JavaScript links

Definition

This is a short links page on JavaScript. Only sporadically maintainted !

Reference and Manuals

Introductions

• JavaScript

JavaScript Reference

• JavaScript at Mozilla developper center (JS 1.5 plus JS 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 upgrades].
• Core JavaScript 1.5 Guide Can be used as Tutorial for the language only. Use a JS 1.2 or JS1.3 Guide for built-in non-standardized JavaScript objects, use the DOM specs for DOM objects.
• JavaScript 1.5 Guide (Local copy of an old Netscape version)
• ECMA-262 Specification (local copy, PDF). ECMA Script is a standardized Core Version (e.g. without any browser objects) based on the JavaScript 1.1 Specification. ECMA Script is the formal basis for many scripting languages (JavaScript 1.5, SVG and VRML scripting, Actionscript 3 etc.)

Document object model (DOM)

• W3C Document Object Model (DOM) Activity Statement (points to all relevant DOM documents)

Else please consult the Document Object Model (alias DOM) entry.

JavaScript specific DOM Reference

• Mozilla DOM Reference Index pointing to the reference (zip and PDF) plus tutorials
• Links and Resources to the W3C DOM (at Mozilla)
• Gecko DOM Reference

• History: For older NS 4.7 browsers and non-standardized so-called DOM 0 (e.g. HTML inline, browser interfaces) you may read: JavaScript 1.3 Guide and JavaScript 1.3 Reference Guide. These are outdated, but still on of the best references on how to use the old-style "standard" JavaScript Objects.

FAQs and Short References

• JavaScript FAQ (Includes FAQ related to JavaScript Dates, Forms, Frames, Images, Source Files, Layers, Links, Miscellaneous, Numbers, Strings, Tables, and Windows) (articles)
• JavaScript Mini-FAQ by Danny Goodman (Goodman is author of JavaScript books)
• Danny Goodman's JavaScript and Browser Objects Quick Reference

Tutorials and tutorial sites

Warning: Some tutorials are not very clear about what's standardized, what's obsolete and what's informal but well supported.

Beginners tutorials

• Javascript tutorials (Land of Code). Good.

• JavaScript Tutorial (W3Schools)

• JavaScript 101

• ABC of JavaScript. An Interactive JavaScript Tutorial]

• SELFHTML Tutorial by Stephan Münz (German and French)
  • JavaScript/DOM (German)
  • JavaScript/DOM (Français). Contient une introduction à JavaScript, à DOM et une référence objet.

• Welcome To JavaScript for the Total Non-Programmer (WebTeacher).

General on-line tutorials

• A re-introduction to JavaScript Good recent introduction to the language from Mozilla. Suitable for folks with programming experience. (2006)

old-style JavaScript

(but useful)

• Stefan Koch's Voodoo's Introduction to JavaScript. Does not include modern DOM . There is a Introduction à JavaScript french translation.

• JavaScript and HTML: possibilities and caveats by Jukka "Yucca" Korpela, 2005.

JavaScript, DOM and DHTML tutorials

• Introduction to the DOM Introduction to the DOM of IE/ Firefox by Timothy Francis Brady.
• Dynamic Content with DOM-2 (Part I of II) by S.A. LePera, O'Reilly 2001
• BrainJar.com. Mike Hall's experiments in Web Programming. Includes both good tutorials and GNU-licenced code. E.g. The DOM Event Model or Generic Drag

Ajax and DHTML tutorials

• DHTML page at Mozilla developper center (demos)
• Dynamic HTML and XML: The XMLHttpRequest Object - Apple Developer Connection, 2004
• Ajax (programming). Ajax or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML is a term describing a web development technique for creating interactive web applications (Wikipedia Article, 2005)
• Asynchronous JavaScript Technology and XML (AJAX) With Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (!), technical Sun Developer Network article, June 2005)
• AJAX : Demystifying the buzz for all platforms. @ Web Forefront Mai 2005. Short intro article
• Putting AJAX to work InfoWorld article, (mostly a product overview)

Client-side modifications

There are browser extensions that allow a user to change behavior of web pages. The best know is Greasemonkey.

• Greasemonkey
• Wikipedia Greasemonkey

Collections and links sites

General indexes

• DMoz JavaScript (Big Index)
• Yahoo's js directory (big meta list)
• Mozilla's JavaScript Scripting Resources A short list of good links
• Object-Oriented Language: JavaScript / ECMAScript (Cetus links)
• DHTML, DOM and JavaScript, ECMAScript, AJAX (WebsiteTips.com).

Ressource sites with tutorials and help

• Quirksmode CSS and Javascript tips by Peter Paul Koch. Tutorial and examples, Compatibility tables.
• Webmonkey: Javascript collection. Links and good but outdated tutorials.
• JavaScript tutorials at webreference(Lots !)

Sites with javascript code

(see also tutorials above !)

General developer libraries

See also AJAX

• jQuery jQuery is a JavaScript library that takes this motto to heart: Writing JavaScript code should be fun... (12/2006).

Scripts and script collections

(this subcategory may need some sorting)

• Brothercake (Good Scripts collection)
• CodeThat. Both free and commercial pro versions.
• DHTMLGoodies.com. A series of nice and up-to-date script. Easy to use website.
• Doc JavaScript, a webreference.com site.
• Dynamic Drive Free DHTML (some scripts may not be up to date)
• HotScripts.com/JavaScript (Large Scripts collection)
• Java Script Browser Sniffer at webreference.com. Updated 10/09/2006 (or better)
• JavaScript Kit Code to cut/paste. Some old.
• JavaScript Made Easy. Some nice examples (but the page has JS errors when it loads ...)
• JavaScript tutorials at webreference (also has a good list of site with code).
• Scriptsearch. Large collection of Scripts (also Tutorials, etc.)
• The JavaScript Source a nice resource with lots of Cut & Paste javascript examples. Use the little navigation menu to the left (click on "site contents") Be aware of code that may be outdated.
• Top10 Most Useful JavaScripts at Hyperdisc, Unitec.

For programmers - both learning resource and code snippets or reusable code

• BrainJar.com. Mike Hall's experiments in Web Programming. Includes both good tutorials and GNU-licenced code. One of the top JS sites.
• DHTMLKitchen.
• DHTML Demonstrations Using DOM/Style (Mozilla dev center)

Examples from books

• JavaScriptWorld Site of JavaScript and Ajax for the Web, Visual QuickStart Guide, Sixth Edition.
• PPK on JavaScript - the example scripts

Through the Web editors

A list of Javascript HTML, XML, etc. WYSIWYG editors. By default, these are free. There may be better commercial but not listed solutions. Libraries listed here are all respectable, but (so far) we don't have any recommendation and features mentionned are not complete. See Comparison table and Standards schmandards 2007 for comparison.

Bigger

• TinyMCE.
  • Is on of the more popular libraries and fairly easy to integrate and customize. Integrated in many popular CMS systems and cross-browser.
  • Used to have trouble with embedded lists (but this is maybe fixed now/ - DKS)
  • Wikipedia entry

• FckEditor.
  • Crossplatform, XHTML 1.0, CSS, paste from Word, spell checker. Integration packs with various server-side languages.
  • Wikipedia Entry

• openWYSISYG.
  • Cross-browser, good table manager,

• Xinha, Crossplatform.
  • (DKS thinks it's the default one in the PostNuke CMS).

• Loki.
  • Claims to be most standards compliant and encourages semantic markup.

• WYMeditor is a web-based WYSIWYM (What You See Is What You Mean) XHTML editor).
  • Its main concept is to leave details of the document's visual layout, and to concentrate on its structure and meaning, while trying to give the user as much comfort as possible.
  • For certain applications where users ought to produce optional XHTML code, this is better than an WYSIWYG editor.

• Whizzywig.

Smaller

• HTMLBox. Cross-browser interactive open-source HTML textarea built on top of the jQuery library. Easy to use, best for smaller applications (users write smallers texts). 15KB only.

• NicEdit. Even more lightweight than HTMLBox. Also can be used through widget code (JS is loaded from nicedit.com).