many companies and individuals throughout the field are using it in their product names as a generic term, apparently without legal repercussions.
Uses of JavaScript
JavaScript can be used for:
- Userscripts – programs run by users on their browsers, usually written in JavaScript, for modifying web pages to augment browsing.
- Gadgets – many Wikipedia gadgets (programs that modify or add functionality to Wikipedia) are written in JavaScript.
- Browser games
- Web development
- Dynamic web pages
- Web applications
- Progressive web apps (PWAs)
- AJAX approach – for developing asynchronous program features into websites
- Mobile web
- Single-page applications (SPAs)
- JAMstack websites
- Server-side applications
- Webservers written to run on node.js
Prerequisites for using JavaScript
Equipment required for using JavaScript
- Computer – JavaScript is a programming language, so, of course you need a computer to use it
- Web browser – scripts written in JavaScript reside on most webpages, which require a web browser to access. Most web browsers have a JavaScript engine built-in that run webpage scripts.
Prerequisites to understanding JavaScript
Prerequisites to understanding JavaScript – JavaScript is one of the three core technologies used for defining webpages. JavaScript is a complementary technology that works with HTML and CSS, amongst others. JavaScrpt refers to and modifies the markup, and therefore understanding these other languages is useful for writing JavaScript programs.
- HTML (HyperText Markup Language) – standard markup language used to create the web pages (HTML files) that make up the World Wide Web and which are read and presented by web browsers. HTML provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes and other items. HTML elements form the building blocks of HTML files ("HTML pages"), and JavaScript is used to dynamically change HTML pages by modifying their HTML elements or creating new ones.
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) – style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language (including HTML).[5] CSS is designed primarily to enable the separation of document content from document presentation, including aspects such as the layout, colors, and fonts.[6] This separation can improve content accessibility, provide more flexibility and control in the specification of presentation characteristics, enable multiple HTML pages to share formatting by specifying the relevant CSS in a separate .css file, and reduce complexity and repetition in the structural content. JavaScript can dynamically modify CSS to change the presentation of web pages.
Tools required for JavaScript programming
Tools required for JavaScript programming – the only tool required for writing programs in JavaScript is a text editor, though other tools are very useful.
- Text editor – program used for editing plain text files. JavaScript programs can be written in even the simplest text editor.
- (For optional but useful tools, see JavaScript tools, below)
Method of execution
Method of execution – how a computer program is started. Typically, JavaScript programs are embedded within the HTML markup of a webpage, or called from within the HTML markup using a script call, and are executed automatically by the browser when it reads the webpage. Another method is the bookmarklet, which requires the user to click on it to execute. Various methods of execution for JavaScript programs include:
- Methods of executing scripts in web browsers:
- Embedding in webpage HTML
- Script tags – a script is embedded in a webpage by including it between
<script>
and</script>
- Script call
- Bookmarklet – technique of saving JavaScript within a bookmark or hyperlink, so that it can be executed by clicking on it. In many cases, the bookmarklet can be dragged and dropped to the browser toolbar for easier access. Here is an example bookmarklet:
- JavaScript:name=prompt("What is your name?"); alert("Hello, " + name);
- Script tags – a script is embedded in a webpage by including it between
- Installed as a browser extension – a browser extension is a plug-in that extends the functionality of a web browser in some way. Many browser extensions are written in JavaScript.
- Installed as an add-on in Firefox – Firefox add-ons allow the user to add or augment application features, use themes to their liking, and handle new types of content. Many add-ons are written in JavaScript.
- Installed as a userscript – JavaScript program written to modify web pages to augment browsing. They are installed in browsers by use of a userscript manager browser extension like Tampermonkey or Greasemonkey. A userscript feature is also available for registered users of Wikipedia, and can augment editing and viewing of that encyclopedia's pages.
- As a bookmark – using the bookmarklet technique.
- Embedding in webpage HTML
- Methods of executing scripts in runtime environments:
- Methods of executing scripts in other programs:
JavaScript system requirements
Environment support for JavaScript
Environment support for JavaScript – where JavaScript can be run. This includes client-side support in browsers, server-side support in web servers, and runtime environments to provide support in operating systems on desktop computers and other machines.
- On the World Wide Web – JavaScript may be executed at the web server (or "server-side") upon webpages (or to generate them) before they are sent to the client (the user's browser), or executed client-side by the client upon receipt of a webpage. Client-side JavaScript is typically embedded in the HTML of webpages.
- Client-side environment support – this is achieved through client-side scripting. Client-side scripts are supported in:
- Browsers – JavaScript can run in browsers that include a JavaScript engine (see below). JavaScript sourcecode that is embedded in a webpage's HTML is executed by the JavaScript engine in the browser automatically when the browser reads the page.
- Server-side environment support – this is implemented through server-side scripting. Server-side scripts are supported in:
- Web servers – JavaScript can run in web servers that include a JavaScript runtime environment (such as Node.js), or other server-side solution.
- Client-side environment support – this is achieved through client-side scripting. Client-side scripts are supported in:
- Local environment support – JavaScript can be used to write applications for use on end user computers, and those applications can be run using a JavaScript runtime environment, such as Node.js.
- Operating systems support – JavaScript can run under any operating system that supports a JavaScript runtime environment, such as Node.js.
JavaScript engines
JavaScript engine (list) – program or library which executes JavaScript code. A JavaScript engine may be a traditional interpreter, or it may utilize just-in-time compilation to bytecode in some manner.[7] A JavaScript engine is most commonly included in web browsers, but is also a key component of JavaScript runtime environments and other software (such as database management systems).
- Chakra – JavaScript engine developed by Microsoft for its Microsoft Edge web browser. It is a fork of the JScript engine used in Internet Explorer.
- SquirrelFish – bytecode interpreter rewritten from JavaScriptCore.
- Nashorn – JavaScript engine developed in the Java programming language by Oracle. It is based on the Da Vinci Machine (JSR 292) and was released with Java 8. Its purposes are to enable embedding JavaScript in Java applications, and to develop standalone JavaScript applications.
- Rhino – JavaScript engine written fully in Java and managed by the Mozilla Foundation as open source software. It is intended to be used in server-side applications, hence there is no built-in support for the Web browser objects that are commonly associated with JavaScript.
- SpiderMonkey – the JavaScript engine in Firefox
- Tamarin – still supported as part of Flash Player.
- V8 – used in Google Chrome, Couchbase Server, MongoDB, and Node.js
- Comparison of JavaScript engines
- (For engines no longer actively developed or maintained, see Outmoded JavaScript engines)
JavaScript runtime environments
JavaScript runtime environments
- Node.js – open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment for executing JavaScript code server-side, to produce dynamic web page content before the page is sent to the user's web browser. Node.js is built upon the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine.
- Seed – interpreter and a library of the GNOME project to create standalone applications in JavaScript. It uses the JavaScript engine JavaScriptCore of the WebKit project.
- Comparison of server-side JavaScript solutions
Other JavaScript-based solutions
- CouchDB – server database that uses JavaScript as its query language.
Features of JavaScript
- Universal web support – all modern Web browsers support JavaScript with a built-in JavaScript engine.
JavaScript specifications and standards
- Main specifications
- ECMAScript – standard specification originally based on JavaScript. Since ECMAScript's inception, JavaScript has followed that specification. While JavaScript aims to be compatible with ECMAScript, it also provides additional features not described in the ECMA specifications.[8]
- CommonJS – project to create specifications for JavaScript beyond client-side scripting, to expand it into a more full-fledged language. For example, for writing server-side scripts and native desktop applications.
- Asynchronous module definition (AMD) – API specification for JavaScript that defines code modules and their dependencies, and loads them asynchronously if desired.
- Content Security Policy – computer security standard introduced to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS), clickjacking and other code injection attacks resulting from execution of malicious content in the trusted web page context.
- JSGI – interface between web servers and JavaScript-based web applications and frameworks.
Programming styles supported
JavaScript supports the following programming paradigms:
- Event-driven programming in JavaScript[9] – event-driven programming is a programming paradigm in which the flow of the program is determined by events such as user actions (mouse clicks, key presses), sensor outputs, or messages from other programs/threads.
- Declarative programming in JavaScript[10] – declarative programming focuses on what the program should accomplish rather than how it should be done. In this paradigm, programming is done with expressions or declarations instead of statements. It is the opposite of imperative programming.
- Functional programming in JavaScript[11] – functional programming is a programming paradigm that treats computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions and avoids changing-state and mutable data.
- Imperative programming in JavaScript – imperative programming is an approach that implements algorithms in explicit steps, in the form of commands for the computer to perform. It uses statements that change a program's state. The focus is on how a program operates. Opposite of declarative programming.
- Procedural programming –
- Structured programming in JavaScript – structured programming is a programming style that makes extensive use of subroutines, block structures, for and while loops—in contrast to using simple tests and jumps such as the go to statement which could lead to "spaghetti code" causing difficulty to both follow and maintain. This improves the clarity, quality, and development time of programs.
- Object-oriented programming in JavaScript[4] – object-oriented programming is
- Procedural programming –
Components of the JavaScript language
JavaScript syntax
JavaScript syntax (see tutorial) – set of rules that define correct structure for lines of code in a JavaScript program, such as when semicolons are needed at the end of a statement, whether or not letter case matters, where and how to use parentheses, what words are reserved as part of the language, the use of white space, the proper format for variable declarations, expressions, statements, functions, and so on.
- Camel case in JavaScript –
- Case sensitivity –
- Comments in JavaScript (see tutorial) – JavaScript uses // to proceed comments and /* */ for multi-line comments.
- Notation styles in JavaScript
- Reserved words in JavaScript –
Data types in JavaScript
[[Data type (JavaScript)|Data types in JavaScript] – a type is a classification of data which defines the operations that can be done on the data, the meaning of the data, and the way values of that type can be stored.
- Primitive data types in JavaScript (see tutorial) – The primitive data types in JavaScript are:
- String –
- Number –
- Boolean data type – data type having two values (usually denoted true and false). It is primarily associated with conditional statements, which allow different actions and change control flow depending on whether a programmer-specified Boolean condition evaluates to true or false.
- Null pointer –
- Undefined –
- Composite data types – the composite data types in JavaScript are arrays and objects (hashes).
- Arrays in JavaScript (see tutorial) – For further information, see Array data structure
- Objects in JavaScript (see tutorial) – "object" in JavaScript means "associative array". Objects in JavaScript correspond to hashes in Perl.
Variables in JavaScript
Variables in JavaScript[12] – a variable is a storage location paired with an associated symbolic name (an identifier), which contains some known or unknown quantity of information referred to as a value. They correspond to variables in mathematics, but aren't limited to representing just numbers.
Operators in JavaScript
Operators in JavaScript[13] – an operator is
Expressions in JavaScript
Expressions in JavaScript – an expression is
Statements in JavaScript
Statements in JavaScript[14] – a statement is the smallest standalone element in a programming language that expresses some action to be carried out. Statements are instructions that command the computer to perform a specified action.
- Statements –
- Variable declarations –
- Assignment statements –
- Control structures in JavaScript (see tutorial)–
- Conditionals –
- Loops –
- For loop
- While loop
Functions in JavaScript
Functions in JavaScript[2] – in JavaScript, subroutines are called "functions". A subroutine is a sequence of program instructions that perform a specific task, packaged as a unit. This unit can then be used (and reused) in the program wherever that particular task needs to be performed.
Classes in JavaScript
Classes in JavaScript[15] – a class is
Modules in JavaScript
Modules in JavaScript[16] – a module is
Regular expressions in JavaScript
Regular expressons in JavaScript[17] – a regular expression (regex) is See regular expression syntax in JavaScript. –
Values in JavaScript
Event-handling in JavaScript
Cookies
Objects in JavaScript
Number
Boolean
String
Arrays
Date
Math
Asynchronicity in JavaScript
DOM manipulation in JavaScript
- DOM – this stands for Document Object Model, the hierarchy (tree) produced by the browser of all the elements of a webpage. By processing the DOM via "methods" (functions stored as object properties, that is, the actions that can be performed on objects), JavaScript can dynamically change the page's HTML[18], such as:
Server-side scripting features
Client-side scripting features
JavaScript resources
JavaScript approaches
- Ajax "(asynchronous JavaScript and XML)" – set of web development techniques using many web technologies on the client-side to create asynchronous Web applications. With Ajax, web applications can send data to and retrieve from a server asynchronously (in the background) without interfering with the display and behavior of the existing page. By decoupling the data interchange layer from the presentation layer, Ajax allows for web pages, and by extension web applications, to change content dynamically without the need to reload the entire page.
- Dynamic HTML – predecessor of Unobtrusive JavaScript.
- JavaScript templating –
- JSONP –
- Remote scripting –
- Unobtrusive JavaScript –
JavaScript programming techniques
- Bookmarklet – technique of saving JavaScript within a bookmark or hyperlink, so that it can be executed by clicking on it. In many cases, the link can be dragged and dropped to the browser toolbar for easier access.
- HTML scripting – how locally executable scripts (such as those written in JavaScript) may be used in a web page.
- Lazy initialization
- Mutator method –
JavaScript extensions
JavaScript frameworks
JavaScript client-side frameworks
- Ample SDK
- Apache Cordova – enables building applications for mobile devices using CSS3, HTML5, and JavaScript instead of relying on platform-specific APIs like those in Android, iOS, or Windows Phone.
- Backbone.js –
- Chaplin.js
- Dojo Toolkit
- Echo
- Ext JS
- Google Web Toolkit
- JavaScriptMVC – open-source rich Internet application framework based on jQuery and OpenAjax. "MVC" stands for "model–view–controller".
- jQuery
- Lively Kernel
- Midori JavaScript Framework
- MochiKit
- MooTools
- Prototype JavaScript Framework –
- Pyjamas
- qooxdoo
- Rialto
- Rico
- script.aculo.us
- SmartClient
- SproutCore
- Spry
- Titanium SDK
- YUI Library
JavaScript server-side frameworks
- AppJet –
- Cappuccino
- Jaxer –
- Mocha –
- WakandaDB –
Both-side frameworks
- AngularJS (see tutorial) –
- Jasmine – open source testing framework for JavaScript.
- PureMVC
JavaScript libraries
- jQuery [3] – cross-platform library designed to simplify the client-side scripting of HTML.[19] jQuery is the most popular JavaScript library in use today, with installation on 65% of the top 10 million highest-trafficked sites on the Web.[20][21][22] jQuery is free, open-source software licensed under the MIT License.
- JavaScript graphics library –
- JavaScript Data Components –
- jsMath –
- Lightbox –
- SWFObject –
- SWFAddress –
- Underscore.js –
JavaScript webpage components
JavaScript webpage component – a JavaScript program that becomes part of a webpage.
- Ace (editor) – standalone code editor written in JavaScript that can be easily embedded in any web page and JavaScript application.
- Aloha Editor – open source WYSIWYG editor, written in JavaScript, that can be used in webpages to provide editing of content within the same layout that is shown to readers.
- CodeMirror – provides a code editor in the browser
- CKEditor – open source WYSIWYG text editor designed to bring common word processor features directly to web pages, simplifying their content creation. Its core code is written in JavaScript.
- ContentTools – open-source WYSIWYG editor for HTML content, to make editable regions in webpages. It is written in JavaScript/CoffeeScript.
- Epoch JavaScript Calendar –
JavaScript tools
- Bookmarklet – bookmark or hyperlink that contains JavaScript, and runs when you click on it. Can be dragged and dropped onto the toolbar for ease of access.
- Browserify (site) –
- Closure compiler (site) –
- Emscripten – source-to-source compiler that translates sourcecode into a subset of JavaScript known as asm.js
- Ubiquity – add-on for Firefox that provides access to commands written in JavaScript or Python.
- iMacros – Macro extension to Firefox in which the macros can include JavaScript.
- JSDoc –
Task runners
Debugging tools
- Linters – a lint or linter is a software tool that analyzes source code to flag programming errors, bugs, stylistic errors, and suspicious constructs.
- Firebug – free and open-source add-on for Mozilla Firefox for live debugging, editing, and monitoring any website's CSS, HTML, DOM, XHR, and JavaScript.
- Venkman –
Editors that support writing JavaScript
- Ace – free and open source standalone code editor written in JavaScript that can easily be embedded in any web page or JavaScript application.
- Alphatk – proprietary editor that runs on any platform that Tk runs on (ie., most).
- Aquamacs – free Emacs editor for use on Mac OS X.
- Arachnophilia –
- Atom – free and open-source text and source code editor for macOS, Linux, and Microsoft Windows with support for plug-ins written in Node.js, and embedded Git Control, developed by GitHub. Atom is a desktop application built using web technologies, written in CoffeeScript and Less.
- BBEdit – commercial sourcecode editor designed for software developers and web designers on Mac OS X.
- CodeMirror – free and open source code-editor component that can be embedded in Web pages. It has a rich programming API and a focus on extensibility.
- Notepad++ – free versatile text editor for Windows operating system.
- SlickEdit –
- Sublime Text –
- Vim (text editor) –
- Visual Studio Code – includes intelligent code completion for JavaScript, JSON, and TypeScript, as well as debugging features for JavaScript, TypeScript, and Node.js.
- Comparison of text editors –
Online cloud JS editors
Integrated development environments for JavaScript
- Anjuta –
- Appery.io –
- Aptana Studio – based on Eclipse, but for programming in JavaScript.
- Brackets –
- Codeanywhere –
- CodeLite –
- Cloud9 IDE –
- Eclipse – its primary use is for developing Java applications, but it may also be used to develop applications in other programming languages, including JavaScript, through the use of plugins.
- JDeveloper –
- Light Table –
- Microsoft Visual Studio –
- Nodeclipse –
- PhpED –
- Comparison of integrated development environments that support JavaScript
Testing software
JavaScript-based software
Free software programmed in JavaScript
- A-Frame (virtual reality framework)
- Ace (editor)
- Blockly –
- D3.js –
- Etherpad –
- Foswiki –
- Ghost (blogging platform) –
- Globalize –
- Greasemonkey –
- Gritter (software) –
- HTTPS Everywhere –
- Ionic (mobile app framework) –
- JQuery –
- Locker (software) –
- Mailvelope –
- Meteor (web framework) –
- MindMup –
- Nextcloud –
- Node.js –
- OwnCloud –
- Pentadactyl –
- Polymer (library) –
- PostCSS –
- Processing.js –
- QUnit –
- Raphaël (JavaScript library) –
- Scriptish –
- Serverless Framework –
- ShiftSpace –
- Socket.IO –
- Study Notes –
- SVG-edit –
- TiddlyWiki –
- Velocity (JavaScript library) –
- VisualEditor –
- Wakanda (software) –
- Froala Editor – commercial, web-based WYSIWYG rich text editor (RTE).
- Roockbuilder –
- SnapEditor –
- Taiwan Fellowship Editor (e-book editor) –
- TinyMCE –
- WYMeditor –
- YUI Rich Text Editor –
JavaScript derivatives
JavaScript-inspired data formats
- JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) –
JavaScript-inspired programming languages
JavaScript dialects – programming languages based on JavaScript, or the ECMA specification:
- ActionScript –
- asm.js – subset of JavaScript, for compiling other languages into by compilers such as Emscripten
- AtScript –
- Caja –
- CoffeeScript – language with syntactic sugar that transcompiles to JavaScript.
- JavaScript OSA –
- JScript .NET –
- JScript –
- JSFuck –
- LiveScript –
- Objective-J –
- QtScript –
- TypeScript –
- WMLScript –
Languages that transcompile to JavaScript
- CoffeeScript – language with syntactic sugar that transcompiles to JavaScript.
- Dart –
Online JavaScript learning resources
- For many more books and webpages on JavaScript, see #Further reading, below
- Codecademy (free JavaScript course) – online interactive platform that offers free coding classes in 12 different programming languages including JavaScript (jQuery, AngularJS, and React.js), as well as the markup language HTML, and CSS.
- Coursera (JavaScript courses) – offers MOOC courses, some accessible for free.
- freeCodeCamp (site) – non-profit interactive learning web platform to make learning web development including JavaScript accessible to anyone.
- Khan Academy (JS courses) – non-profit educational organization with the mission "to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere", by providing free video courses and instructional materials online.
- Mozilla Developer Network (site) – official Mozilla website for development documentation of web standards and Mozilla projects. It is a resource for developers, maintained by the community of developers and technical writers and hosting many documents on a wide variety of subjects, such as: HTML5, JavaScript, CSS, Web APIs and Node.
- OpenClassrooms (JavaScript courses) –
- W3Schools (site)– popular web site for learning web technologies online, including tutorials and reference material for JavaScript, jQuery, AngularJS, JSON, Ajax, and W3.js.
JavaScript publications
- For free online publications, see #Further reading, below
JavaScript news
- http://www.echojs.com/
- https://cooperpress.com/ publishes JavaScript newsletters
- JavaScript weekly
- http://www.webplatformdaily.org/
- http://www.flippinawesome.org/category/news/best-of/ weekly list
History of JavaScript
- History of Netscape – company that created JavaScript.
- Netscape Navigator – first browser to support JavaScript.
- Netscape Enterprise Server – first server-side solution to support JavaScript.
- Brendan Eich – creator of JavaScript, as an employee of NetScape.
- Browser wars – fierce competition between browsers since their inception.
- First Browser War – browser war between NetScape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer in the 1990s. JavaScript was released during the flurry of development of new features inspired by that war.
- JScript – Microsoft's legacy dialect of the ECMAScript standard that is used in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser. It was reverse engineered from JavaScript, and first supported in the Internet Explorer 3.0 browser released in August 1996.
- History of ECMAScript
- JavaScript Style Sheets – was a stylesheet language technology proposed by Netscape Communications in 1996 to provide facilities for defining the presentation of webpages.
- Sputnik – was a JavaScript conformance test suite for ECMA-262 (5th edition), developed in Russia.
Milestones
- 1995
- Sun Microsystems and Netscape announced JavaScript in a press release.[23]
- 1996
- Netscape Navigator 2.0 was released in March, featuring support for JavaScript.
- JScript released in August, as part of IE 3.0.
Influences
Version history
Outmoded JavaScript engines
- Carakan
- Futhark
- InScript
- JägerMonkey
- JavaScriptCore – framework that provided a JavaScript engine for WebKit implementations, and ran scripts in other contexts within macOS. It was rewritten as and succeeded by SquirrelFish in 2008.
- KJS
- Linear B
- Narcissus – meta-circular interpreter (it is written in the same language it interprets, i.e., JavaScript).
- River Trail
- TraceMonkey
JavaScript security issues
JavaScript security techniques
- Cookie-to-header token – Anti-CSRF technique. CSRF stands for cross-site request forgery.
JavaScript community
JavaScript organizations
Persons influential in JavaScript
- Jeremy Ashkenas – known for the creation and co-creation of the CoffeeScript and LiveScript programming languages respectively, the Backbone.js JavaScript framework and the Underscore.js JavaScript library.[24][25][26]
- Douglas Crockford – popularized JSON, authored JavaScript: The Good Parts, and developed tools such as JSLint and JSMin.
- Ryan Dahl – creator of Node.js.
- Kevin Dangoor – started CommonJS.
- Brendan Eich – creator of the JavaScript programming language.
- Jesse James Garrett – coined the term "Ajax" in February 2005.
- Joe Hewitt – one of the creators of Firefox, who also developed Firebug.
- Miško Hevery – created AngularJS.
- John Resig – software engineer best known as the creator and lead developer of jQuery.
- Dylan Schiemann – co-creator of Dojo Toolkit.
- Isaac Z. Schlueter – author of npm.
See also
- Place these
- Tape (JavaScript testing framework)
- Redux (JavaScript library)
- List of server-side JavaScript implementations
- Isomorphic JavaScript
- JavaScript ecosystem
- JS Foundation
- NWJS
- Userscript
- Userscript manager
- Tampermonkey
- Earley_parser#JavaScript
- Web worker
- JavaPoly.js
- Client-side JavaScript
- Dynamic HTML
- Tree shaking
- CoffeeScript
- Dart
- Emscripten
- Google Closure Compiler
- Google Web Toolkit
- Morfik
- AtScript
- Opa
- Haxe
- ClojureScript
- Firebug
- Komodo IDE
- Microsoft Script Debugger
- Microsoft Script Editor
- Opera Dragonfly
- Venkman
- Web Inspector
- Editors (comparison)
- Engines
- Comparison of layout engines (ECMAScript)
- List of ECMAScript engines
- JavaScript engine#JavaScript engines
- Related technologies
- Active Server Pages
- CommonJS
- JSGI
- Node.js
- Wakanda
Articles with a JavaScript section
- ?:
- AES implementations
- Adobe AIR
- Anonymous function
- Anonymous recursion
- Apply
- Aptana
- Bootstrap (front-end framework)
- COLT (software)
- CSS hack
- CaRMetal
- Callback (computer programming)
- CartoDB
- Code cleanup
- Command pattern
- Comment (computer programming)
- Comparison of application servers
- Comparison of integrated development environments
- Comparison of programming languages (list comprehension)
- Comparison of programming languages (string functions)
- Comparison of web browsers
- Comparison of web frameworks
- Data URI scheme
- Dispatch table
- Document Object Model
- Double-precision floating-point format
- EXeLearning
- Earley parser
- Escape character
- Eval
- Event-driven architecture
- Exception handling syntax
- File select
- Fluent interface
- Foreach loop
- Foundation (framework)
- Front-end web development
- Generational list of programming languages
- Google Chrome Experiments
- Google PageSpeed Tools
- Higher-order function
- Holy Grail (web design)
- Immutable object
- InstallCore
- Internet Explorer 9
- Iterator pattern
- Java virtual machine
- Label (computer science)
- Leet (programming language)
- Libffi
- List of 3D graphics libraries
- List of Ajax frameworks
- List of charting software
- List of content management systems
- List of performance analysis tools
- List of unit testing frameworks
- List of wiki software
- Midpoint circle algorithm
- Mobile web analytics
- Module pattern
- Molecule editor
- Mouse tracking
- Naming convention (programming)
- Null Object pattern
- Open Data Protocol
- Opera Mini
- Otsu's method
- PhpStorm
- Property (programming)
- RTP-MIDI
- Reverse domain name notation
- Scope (computer science)
- Shamir's Secret Sharing
- Single-page application
- Software transactional memory
- String interpolation
- Template Attribute Language
- This (computer programming)
- Time zone
- Tor Mail
- UI data binding
- URL redirection
- Vehicle identification number
- Virtual world framework
- WSO2 Mashup Server
- Web development tools
- Web scraping
- WebKit
- Windows Runtime
- Yesod (Web framework)
Further reading
Free
General reference
- Glossaries
- Codecademy JavaScript Glossary
- MDN JavaScript Glossary (extensive, link-intensive)
- Simplified JavaScript Jargon – with brief definitions, and links to more in-depth explanations.
- Google JavaScript Style Guide – Google’s coding standards for source code in JavaScript
- JavaScript Guide – programmer's manual, from the Mozilla Developer Network
- JavaScript reference – describes the language in detail. From the Mozilla Developer Network.
- JavaScript tutorials – beginner, intermediate, and advanced
- JavaScript Best Practices – general tips on better scripting
- JavaScript the Right Way – extensive bibliography of online resources (links) for JavaScript, arranged by subject
- How to Learn JavaScript Properly – provides study guides for beginner and experienced JavaScript programmers, listing many resources
Beginner
- JavaScript WikiBook – community-written introductory-level book on JavaScript, from Wikibooks
- Wikiversity JavaScript lessons – lessons on JavaScript, collaboratively written by the community
- Learn JavaScript – covers the very basics of JavaScript
- A re-introduction to JavaScript (JS tutorial) – when you are ready for a second go.
- JavaScript Terminology For Beginners – 5 key features of the language
- Eloquent JavaScript (pdf) – introduction to both JavaScript and programming in general, for beginners
- JavaScript for Cats (pdf) – easy for humans too
- JavaScript Tutorial – from w3schools.com
- jQuery Fundamentals – overview of the jQuery JavaScript library, which teaches the beginner to use it to program basic tasks
- jQuery Fundamentals tutorial – tutorial with built-in editor, and examples that the reader can experiment with
- Speaking JavaScript: An In-depth Guide for Programmers – assumes you already know another object-oriented programming language
Intermediate
- Human JavaScript – "tools, patterns, and approaches optimized for people"
- Introduction to Object-Oriented JavaScript – from the Mozilla Developer Network
- JavaScript Allongé (ES5) – explains the language, and how it works, with a focus on functions
- JavaScript Garden – collection of tips and documentation on JavaScript's quirks
- Learning JavaScript Design Patterns – reusable solutions to commonly occurring problems in software design.
- Professor Frisby's Mostly Adequate Guide to Functional Programming (in JavaScript) –
- Understanding ECMAScript 6 – covers the core of the language in greater depth, and explains the differences between ECMAScript5 and ECMAScript6.
- You Don't Know JS (series) – JS stands for JavaScript, not the other thing. Covers the language in depth. The pre-release versions were made available by the author for free:
Advanced
- JavaScript in Ten Minutes – Overview of the advanced features, for programmers who know some JavaScript
- Exploring ES2016 and ES2017 – what's new in ECMAScript 2016 and ECMAScript 2017 (ECMAScript is the standard specification that JavaScript follows)
- Programming JavaScript Applications –
- JavaScript Spessore – developing apps with a focus on objects and metaobjects
Extension-based
Commercial
General reference
Beginner
- McPeak, Jeremy; Winton, Paul (2015). Beginning JavaScript (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-90374-2.
- Chinnathambi, Kirupa (2017). JavaScript Absolute Beginner’s Guide. Pearson Education. ISBN 978-0-7897-5806-4.
Intermediate
- JavaScript: The Good Parts. O'Reilly. 2008. ISBN 978-0-596-51774-8. OCLC 192027457..
Advanced
- JavaScript Application Design: A Build First approach, Nicolas G. Bevacqua, Manning Publications, 2015. ISBN 9781617291951, 344 pages
References
- ^ "JavaScript | History, Applications, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "JavaScript data types and data structures". MDN Web Docs.
- ^ Andrew Cooke. "Introduction To Computer Languages". Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ^ a b "ECMAScript Language Specification" (PDF).
- ^ "CSS developer guide". Mozilla Developer Network. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
- ^ "What is CSS?". World Wide Web Consortium. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ Looper, Jen (2015-09-21). "A Guide to JavaScript Engines for Idiots". Telerik Developer Network. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
- ^ "JScript VS JavaScript". About.com. 2015-11-25.
- ^ "Event driven programming (in javascript)". www.24hr.se.
- ^ in JavaScript The State of JavaScript: a Shift from Imperative to Declarative
- ^ Master the JavaScript Interview: What is Functional Programming?)
- ^ Tutorial on variables in JavaScript)
- ^ List of operators)
- ^ [1]
- ^ Classes
- ^ JavaScript Modules: A Beginner's Guide
- ^ Tutorial on regular expressions in JavaScript
- ^ "JavaScript HTML DOM". www.w3schools.com.
- ^ "jQuery: The write less, do more, JavaScript library". The jQuery Project. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ "Usage of JavaScript libraries for websites". Retrieved 2015-07-14.
- ^ "jQuery Usage Statistics". Retrieved 2013-05-17.
- ^ "Libscore".
- ^ "Netscape and Sun Announce JavaScript, the Open, Cross-platform Object Scripting Language for Enterprise Networks and the Internet". Netscape. December 4, 1995. Archived from the original on 2007-09-16. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
- ^ "JavaScript Meetup City", Open, The New York Times, April 4, 2012
- ^ Interview: Jeremy Ashkenas Talks About CoffeeScript
- ^ Jeremy Ashkenas — A Cup of CoffeeScript
External links
- JSHint – online code analyzer (of source code copied and pasted into it). Detects errors and potential problems in the user's source code.
- List of languages that compile to JS
- Examples from JavaScript The Definitive Guide, sixth edition]
- http://jsbooks.revolunet.com/ provides links to free books on JavaScript
- http://uptodate.frontendrescue.org/ about browser development
- https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/jsmentors
- http://www.communityjs.org/ JavaScript user groups
- http://www.lanyrd.com/topics/javascript/
- often publish talks online
- Book supporting websites
- Script collections