Homework Lesson 8
Using Java Applets and JavaScript

Challenge 1: Why use Java and JavaScript

Challenge 2: What Java and JavaScript Can Do (see Challenge 3 examples)

Challenge 3: Modifying Existing Java Applets and JavaScript

Challenge 4: Writing a JavaScript

Challenge 5: Definition of Terms

Challenge 6: Our Leader emerges when Irwin writes to the Societal Group:

Learning JavaScript is not all that hard. What is difficult is learning and remembering the names in the library of "methods" (the subroutines you can use) and the names of the "properties" (the variables you can use). The authoring guide that Netscape maintains has listings for both of these items:
JavaScript Authoring Guide

I have been playing around with various features of JavaScript and have created some scripts that demonstrate how to create functions, how to use loops (and loops within loops), and how to use conditional expressions (if - then - else), as well as showing what needs to go in the header of a document and what should be in the body. I have tried to annotate the source as a learning aid (the double slash "//" is used to specify a comment within a JavaScript). Give it a look: and let me know if it helps. I will probably add more stuff later.

Ingo wrote to the group about the search engine routine (javascript) he tried on Education. He asked how to get the search into the main frame - in other words - where would I have to put my target = main ? Hope someone of you guys has a great idea :).

Ingo fixed it with this information sent by Irwin: First of all, you have two frames named "main"; change the second one to someting else. Next locate the string "location.href" in your script. Try changing that to: parent.main.location.href If that doesn't work, try: parent.frame[1].location.href Let me know if either of these works.

This example prompted another e-mail from Irwin: How I Think, Programmers probably don't think the way the rest of you "uncivilized" folks do, I thought it might be helpful in your learning of JavaScript to have an example of how we go about solving problems.

Some of you may believe that I knew the answer to ingo's question about "targeting" his search engine and just responded to him. Not true. To begin with, I didn't even know what he was talking about, so I looked at his page. Then it became clear that he wanted the search results to appear in the larger window. So I decided to look at the source for his search engine frame (right click in frame and select view frame source).

I figured there ought to be something spelled "http" or "href" that specified a URL and I found "location.href". So I decided to find out what that was and went to the JavaScript Authoring Guide:

I figured that "location" was probably an object so I clicked on "object" in the left window, and - sure enough - "location" showed up. Clicked on it and skimmed down thru a bunch of stuff I didn't understand until I hit some examples. As some would say, "Viola", example 2 told me exactly what I wanted to know!

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