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And most important, there
are many exercises scattered thoughout. In order to get ANY use out of
this tutorial you MUST do the exercises. Again, if you skip the exercises,
you will learn very little and you might as well do something else with
your time.
Alrighty then, with that understood, let's get to work.
What is Javascript?
Put simply, javascript is a specialized programming language. It is a
programming language whereby you can insert scripts (mini programs) into
a web page using a simple text editor. It's actually capable of quite
a bit.
Is it hard to learn?
Without any previous programming experience? Yes. Well, let's just say
it's harder than HTML. The good news is, just like anything else, the
more you practice, the better you get. You'll be happy to know that I
wrote this thing with the assumption that you never did any programming
before. You don't have to bring anything to the table except a little
HTML knowledge...
Do I need to know HTML?
Yes. I'll be assuming you have a modest amount of HTML skill. I'll assume
you can make a simple page, make links, insert images and have at least
a basic understanding of forms and frames. (Also, it should go without
saying that javascript should be enabled in your browser). document.write("<P><CENTER><FONT
COLOR=\"#EE0000\">If you can read this, then your javascript
is enabled. You\'re doing just fine.</FONT></CENTER>");
If you can
read this, then your javascript is NOT enabled. You'll have to enable
it in your browser's preferences if you want any of these examples to
work.
And one more thing... use Notepad. Do yourself a BIG favor and don't even
try to do this with Front Page or Composer or Word or anything but a text
editor. (Or text-based editor. If you're curious, I'm using NoteTab Pro
to write this tutorial and all the examples. The author also offers a
freeware version, Notetab Light, that is nearly as useful and powerful
as the Pro version. I VERY strongly recommend you grab yourself a copy.)
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