HTML Recall that HTML is static in that it describes how a page is to be displayed, but it doesn’t provide for interaction or animation. A page created with HTML alone is similar to a document created with a word-processor. All you can do is view or print it.

JavaScript JavaScript - a language used with HTML to create active WWW pages. JavaScript was developed by Netscape. Microsoft’s version is called JScript. JavaScript brings HTML to life and makes Web pages dynamic. It can be used for games, order forms, and animation. For a cool example, click the button “View JavaScript Example” on the front page of Chapter 3.

JavaScript JavaScript is a scripting language. This means that JavaScript is executed by an interpreter from within a Web browser. An interpreter translates programming code one line at a time and each time the code is run. Warning: Unlike HTML, JavaScript is case sensitive. Remark: JavaScript and Java are two completely different languages.

The Tag Statements that make up a JavaScript program in an HTML document are contained between the … tag pairs. The tag is used to notify the Web browser that commands following it need to be interpreted by a scripting engine. The LANGUAGE attribute of the tag tells the browser which scripting language and version are being used.

The Tag Statement 1; Statement 2; …

Logic and Debugging Like all languages, JavaScript has its own syntax (rules of the language). You must observe the syntax carefully or your program will not work. Syntax error. In addition to syntax, you also have to understand the underlying logic of your program. A program may run but produce incorrect results. Logic error. bug - any error in a program. debugging - finding and fixing program errors.