Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Javascript - Browsers Compatibility

It is important to understand the differences between different browsers in order to handle each in the way it is expected. So it is important to know which browser your Web page is running in.
To get information about the browser your Web page is currently running in, use the built-in navigator object.

Navigator Properties:

There are several Navigator related properties that you can use in your Web page. The following is a list of the names and descriptions of each:
PropertyDescription
appCodeNameThis property is a string that contains the code name of the browser, Netscape for Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer for Internet Explorer.
appVersionThis property is a string that contains the version of the browser as well as other useful information such as its language and compatibility.
languageThis property contains the two-letter abbreviation for the language that is used by the browser. Netscape only.
mimTypes[]This property is an array that contains all MIME types supported by the client. Netscape only.
platform[]This property is a string that contains the platform for which the browser was compiled."Win32" for 32-bit Windows operating systems
plugins[]This property is an array containing all the plug-ins that have been installed on the client. Netscape only.
userAgent[]This property is a string that contains the code name and version of the browser. This value is sent to the originating server to identify the client

Navigator Methods:

There are several Navigator-specific methods. Here is a list of their names and descriptions:
MethodDescription
javaEnabled()This method determines if JavaScript is enabled in the client. If JavaScript is enabled, this method returns true; otherwise, it returns false.
plugings.refreshThis method makes newly installed plug-ins available and populates the plugins array with all new plug-in names. Netscape only.
preference(name,value)This method allows a signed script to get and set some Netscape preferences. If the second parameter is omitted, this method will return the value of the specified preference; otherwise, it sets the value. Netscape only.
taintEnabled()This method returns true if data tainting is enabled and false otherwise.

Browser Detection:

There is a simple JavaScript which can be used to find out the name of a browser and then accordingly an HTML page can be served to the user.
<html>
<head>
<title>Browser Detection Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
var userAgent   = navigator.userAgent;
var opera       = (userAgent.indexOf('Opera') != -1);
var ie          = (userAgent.indexOf('MSIE') != -1);
var gecko       = (userAgent.indexOf('Gecko') != -1);
var netscape    = (userAgent.indexOf('Mozilla') != -1);
var version     = navigator.appVersion;

if (opera){
  document.write("Opera based browser");
  // Keep your opera specific URL here.
}else if (gecko){
  document.write("Mozilla based browser");
  // Keep your gecko specific URL here.
}else if (ie){
  document.write("IE based browser");
  // Keep your IE specific URL here.
}else if (netscape){
  document.write("Netscape based browser");
  // Keep your Netscape specific URL here.
}else{
  document.write("Unknown browser");
}
// You can include version to along with any above condition.
document.write("<br /> Browser version info : " + version );
//-->
</script>
</body>
</html>

Javascript Image Map

You can use JavaScript to create client side image map. Client side image maps are enabled by the usemap attribute for the <img /> tag and defined by special <map> and <area> extension tags.
The image that is going to form the map is inserted into the page using the <img /> element as normal, except it carries an extra attribute called usemap. The value of the usemap attribute is the value of the name attribute on the <map> element, which you are about to meet, preceded by a pound or hash sign.
The <map> element actually creates the map for the image and usually follows directly after the <img /> element. It acts as a container for the <area /> elements that actually define the clickable hotspots. The <map> element carries only one attribute, the name attribute, which is the name that identifies the map. This is how the <img /> element knows which <map> element to use.
The <area> element specifies the shape and the coordinates that define the boundaries of each clickable hotspot.
The following combines imagemaps and JavaScript to produce a message in a text box when the mouse is moved over different parts of an image.
<html>
<head>
<title>Using JavaScript Image Map</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function showTutorial(name){
  document.myform.stage.value = name
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form name="myform">
   <input type="text" name="stage" size="20" />
</form>
<!-- Create  Mappings -->
<img src="/images/usemap.gif" alt="HTML Map" 
        border="0" usemap="#tutorials"/>

<map name="tutorials">
   <area shape="poly" 
            coords="74,0,113,29,98,72,52,72,38,27"
            href="/perl/index.htm" alt="Perl Tutorial"
            target="_self" 
            onMouseOver="showTutorial('perl')" 
            onMouseOut="showTutorial('')"/>

   <area shape="rect" 
            coords="22,83,126,125"
            href="/html/index.htm" alt="HTML Tutorial" 
            target="_self" 
            onMouseOver="showTutorial('html')" 
            onMouseOut="showTutorial('')"/>

   <area shape="circle" 
            coords="73,168,32"
            href="/php/index.htm" alt="PHP Tutorial"
         target="_self" 
            onMouseOver="showTutorial('php')" 
            onMouseOut="showTutorial('')"/>
</map>
</body>
</html>
This will produce following result. Move your mouse around and see the changes:
HTML Map Perl Tutorial HTML Tutorial PHP Tutorial

Javascript Debugging

There is a great chance that you would make a mistake while writing your programme. A mistake in a script is referred to as a bug.
The process of finding and fixing bugs is called debugging and is a normal part of the development process. This section covers tools and techniques that can help you with debugging tasks.

Error Messages in IE:

The most basic way to track down errors is by turning on error information in your browser. By default, Internet Explorer shows an error icon in the status bar when an error occurs on the page:
Error Icon
Double-clicking this icon takes you to a dialog box showing information about the specific error that occurred.
Because this icon is easy to overlook, Internet Explorer gives you the option to automatically show the Error dialog box whenever an error occurs.
To enable this option, select Tools --> Internet Options --> Advanced tab. and then finally check the Display a Notification About Every Script Error box option as shown below:
Internet Options

Error Messages in Firefox or Mozilla:

Other browsers like Firefox, Netscape and Mozilla send error messages to a special window called the JavaScript Console or Error Consol. To view the console, select Tools --> Error Consol or Web Development.
Unfortunately, since these browsers give no visual indication when an error occurs, you must keep the Console open and watch for errors as your script executes.
Error Console

Error Notifications:

Error notifications that show up on Console or through Internet Explorer dialog boxes are the result of both syntax and runtime errors. These error notification include the line number at which the error occurred.
If you are using Firefox then you can click on the error available in the error console to go to the exact line in the script having error.

How to debug a Script:

There are various ways to debug your JavaScript:

Use a JavaScript Validator:

One way to check your JavaScript code for strange bugs is to run it through a program that checks it to make sure it is valid.that it follows the official syntax rules of the language. These programs are called validating parsers, or just validators for short, and often come with commercial HTML and JavaScript editors.
The most convenient validator for JavaScript is Douglas Crockford's JavaScript Lint, which is available free online at Douglas Crockford's JavaScript Lint.
Simply visit that web page, paste your JavaScript (Only JavaScript) code into the text area provided, and click the jslint button. This program will parse through your JavaScript code, ensuring that any variable and function definitions follow the correct syntax. It will also check JavaScript statements, such as if and while, to ensure they too follow the correct format

Add Debugging Code to Your Programs:

You can use the alert() or document.write() methods in your program to debug your code. for example, you might write something like :
var debugging = true;
var whichImage = "widget";
if( debugging )
   alert( "Calls swapImage() with argument: " + whichImage );
var swapStatus = swapImage( whichImage );
if( debugging )
   alert( "Exits swapImage() with swapStatus=" + swapStatus );
By examining the content and order of the alert()s as they appear, you can examine the health of your program very easily.

Use a JavaScript Debugger:

A debugger is an application that places all aspects of script execution under the control of the programmer. Debuggers provide fine-grained control over the state of the script through an interface that allows you to examine and set values as well as control the flow of execution.
Once a script has been loaded into a debugger, it can be run one line at a time or instructed to halt at certain breakpoints. Once execution is halted, the programmer can examine the state of the script and its variables in order to determine if something is amiss. You can also watch variables for changes in their values.
The latest version of the Mozilla JavaScript Debugger (code-named Venkman) for both Mozilla and Netscape browsers can be downloaded at http://www.hacksrus.com/~ginda/venkman

Useful tips for developers:

There are few tips that you can use to reduce the number of errors in your scripts and that can make the debugging process a little easier.
  • Remember to use plenty of comments. Comments enable you to explain why you wrote the script the way you did and to explain particularly difficult sections of code.
  • Always use indentation to make your code easy to read. Indenting statements also makes it easier for you to match up beginning and ending tags, curly braces, and other HTML and script elements.
  • Write modular code. Whenever possible, group your statements into functions. Functions let you group related statements, and test and reuse portions of code with minimal effort.
  • Be consistent in the way you name variables and functions. Try using names that are long enough to be meaningful and that describe the contents of the variable or the purpose of the function.
  • Use consistent syntax when naming variables and functions. In other words, keep them all lowercase or all uppercase; if you prefer Camel-Back notation, use it consistently.
  • Test long scripts in a modular fashion. In other words, do not try to write the entire script before testing any portion of it. Write a piece and get it to work before adding the next portion of code.
  • Use descriptive variable and function names and avoid using single-character names.
  • Watch your quotation marks. Remember that quotation marks are used in pairs around strings and that both quotation marks must be of the same style (either single or double).
  • Watch your equal signs. You should not used a single = for comparison purpose.
  • Declare variables explicitly using the var keyword.

Javascript Multimedia

The JavaScript navigator object includes a child object called plugins. This object is an array, with one entry for each plug-in installed on the browser. The navigator.plugins object is supported only by Netscape, Firefox and Mozilla only.
Here is an example to list down all the plug-on installed with your browser:
<html>
<head>
<title>List of Plug-Ins</title>
</head>
<body>
<table border="1">
<tr>
    <th>Plug-in Name</th>
    <th>Filename</th>
    <th>Description</th>
</tr>
<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">
for (i=0; i<navigator.plugins.length; i++) {
   document.write("<tr><td>");
   document.write(navigator.plugins[i].name);
   document.write("</td><td>");
   document.write(navigator.plugins[i].filename);
   document.write("</td><td>");
   document.write(navigator.plugins[i].description);
   document.write("</td></tr>");
}
</script>
</table>
</body>
</html>

Checking for Plug-Ins:

Each plug-in has an entry in the array. Each entry has the following properties:
  • name - is the name of the plug-in.
  • filename - is the executable file that was loaded to install the plug-in.
  • description - is a description of the plug-in, supplied by the developer.
  • mimeTypes - is an array with one entry for each MIME type supported by the plug-in.
You can use these properties in a script to find out about the installed plug-ins, and then using JavaScript you can play appropriate multimedia file as follows:
<html>
<head>
<title>Using Plug-Ins</title>
</head>
<body>
<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">
media = navigator.mimeTypes["video/quicktime"];
if (media){
  document.write("<embed src='quick.mov' height=100 width=100>");
}
else{
  document.write("<img src='quick.gif' height=100 width=100>");
}
</script>
</body>
</html>
NOTE: Here we are using HTML <embed> tag to embed a multimedia file.

Controlling Multimedia:

Let us take one real example which works in almost all the browsers:
<html>
<head>
<title>Using Embeded Object</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function play()
{
  if (!document.demo.IsPlaying()){
    document.demo.Play();
  }
}
function stop()
{
  if (document.demo.IsPlaying()){
    document.demo.StopPlay();
  }
}
function rewind()
{
  if (document.demo.IsPlaying()){
    document.demo.StopPlay();
  }
  document.demo.Rewind();
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<embed id="demo" name="demo"
    src="http://www.amrood.com/games/kumite.swf"
    width="318" height="300" play="false" loop="false"
    pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"
    swliveconnect="true">
</embed>
<form name="form" id="form" action="#" method="get">
<input type="button" value="Start" onclick="play();" />
<input type="button" value="Stop" onclick="stop();" />
<input type="button" value="Rewind" onclick="rewind();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

Javascript Animation

You can use JavaScript to create a complex animation which includes but not limited to:
  • Fireworks
  • Fade Effect
  • Roll-in or Roll-out
  • Page-in or Page-out
  • Object movements
You might be interested in existing JavaScript based animation library : Script.Aculo.us.
This tutorial will give you basic understanding on how to use JavaScript to create an animation.
JavaScript can be used to move a number of DOM elements (<img />, <div> or any other HTML element) around the page according to some sort of pattern determined by a logical equation or function.
JavaScript provides following two functions to be frequently used in animation programs.
  • setTimeout( function, duration) - This function calls function after duration milliseconds from now.
  • setInterval(function, duration) - This function calls function after every duration milliseconds.
  • clearTimeout(setTimeout_variable) - This function calls clears any timer set by the setTimeout() functions.
JavaScript can also set a number of attributes of a DOM object including its position on the screen. You can set top and left attribute of an object to position it anywhere on the screen. Here is the simple syntax:
// Set distance from left edge of the screen.
object.style.left = distance in pixels or points; 

or
// Set distance from top edge of the screen.
object.style.top = distance in pixels or points; 

Manual Animation:

So let's implement one simple animation using DOM object properties and JavaScript functions as follows:
<html>
<head>
<title>JavaScript Animation</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
var imgObj = null;
function init(){
   imgObj = document.getElementById('myImage');
   imgObj.style.position= 'relative'; 
   imgObj.style.left = '0px'; 
}
function moveRight(){
   imgObj.style.left = parseInt(imgObj.style.left) + 10 + 'px';
}
window.onload =init;
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form>
<img id="myImage" src="/images/html.gif" />
<p>Click button below to move the image to right</p>
<input type="button" value="Click Me" onclick="moveRight();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>
Here is the explanation of the above example:
  • We are using JavaScript function getElementById() to get a DOM object and then assigning it to a global variable imgObj.
  • We have defined an initialization function init() to initialize imgObj where we have set its position and left attributes.
  • We are calling initialization function at the time of window load.
  • Finally, we are calling moveRight() function to increase left distance by 10 pixels. You could also set it to a negative value to move it to the left side.

Automated Animation:

In the above example we have seen , how an image moves to right with every click. We can automate this process by using JavaScript function setTimeout() as follows:
<html>
<head>
<title>JavaScript Animation</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
var imgObj = null;
var animate ;
function init(){
   imgObj = document.getElementById('myImage');
   imgObj.style.position= 'relative'; 
   imgObj.style.left = '0px'; 
}
function moveRight(){
   imgObj.style.left = parseInt(imgObj.style.left) + 10 + 'px';
   animate = setTimeout(moveRight,20); // call moveRight in 20msec
}
function stop(){
   clearTimeout(animate);
   imgObj.style.left = '0px'; 
}
window.onload =init;
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form>
<img id="myImage" src="/images/html.gif" />
<p>Click the buttons below to handle animation</p>
<input type="button" value="Start" onclick="moveRight();" />
<input type="button" value="Stop" onclick="stop();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>
Here we have add more spice. So let's see what is new here:
  • The moveRight() function is calling setTimeout() function to set the position of imgObj.
  • We have added a new function stop() to clear the timer set by setTimeout() function and to set the object at its initial position.

Rollover with a Mouse Event:

Here is a simple example showing image rollover with a mouse events:
<html>
<head>
<title>Rollover with a Mouse Events</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
if(document.images){
    var image1 = new Image();      // Preload an image
    image1.src = "/images/html.gif";
    var image2 = new Image();      // Preload second image
    image2.src = "/images/http.gif";
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>Move your mouse over the image to see the result</p>
<a href="#" onMouseOver="document.myImage.src=image2.src;"
            onMouseOut="document.myImage.src=image1.src;">
<img name="myImage" src="/images/html.gif" />
</a>
</body>
</html>
Let's see what is different here:
  • At the time of loading this page, the if statement checks for the existence of the image object. If the image object is unavailable, this block will not be executed.
  • The Image() constructor creates and preloads a new image object called image1.
  • The src property is assigned the name of the external image file called /images/html.gif.
  • Similar way we have created image2 object and assigned /images/http.gif in this object.
  • The # (hash mark) disables the link so that the browser does not try to go to a URL when clicked. This link is an image.
  • The onMouseOver event handler is triggered when the user's mouse moves onto the link, and the onMouseOut event handler is triggered when the user's mouse moves away from the link (image).
  • When the mouse moves over the image, the HTTP image changes from the first image to the second one. When the mouse is moved away from the image, the original image is displayed.
  • When the mouse is moved away from the link, the initial image html.gif will reappear on the screen.

JavaScript - Form Validation

Form validation used to occur at the server, after the client had entered all necessary data and then pressed the Submit button. If some of the data that had been entered by the client had been in the wrong form or was simply missing, the server would have to send all the data back to the client and request that the form be resubmitted with correct information. This was really a lengthy process and over burdening server.
JavaScript, provides a way to validate form's data on the client's computer before sending it to the web server. Form validation generally performs two functions.
  • Basic Validation - First of all, the form must be checked to make sure data was entered into each form field that required it. This would need just loop through each field in the form and check for data.
  • Data Format Validation - Secondly, the data that is entered must be checked for correct form and value. This would need to put more logic to test correctness of data.
We will take an example to understand the process of validation. Here is the simple form to proceed :
<html>
<head>
<title>Form Validation</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
// Form validation code will come here.
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
 <form action="/cgi-bin/test.cgi" name="myForm"  
          onsubmit="return(validate());">
 <table cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="1">
 <tr>
   <td align="right">Name</td>
   <td><input type="text" name="Name" /></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
   <td align="right">EMail</td>
   <td><input type="text" name="EMail" /></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
   <td align="right">Zip Code</td>
   <td><input type="text" name="Zip" /></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td align="right">Country</td>
 <td>
 <select name="Country">
   <option value="-1" selected>[choose yours]</option>
   <option value="1">USA</option>
   <option value="2">UK</option>
   <option value="3">INDIA</option>
 </select>
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
   <td align="right"></td>
   <td><input type="submit" value="Submit" /></td>
 </tr>
 </table>
 </form>
 </body>
 </html>

Basic Form Validation:

First we will show how to do a basic form validation. In the above form we are calling validate() function to validate data when onsubmit event is occurring. Following is the implementation of this validate() function:
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
// Form validation code will come here.
function validate()
{
 
   if( document.myForm.Name.value == "" )
   {
     alert( "Please provide your name!" );
     document.myForm.Name.focus() ;
     return false;
   }
   if( document.myForm.EMail.value == "" )
   {
     alert( "Please provide your Email!" );
     document.myForm.EMail.focus() ;
     return false;
   }
   if( document.myForm.Zip.value == "" ||
           isNaN( document.myForm.Zip.value ) ||
           document.myForm.Zip.value.length != 5 )
   {
     alert( "Please provide a zip in the format #####." );
     document.myForm.Zip.focus() ;
     return false;
   }
   if( document.myForm.Country.value == "-1" )
   {
     alert( "Please provide your country!" );
     return false;
   }
   return( true );
}
//-->
</script>

Data Format Validation:

Now we will see how we can validate our entered form data before submitting it to the web server.
This example shows how to validate an entered email address which means email address must contain at least an @ sign and a dot (.). Also, the @ must not be the first character of the email address, and the last dot must at least be one character after the @ sign:
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function validateEmail()
{
 
   var emailID = document.myForm.EMail.value;
   atpos = emailID.indexOf("@");
   dotpos = emailID.lastIndexOf(".");
   if (atpos < 1 || ( dotpos - atpos < 2 )) 
   {
       alert("Please enter correct email ID")
       document.myForm.EMail.focus() ;
       return false;
   }
   return( true );
}
//-->
</script>

JavaScript - Errors & Exceptions Handling

There are three types of errors in programming: (a) Syntax Errors and (b) Runtime Errors (c) Logical Errors:

Syntax errors:

Syntax errors, also called parsing errors, occur at compile time for traditional programming languages and at interpret time for JavaScript.
For example, the following line causes a syntax error because it is missing a closing parenthesis:
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
window.print(;
//-->
</script>
When a syntax error occurs in JavaScript, only the code contained within the same thread as the syntax error is affected and code in other threads gets executed assuming nothing in them depends on the code containing the error.

Runtime errors:

Runtime errors, also called exceptions, occur during execution (after compilation/interpretation).
For example, the following line causes a run time error because here syntax is correct but at run time it is trying to call a non existed method:
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
window.printme();
//-->
</script>
Exceptions also affect the thread in which they occur, allowing other JavaScript threads to continue normal execution.

Logical errors:

Logic errors can be the most difficult type of errors to track down. These errors are not the result of a syntax or runtime error. Instead, they occur when you make a mistake in the logic that drives your script and you do not get the result you expected.
You can not catch those errors, because it depends on your business requirement what type of logic you want to put in your program.

The try...catch...finally Statement:

The latest versions of JavaScript added exception handling capabilities. JavaScript implements the try...catch...finally construct as well as the throw operator to handle exceptions.
You can catch programmer-generated and runtime exceptions, but you cannot catch JavaScript syntax errors.
Here is the try...catch...finally block syntax:
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
try {
    // Code to run
    [break;]
} catch ( e ) {
    // Code to run if an exception occurs
    [break;]
}[ finally {
    // Code that is always executed regardless of 
    // an exception occurring
}]
//-->
</script>
The try block must be followed by either exactly one catch block or one finally block (or one of both). When an exception occurs in the try block, the exception is placed in e and the catch block is executed. The optional finally block executes unconditionally after try/catch.

Examples:

Here is one example where we are trying to call a non existing function this is causing an exception raise. Let us see how it behaves without with try...catch:
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function myFunc()
{
   var a = 100;

   alert("Value of variable a is : " + a );
 
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>Click the following to see the result:</p>
<form>
<input type="button" value="Click Me" onclick="myFunc();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

Now let us try to catch this exception using try...catch and display a user friendly message. You can also suppress this message, if you want to hide this error from a user.
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function myFunc()
{
   var a = 100;
   
   try {
      alert("Value of variable a is : " + a );
   } catch ( e ) {
      alert("Error: " + e.description );
   }
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>Click the following to see the result:</p>
<form>
<input type="button" value="Click Me" onclick="myFunc();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

You can use finally block which will always execute unconditionally after try/catch. Here is an example:
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function myFunc()
{
   var a = 100;
   
   try {
      alert("Value of variable a is : " + a );
   }catch ( e ) {
      alert("Error: " + e.description );
   }finally {
      alert("Finally block will always execute!" );
   }
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>Click the following to see the result:</p>
<form>
<input type="button" value="Click Me" onclick="myFunc();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

The throw Statement:

You can use throw statement to raise your built-in exceptions or your customized exceptions. Later these exceptions can be captured and you can take an appropriate action.
Following is the example showing usage of throw statement.
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function myFunc()
{
   var a = 100;
   var b = 0;
   
   try{
      if ( b == 0 ){
         throw( "Divide by zero error." ); 
      }else{
         var c = a / b;
      }
   }catch ( e ) {
      alert("Error: " + e );
   }
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>Click the following to see the result:</p>
<form>
<input type="button" value="Click Me" onclick="myFunc();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

You can raise an exception in one function using a string, integer, Boolean or an object and then you can capture that exception either in the same function as we did above, or in other function using try...catch block.

The onerror() Method

The onerror event handler was the first feature to facilitate error handling for JavaScript. The error event is fired on the window object whenever an exception occurs on the page. Example:
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
window.onerror = function () {
   alert("An error occurred.");
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>Click the following to see the result:</p>
<form>
<input type="button" value="Click Me" onclick="myFunc();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

The onerror event handler provides three pieces of information to identify the exact nature of the error:
  • Error message . The same message that the browser would display for the given error
  • URL . The file in which the error occurred
  • Line number . The line number in the given URL that caused the error
Here is the example to show how to extract this information
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
window.onerror = function (msg, url, line) {
   alert("Message : " + msg );
   alert("url : " + url );
   alert("Line number : " + line );
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<p>Click the following to see the result:</p>
<form>
<input type="button" value="Click Me" onclick="myFunc();" />
</form>
</body>
</html>
You can display extracted information in whatever way you think it is better.

You can use onerror method to show an error message in case there is any problem in loading an image as follows:
<img src="myimage.gif"
    onerror="alert('An error occurred loading the image.')" />
You can use onerror with many HTML tags to display appropriate messages in case of errors.

JavaScript - Document Object Model or DOM

Every web page resides inside a browser window which can be considered as an object.
A Document object represents the HTML document that is displayed in that window. The Document object has various properties that refer to other objects which allow access to and modification of document content.
The way that document content is accessed and modified is called the Document Object Model, or DOM. The Objects are organized in a hierarchy. This hierarchical structure applies to the organization of objects in a Web document.
  • Window object: Top of the hierarchy. It is the outmost element of the object hierarchy.
  • Document object: Each HTML document that gets loaded into a window becomes a document object. The document contains the content of the page.
  • Form object: Everything enclosed in the <form>...</form> tags sets the form object.
  • Form control elements: The form object contains all the elements defined for that object such as text fields, buttons, radio buttons, and checkboxes.
Here is a simple hierarchy of few important objects:
HTML DOM
There are several DOMs in existence. The following sections explain each of these DOMs in detail and describe how you can use them to access and modify document content.
  • The Legacy DOM: This is the model which was introduced in early versions of JavaScript language. It is well supported by all browsers, but allows access only to certain key portions of documents, such as forms, form elements, and images.
  • The W3C DOM: This document object model allows access and modification of all document content and is standardized by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This model is supported by almost all the modern browsers.
  • The IE4 DOM: This document object model was introduced in Version 4 of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. IE 5 and later versions include support for most basic W3C DOM features.

DOM compatibility

If you want to write a script that uses the W3C DOM when it is available, and otherwise uses the IE 4 DOM if it is available, you can use a capability-testing approach that first checks for the existence of a method or property to determine whether the browser has the capability you desire. For example:
if (document.getElementById) {

  // If the W3C method exists, use it

}

else if (document.all) {

  // If the all[] array exists, use it

}

else {

  // Otherwise use the legacy DOM

}

Javascript Objects Overview

JavaScript is an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) language. A programming language can be called object-oriented if it provides four basic capabilities to developers:
  • Encapsulation . the capability to store related information, whether data or methods, together in an object
  • Aggregation . the capability to store one object inside of another object
  • Inheritance . the capability of a class to rely upon another class (or number of classes) for some of its properties and methods
  • Polymorphism . the capability to write one function or method that works in a variety of different ways
Objects are composed of attributes. If an attribute contains a function, it is considered to be a method of the object otherwise, the attribute is considered a property.

Object Properties:

Object properties can be any of the three primitive data types, or any of the abstract data types, such as another object. Object properties are usually variables that are used internally in the object's methods, but can also be globally visible variables that are used throughout the page.
The syntax for adding a property to an object is:
objectName.objectProperty = propertyValue;

Example:

Following is a simple example to show how to get a document title using "title" property of document object:
var str = document.title;

Object Methods:

The methods are functions that let the object do something or let something be done to it. There is little difference between a function and a method, except that a function is a standalone unit of statements and a method is attached to an object and can be referenced by the this keyword.
Methods are useful for everything from displaying the contents of the object to the screen to performing complex mathematical operations on a group of local properties and parameters.

Example:

Following is a simple example to show how to use write() method of document object to write any content on the document:
document.write("This is test");

User-Defined Objects:

All user-defined objects and built-in objects are descendants of an object called Object.

The new Operator:

The new operator is used to create an instance of an object. To create an object, the new operator is followed by the constructor method.
In the following example, the constructor methods are Object(), Array(), and Date(). These constructors are built-in JavaScript functions.
var employee = new Object();
var books = new Array("C++", "Perl", "Java");
var day = new Date("August 15, 1947");

The Object() Constructor:

A constructor is a function that creates and initializes an object. JavaScript provides a special constructor function called Object() to build the object. The return value of the Object() constructor is assigned to a variable.
The variable contains a reference to the new object. The properties assigned to the object are not variables and are not defined with the var keyword.

Example 1:

This example demonstrates how to create an object:
<html>
<head>
<title>User-defined objects</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
var book = new Object();   // Create the object
    book.subject = "Perl"; // Assign properties to the object
    book.author  = "Mohtashim";
</script>
</head>
<body>
<script type="text/javascript">
   document.write("Book name is : " + book.subject + "<br>");
   document.write("Book author is : " + book.author + "<br>");
</script>
</body>
</html>

Example 2:

This example demonstrates how to create an object with a User-Defined Function. Here this keyword is used to refer to the object that has been passed to a function:
<html>
<head>
<title>User-defined objects</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
function book(title, author){
    this.title = title; 
    this.author  = author;
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<script type="text/javascript">
   var myBook = new book("Perl", "Mohtashim");
   document.write("Book title is : " + myBook.title + "<br>");
   document.write("Book author is : " + myBook.author + "<br>");
</script>
</body>
</html>

Defining Methods for an Object:

The previous examples demonstrate how the constructor creates the object and assigns properties. But we need to complete the definition of an object by assigning methods to it.

Example:

Here is a simple example to show how to add a function along with an object:
<html>
<head>
<title>User-defined objects</title>
<script type="text/javascript">

// Define a function which will work as a method
function addPrice(amount){
    this.price = amount; 
}

function book(title, author){
    this.title = title; 
    this.author  = author;
    this.addPrice = addPrice; // Assign that method as property.
}

</script>
</head>
<body>
<script type="text/javascript">
   var myBook = new book("Perl", "Mohtashim");
   myBook.addPrice(100);
   document.write("Book title is : " + myBook.title + "<br>");
   document.write("Book author is : " + myBook.author + "<br>");
   document.write("Book price is : " + myBook.price + "<br>");
</script>
</body>
</html>

The with Keyword:

The with keyword is used as a kind of shorthand for referencing an object's properties or methods.
The object specified as an argument to with becomes the default object for the duration of the block that follows. The properties and methods for the object can be used without naming the object.

Syntax:

with (object){
    properties used without the object name and dot
}

Example:

<html>
<head>
<title>User-defined objects</title>
<script type="text/javascript">

// Define a function which will work as a method
function addPrice(amount){
    with(this){
       price = amount; 
    }
}
function book(title, author){
    this.title = title; 
    this.author  = author;
    this.price = 0;
    this.addPrice = addPrice; // Assign that method as property.
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<script type="text/javascript">
   var myBook = new book("Perl", "Mohtashim");
   myBook.addPrice(100);
   document.write("Book title is : " + myBook.title + "<br>");
   document.write("Book author is : " + myBook.author + "<br>");
   document.write("Book price is : " + myBook.price + "<br>");
</script>
</body>
</html>

JavaScript Native Objects:

JavaScript has several built-in or native objects. These objects are accessible anywhere in your program and will work the same way in any browser running in any operating system.
Here is the list of all important JavaScript Native Objects:
  • JavaScript Number Object

    The Number object represents numerical date, either integers or floating-point numbers. In general, you do not need to worry about Number objects because the browser automatically converts number literals to instances of the number class.

    Syntax:

    Creating a number object:
    var val = new Number(number);
    
    If the argument cannot be converted into a number, it returns NaN (Not-a-Number).

    Number Properties:

    Here is a list of each property and its description.
    PropertyDescription
    MAX_VALUEThe largest possible value a number in JavaScript can have 1.7976931348623157E+308
    MIN_VALUEThe smallest possible value a number in JavaScript can have 5E-324
    NaNEqual to a value that is not a number.
    NEGATIVE_INFINITYA value that is less than MIN_VALUE.
    POSITIVE_INFINITYA value that is greater than MAX_VALUE
    prototypeA static property of the Number object. Use the prototype property to assign new properties and methods to the Number object in the current document

    Number Methods

    The Number object contains only the default methods that are part of every object's definition.
    MethodDescription
    constructor()Returns the function that created this object's instance. By default this is the Number object.
    toExponential()Forces a number to display in exponential notation, even if the number is in the range in which JavaScript normally uses standard notation.
    toFixed()Formats a number with a specific number of digits to the right of the decimal.
    toLocaleString()Returns a string value version of the current number in a format that may vary according to a browser's locale settings.
    toPrecision()Defines how many total digits (including digits to the left and right of the decimal) to display of a number.
    toString()Returns the string representation of the number's value.
    valueOf()Returns the number's value.
  • JavaScript Boolean Object

    The Boolean object represents two values either "true" or "false".

    Syntax:

    Creating a boolean object:
    var val = new Boolean(value);
    
    If value parameter is omitted or is 0, -0, null, false, NaN, undefined, or the empty string (""), the object has an initial value of false.

    Boolean Properties:

    Here is a list of each property and their description.
    PropertyDescription
    constructor Returns a reference to the Boolean function that created the object.
    prototypeThe prototype property allows you to add properties and methods to an object.

    Boolean Methods

    Here is a list of each method and its description.
    MethodDescription
    toSource()Returns a string containing the source of the Boolean object; you can use this string to create an equivalent object.
    toString()Returns a string of either "true" or "false" depending upon the value of the object.
    valueOf()Returns the primitive value of the Boolean object.
  • JavaScript String Object

    The String object let's you work with a series of characters and wraps Javascript's string primitive data type with a number of helper methods.
    Because Javascript automatically converts between string primitives and String objects, you can call any of the helper methods of the String object on a string primitive.

    Syntax:

    Creating a String object:
    var val = new String(string);
    
    The string parameter is series of characters that has been properly encoded.

    String Properties:

    Here is a list of each property and their description.
    PropertyDescription
    constructor Returns a reference to the String function that created the object.
    length Returns the length of the string.
    prototypeThe prototype property allows you to add properties and methods to an object.

    String Methods

    Here is a list of each method and its description.
    MethodDescription
    charAt()Returns the character at the specified index.
    charCodeAt()Returns a number indicating the Unicode value of the character at the given index.
    concat()Combines the text of two strings and returns a new string.
    indexOf()Returns the index within the calling String object of the first occurrence of the specified value, or -1 if not found.
    lastIndexOf()Returns the index within the calling String object of the last occurrence of the specified value, or -1 if not found.
    localeCompare()Returns a number indicating whether a reference string comes before or after or is the same as the given string in sort order.
    match()Used to match a regular expression against a string.
    replace()Used to find a match between a regular expression and a string, and to replace the matched substring with a new substring.
    search()Executes the search for a match between a regular expression and a specified string.
    slice()Extracts a section of a string and returns a new string.
    split()Splits a String object into an array of strings by separating the string into substrings.
    substr()Returns the characters in a string beginning at the specified location through the specified number of characters.
    substring()Returns the characters in a string between two indexes into the string.
    toLocaleLowerCase()The characters within a string are converted to lower case while respecting the current locale.
    toLocaleUpperCase()The characters within a string are converted to upper case while respecting the current locale.
    toLowerCase()Returns the calling string value converted to lower case.
    toString()Returns a string representing the specified object.
    toUpperCase()Returns the calling string value converted to uppercase.
    valueOf()Returns the primitive value of the specified object.

    String HTML wrappers

    Here is a list of each method which returns a copy of the string wrapped inside the appropriate HTML tag.
    MethodDescription
    anchor()Creates an HTML anchor that is used as a hypertext target.
    big()Creates a string to be displayed in a big font as if it were in a <big> tag.
    blink()Creates a string to blink as if it were in a <blink> tag.
    bold()Creates a string to be displayed as bold as if it were in a <b> tag.
    fixed()Causes a string to be displayed in fixed-pitch font as if it were in a <tt> tag
    fontcolor()Causes a string to be displayed in the specified color as if it were in a <font color="color"> tag.
    fontsize()Causes a string to be displayed in the specified font size as if it were in a <font size="size"> tag.
    italics()Causes a string to be italic, as if it were in an <i> tag.
    link()Creates an HTML hypertext link that requests another URL.
    small()Causes a string to be displayed in a small font, as if it were in a <small> tag.
    strike()Causes a string to be displayed as struck-out text, as if it were in a <strike> tag.
    sub()Causes a string to be displayed as a subscript, as if it were in a <sub> tag
    sup()Causes a string to be displayed as a superscript, as if it were in a <sup> tag
  • JavaScript Array Object

    The Array object let's you store multiple values in a single variable.

    Syntax:

    Creating a Array object:
    var fruits = new Array( "apple", "orange", "mango" );
    
    The Array parameter is a list of strings or integers. When you specify a single numeric parameter with the Array constructor, you specify the initial length of the array. The maximum length allowed for an array is 4,294,967,295.
    You can create array by simply assigning values as follows:
    var fruits = [ "apple", "orange", "mango" ];
    
    You will use ordinal numbers to access and to set values inside an array as follows:
    • fruits[0] is the first element
    • fruits[1] is the second element
    • fruits[2] is the third element

    Array Properties:

    Here is a list of each property and their description.
    PropertyDescription
    constructor Returns a reference to the array function that created the object.
    indexThe property represents the zero-based index of the match in the string
    inputThis property is only present in arrays created by regular expression matches.
    length Reflects the number of elements in an array.
    prototypeThe prototype property allows you to add properties and methods to an object.

    Array Methods

    Here is a list of each method and its description.
    MethodDescription
    concat()Returns a new array comprised of this array joined with other array(s) and/or value(s).
    every()Returns true if every element in this array satisfies the provided testing function.
    filter()Creates a new array with all of the elements of this array for which the provided filtering function returns true.
    forEach()Calls a function for each element in the array.
    indexOf()Returns the first (least) index of an element within the array equal to the specified value, or -1 if none is found.
    join()Joins all elements of an array into a string.
    lastIndexOf()Returns the last (greatest) index of an element within the array equal to the specified value, or -1 if none is found.
    map()Creates a new array with the results of calling a provided function on every element in this array.
    pop()Removes the last element from an array and returns that element.
    push()Adds one or more elements to the end of an array and returns the new length of the array.
    reduce()Apply a function simultaneously against two values of the array (from left-to-right) as to reduce it to a single value.
    reduceRight()Apply a function simultaneously against two values of the array (from right-to-left) as to reduce it to a single value.
    reverse()Reverses the order of the elements of an array -- the first becomes the last, and the last becomes the first.
    shift()Removes the first element from an array and returns that element.
    slice()Extracts a section of an array and returns a new array.
    some()Returns true if at least one element in this array satisfies the provided testing function.
    toSource()Represents the source code of an object
    sort()Sorts the elements of an array.
    splice()Adds and/or removes elements from an array.
    toString()Returns a string representing the array and its elements.
    unshift()Adds one or more elements to the front of an array and returns the new length of the array.
  • JavaScript Date Object

    The Date object is a datatype built into the JavaScript language. Date objects are created with the new Date( ) as shown below.
    Once a Date object is created, a number of methods allow you to operate on it. Most methods simply allow you to get and set the year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and millisecond fields of the object, using either local time or UTC (universal, or GMT) time.
    The ECMAScript standard requires the Date object to be able to represent any date and time, to millisecond precision, within 100 million days before or after 1/1/1970. This is a range of plus or minus 273,785 years, so the JavaScript is able to represent date and time till year 275755.

    Syntax:

    Here are different variant of Date() constructor:
    new Date( )
    new Date(milliseconds)
    new Date(datestring)
    new Date(year,month,date[,hour,minute,second,millisecond ])
    
    Note: Paramters in the brackets are always optional
    Here is the description of the parameters:
  • No Argument: With no arguments, the Date( ) constructor creates a Date object set to the current date and time.
  • milliseconds: When one numeric argument is passed, it is taken as the internal numeric representation of the date in milliseconds, as returned by the getTime( ) method. For example, passing the argument 5000 creates a date that represents five seconds past midnight on 1/1/70.
  • datestring:When one string argument is passed, it is a string representation of a date, in the format accepted by the Date.parse( ) method.
  • 7 agruments: To use the last form of constructor given above, Here is the description of each argument:
    1. year: Integer value representing the year. For compatibility (in order to avoid the Y2K problem), you should always specify the year in full; use 1998, rather than 98.
    2. month: Integer value representing the month, beginning with 0 for January to 11 for December.
    3. date: Integer value representing the day of the month.
    4. hour: Integer value representing the hour of the day (24-hour scale).
    5. minute: Integer value representing the minute segment of a time reading.
    6. second: Integer value representing the second segment of a time reading.
    7. millisecond: Integer value representing the millisecond segment of a time reading.

Date Properties:

Here is a list of each property and their description.
PropertyDescription
constructorSpecifies the function that creates an object's prototype.
prototypeThe prototype property allows you to add properties and methods to an object.

Date Methods:

Here is a list of each method and its description.
MethodDescription
Date()Returns today's date and time
getDate()Returns the day of the month for the specified date according to local time.
getDay()Returns the day of the week for the specified date according to local time.
getFullYear()Returns the year of the specified date according to local time.
getHours()Returns the hour in the specified date according to local time.
getMilliseconds()Returns the milliseconds in the specified date according to local time.
getMinutes()Returns the minutes in the specified date according to local time.
getMonth()Returns the month in the specified date according to local time.
getSeconds()Returns the seconds in the specified date according to local time.
getTime()Returns the numeric value of the specified date as the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC.
getTimezoneOffset()Returns the time-zone offset in minutes for the current locale.
getUTCDate()Returns the day (date) of the month in the specified date according to universal time.
getUTCDay()Returns the day of the week in the specified date according to universal time.
getUTCFullYear()Returns the year in the specified date according to universal time.
getUTCHours()Returns the hours in the specified date according to universal time.
getUTCMilliseconds()Returns the milliseconds in the specified date according to universal time.
getUTCMinutes()Returns the minutes in the specified date according to universal time.
getUTCMonth()Returns the month in the specified date according to universal time.
getUTCSeconds()Returns the seconds in the specified date according to universal time.
getYear()Deprecated - Returns the year in the specified date according to local time. Use getFullYear instead.
setDate()Sets the day of the month for a specified date according to local time.
setFullYear()Sets the full year for a specified date according to local time.
setHours()Sets the hours for a specified date according to local time.
setMilliseconds()Sets the milliseconds for a specified date according to local time.
setMinutes()Sets the minutes for a specified date according to local time.
setMonth()Sets the month for a specified date according to local time.
setSeconds()Sets the seconds for a specified date according to local time.
setTime()Sets the Date object to the time represented by a number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC.
setUTCDate()Sets the day of the month for a specified date according to universal time.
setUTCFullYear()Sets the full year for a specified date according to universal time.
setUTCHours()Sets the hour for a specified date according to universal time.
setUTCMilliseconds()Sets the milliseconds for a specified date according to universal time.
setUTCMinutes()Sets the minutes for a specified date according to universal time.
setUTCMonth()Sets the month for a specified date according to universal time.
setUTCSeconds()Sets the seconds for a specified date according to universal time.
setYear()Deprecated - Sets the year for a specified date according to local time. Use setFullYear instead.
toDateString()Returns the "date" portion of the Date as a human-readable string.
toGMTString()Deprecated - Converts a date to a string, using the Internet GMT conventions. Use toUTCString instead.
toLocaleDateString()Returns the "date" portion of the Date as a string, using the current locale's conventions.
toLocaleFormat()Converts a date to a string, using a format string.
toLocaleString()Converts a date to a string, using the current locale's conventions.
toLocaleTimeString()Returns the "time" portion of the Date as a string, using the current locale's conventions.
toSource()Returns a string representing the source for an equivalent Date object; you can use this value to create a new object.
toString()Returns a string representing the specified Date object.
toTimeString()Returns the "time" portion of the Date as a human-readable string.
toUTCString()Converts a date to a string, using the universal time convention.
valueOf()Returns the primitive value of a Date object.

Date Static Methods:

In addition to the many instance methods listed previously, the Date object also defines two static methods. These methods are invoked through the Date( ) constructor itself:
MethodDescription
Date.parse( )Parses a string representation of a date and time and returns the internal millisecond representation of that date.
Date.UTC( )Returns the millisecond representation of the specified UTC date and time.

  • JavaScript Math Object

    The math object provides you properties and methods for mathematical constants and functions.
    Unlike the other global objects, Math is not a constructor. All properties and methods of Math are static and can be called by using Math as an object without creating it.
    Thus, you refer to the constant pi as Math.PI and you call the sine function as Math.sin(x), where x is the method's argument.

    Syntax:

    Here is the simple syntax to call properties and methods of Math.
    var pi_val = Math.PI;
    var sine_val = Math.sin(30);
    

    Math Properties:

    Here is a list of each property and their description.
    PropertyDescription
    E Euler's constant and the base of natural logarithms, approximately 2.718.
    LN2 Natural logarithm of 2, approximately 0.693.
    LN10 Natural logarithm of 10, approximately 2.302.
    LOG2E Base 2 logarithm of E, approximately 1.442.
    LOG10E Base 10 logarithm of E, approximately 0.434.
    PI Ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, approximately 3.14159.
    SQRT1_2 Square root of 1/2; equivalently, 1 over the square root of 2, approximately 0.707.
    SQRT2 Square root of 2, approximately 1.414.

    Math Methods

    Here is a list of each method and its description.
    MethodDescription
    abs()Returns the absolute value of a number.
    acos()Returns the arccosine (in radians) of a number.
    asin()Returns the arcsine (in radians) of a number.
    atan()Returns the arctangent (in radians) of a number.
    atan2()Returns the arctangent of the quotient of its arguments.
    ceil()Returns the smallest integer greater than or equal to a number.
    cos()Returns the cosine of a number.
    exp()Returns EN, where N is the argument, and E is Euler's constant, the base of the natural logarithm.
    floor()Returns the largest integer less than or equal to a number.
    log()Returns the natural logarithm (base E) of a number.
    max()Returns the largest of zero or more numbers.
    min()Returns the smallest of zero or more numbers.
    pow()Returns base to the exponent power, that is, base exponent.
    random()Returns a pseudo-random number between 0 and 1.
    round()Returns the value of a number rounded to the nearest integer.
    sin()Returns the sine of a number.
    sqrt()Returns the square root of a number.
    tan()Returns the tangent of a number.
    toSource()Returns the string "Math".
  • JavaScript RegExp Object

    A regular expression is an object that describes a pattern of characters.
    The JavaScript RegExp class represents regular expressions, and both String and RegExp define methods that use regular expressions to perform powerful pattern-matching and search-and-replace functions on text.

    Syntax:

    A regular expression could be defined with the RegExp( ) constructor like this:
    var pattern = new RegExp(pattern, attributes);
    
    or simply
    
    var pattern = /pattern/attributes;
    
    Here is the description of the parameters:
  • pattern: A string that specifies the pattern of the regular expression or another regular expression.
  • attributes: An optional string containing any of the "g", "i", and "m" attributes that specify global, case-insensitive, and multiline matches, respectively.

Brackets:

Brackets ([]) have a special meaning when used in the context of regular expressions. They are used to find a range of characters.
ExpressionDescription
[...] Any one character between the brackets.
[^...] Any one character not between the brackets.
[0-9] It matches any decimal digit from 0 through 9.
[a-z] It matches any character from lowercase a through lowercase z.
[A-Z] It matches any character from uppercase A through uppercase Z.
[a-Z] It matches any character from lowercase a through uppercase Z.
The ranges shown above are general; you could also use the range [0-3] to match any decimal digit ranging from 0 through 3, or the range [b-v] to match any lowercase character ranging from b through v.

Quantifiers:

The frequency or position of bracketed character sequences and single characters can be denoted by a special character. Each pecial character having a specific connotation. The +, *, ?, and $ flags all follow a character sequence.
ExpressionDescription
p+ It matches any string containing at least one p.
p* It matches any string containing zero or more p's.
p? It matches any string containing one or more p's.
p{N} It matches any string containing a sequence of N p's
p{2,3} It matches any string containing a sequence of two or three p's.
p{2, } It matches any string containing a sequence of at least two p's.
p$ It matches any string with p at the end of it.
^p It matches any string with p at the beginning of it.

Examples:

Following examples will clear your concepts about matching chracters.
ExpressionDescription
[^a-zA-Z] It matches any string not containing any of the characters ranging from a through z and A through Z.
p.p It matches any string containing p, followed by any character, in turn followed by another p.
^.{2}$ It matches any string containing exactly two characters.
<b>(.*)</b> It matches any string enclosed within <b> and </b>.
p(hp)* It matches any string containing a p followed by zero or more instances of the sequence hp.

Literal characters:

CharacterDescription
AlphanumericItself
\0The NUL character (\u0000)
\t Tab (\u0009)
\nNewline (\u000A)
\v Vertical tab (\u000B)
\fForm feed (\u000C)
\r Carriage return (\u000D)
\xnnThe Latin character specified by the hexadecimal number nn; for example, \x0A is the same as \n
\uxxxxThe Unicode character specified by the hexadecimal number xxxx; for example, \u0009 is the same as \t
\cX The control character ^X; for example, \cJ is equivalent to the newline character \n

Metacharacters

A metacharacter is simply an alphabetical character preceded by a backslash that acts to give the combination a special meaning.
For instance, you can search for large money sums using the '\d' metacharacter: /([\d]+)000/, Here \d will search for any string of numerical character.
Following is the list of metacharacters which can be used in PERL Style Regular Expressions.
Character  Description
.              a single character
\s             a whitespace character (space, tab, newline)
\S             non-whitespace character
\d             a digit (0-9)
\D             a non-digit
\w             a word character (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, _)
\W             a non-word character
[\b]           a literal backspace (special case).
[aeiou]        matches a single character in the given set
[^aeiou]       matches a single character outside the given set
(foo|bar|baz)  matches any of the alternatives specified

Modifiers

Several modifiers are available that can make your work with regexps much easier, like case sensitivity, searching in multiple lines etc.
ModifierDescription
iPerform case-insensitive matching.
m Specifies that if the string has newline or carriage return characters, the ^ and $ operators will now match against a newline boundary, instead of a string boundary
g Perform a global matchthat is, find all matches rather than stopping after the first match.

RegExp Properties:

Here is a list of each property and their description.
PropertyDescription
constructorSpecifies the function that creates an object's prototype.
globalSpecifies if the "g" modifier is set.
ignoreCaseSpecifies if the "i" modifier is set.
lastIndexThe index at which to start the next match.
multilineSpecifies if the "m" modifier is set.
sourceThe text of the pattern.

RegExp Methods:

Here is a list of each method and its description.
MethodDescription
exec()Executes a search for a match in its string parameter.
test()Tests for a match in its string parameter.
toSource()Returns an object literal representing the specified object; you can use this value to create a new object.
toString()Returns a string representing the specified object.

Javascript - Page Printing

Many times you would like to give a button at your webpage to print out the content of that web page via an actual printer.
JavaScript helps you to implement this functionality using print function of window object.
The JavaScript print function window.print() will print the current web page when executed. You can call this function directly using onclick event as follows:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form>
<input type="button" value="Print" onclick="window.print()" />
</form>
</body>
This will produce following button which let you print this page. Try it by clicking:
This serves your purpose to get page printed out, but this is not a recommended way of giving printing facility. A printer friendly page is really just a page with text, no images, graphics, or advertising.
You can do one of the followings to make a page printer friendly:
  • Make a copy of the page and leave out unwanted text and graphics, then link to that printer friendly page from the original.
  • If you do not want to keep extra copy of a page then you can mark your printable text using proper comments like <!-- PRINT STARTS HERE -->..... <!-- PRINT ENDS HERE --> and then you can use PERL or any other script in background to purge printable text and display for final printing. Our site is using same method to give print facility to our site visitors.

How to print a page:

If someone is providing none of the above facilities then you can use browser's standard toolbar to get web pages printed out. Follow the link as follows:
File --> Print --> Click OK button.

JavaScript - Void Keyword

The void is an important keyword in JavaScript which can be used as a unary operator that appears before its single operand, which may be of any type.
This operator specifies an expression to be evaluated without returning a value. Its syntax could be one of the following:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
void func()
javascript:void func()

or:

void(func())
javascript:void(func())
//-->
</script>
</head>

Example 1:

The most common use for this operator is in a client-side javascript: URL, where it allows you to evaluate an expression for its side effects without the browser displaying the value of the evaluated expression.
Here the expression alert('Warning!!!') is evaluated but it is not loaded back into the current document:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<a href="javascript:void(alert('Warning!!!'))">Click me!</a>
</body>

Example 2:

Another example the following link does nothing because the expression "0" has no effect in JavaScript. Here the expression "0" is evaluated but it is not loaded back into the current document:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<a href="javascript:void(0))">Click me!</a>
</body>

Example 3:

Another use for void is to purposely generate the undefined value as follows:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function getValue(){
   var a,b,c;

   a = void ( b = 5, c = 7 );
   document.write('a = ' + a + ' b = ' + b +' c = ' + c );
}
//-->
</script>
</head>

JavaScript - Dialog Boxes

JavaScript supports three important types of dialog boxes. These dialog boxes can be used to raise and alert, or to get confirmation on any input or to have a kind of input from the users.
Here we will see each dialog box one by one:

Alert Dialog Box:

An alert dialog box is mostly used to give a warning message to the users. Like if one input field requires to enter some text but user does not enter that field then as a part of validation you can use alert box to give warning message as follows:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
   alert("Warning Message");
//-->
</script>
</head>
Nonetheless, an alert box can still be used for friendlier messages. Alert box gives only one button "OK" to select and proceed.

Confirmation Dialog Box:

A confirmation dialog box is mostly used to take user's consent on any option. It displays a dialog box with two buttons: OK and Cancel.
If the user clicks on OK button the window method confirm() will return true. If the user clicks on the Cancel button confirm() returns false. You can use confirmation dialog box as follows:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
   var retVal = confirm("Do you want to continue ?");
   if( retVal == true ){
      alert("User wants to continue!");
   return true;
   }else{
      alert("User does not want to continue!");
   return false;
   }
//-->
</script>
</head>

Prompt Dialog Box:

The prompt dialog box is very useful when you want to pop-up a text box to get user input. Thus it enable you to interact with the user. The user needs to fill in the field and then click OK.
This dialog box is displayed using a method called prompt() which takes two parameters (i) A label which you want to display in the text box (ii) A default string to display in the text box.
This dialog box with two buttons: OK and Cancel. If the user clicks on OK button the window method prompt() will return entered value from the text box. If the user clicks on the Cancel button the window method prompt() returns null.
You can use prompt dialog box as follows:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
   var retVal = prompt("Enter your name : ", "your name here");
   alert("You have entered : " +  retVal );
//-->
</script>
</head>

JavaScript - Page Redirection

What is page redirection ?

When you click a URL to reach to a page X but internally you are directed to another page Y that simply happens because of page re-direction. This concept is different from JavaScript Page Refresh.
There could be various reasons why you would like to redirect from original page. I'm listing down few of the reasons:
  • You did not like the name of your domain and you are moving to a new one. Same time you want to direct your all visitors to new site. In such case you can maintain your old domain but put a single page with a page re-direction so that your all old domain visitors can come to your new domain.
  • You have build-up various pages based on browser versions or their names or may be based on different countries, then instead of using your server side page redirection you can use client side page redirection to land your users on appropriate page.
  • The Search Engines may have already indexed your pages. But while moving to another domain then you would not like to lose your visitors coming through search engines. So you can use client side page redirection. But keep in mind this should not be done to make search engine a fool otherwise this could get your web site banned.

How Page Re-direction works ?

Example 1:

This is very simple to do a page redirect using JavaScript at client side. To redirect your site visitors to a new page, you just need to add a line in your head section as follows:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
   window.location="http://www.newlocation.com";
//-->
</script>
</head>

Example 2:

You can show an appropriate message to your site visitors before redirecting them to a new page. This would need a bit time delay to load a new page. Following is the simple example to implement the same:
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function Redirect()
{
    window.location="http://www.newlocation.com";
}

document.write("You will be redirected to main page in 10 sec.");
setTimeout('Redirect()', 10000);
//-->
</script>
</head>
Here setTimeout() is a built-in JavaScript function which can be used to execute another function after a given time interval.

Example 3:

Following is the example to redirect site visitors on different pages based on their browsers :
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
var browsername=navigator.appName; 
if( browsername == "Netscape" )
{ 
   window.location="http://www.location.com/ns.htm";
}
else if ( browsername =="Microsoft Internet Explorer")
{
   window.location="http://www.location.com/ie.htm";
}
else
{
  window.location="http://www.location.com/other.htm";
}
//-->
</script>
</head>


JavaScript and Cookies

What are Cookies ?

Web Browser and Server use HTTP protocol to communicate and HTTP is a stateless protocol. But for a commercial website it is required to maintain session information among different pages. For example one user registration ends after completing many pages. But how to maintain user's session information across all the web pages.
In many situations, using cookies is the most efficient method of remembering and tracking preferences, purchases, commissions, and other information required for better visitor experience or site statistics.

How It Works ?

Your server sends some data to the visitor's browser in the form of a cookie. The browser may accept the cookie. If it does, it is stored as a plain text record on the visitor's hard drive. Now, when the visitor arrives at another page on your site, the browser sends the same cookie to the server for retrieval. Once retrieved, your server knows/remembers what was stored earlier.
Cookies are a plain text data record of 5 variable-length fields:
  • Expires : The date the cookie will expire. If this is blank, the cookie will expire when the visitor quits the browser.
  • Domain : The domain name of your site.
  • Path : The path to the directory or web page that set the cookie. This may be blank if you want to retrieve the cookie from any directory or page.
  • Secure : If this field contains the word "secure" then the cookie may only be retrieved with a secure server. If this field is blank, no such restriction exists.
  • Name=Value : Cookies are set and retrieved in the form of key and value pairs.
Cookies were originally designed for CGI programming and cookies' data is automatically transmitted between the web browser and web server, so CGI scripts on the server can read and write cookie values that are stored on the client.
JavaScript can also manipulate cookies using the cookie property of the Document object. JavaScript can read, create, modify, and delete the cookie or cookies that apply to the current web page.

Storing Cookies:

The simplest way to create a cookie is to assign a string value to the document.cookie object, which looks like this:

Syntax:

document.cookie = "key1=value1;key2=value2;expires=date";
Here expires attribute is option. If you provide this attribute with a valid date or time then cookie will expire at the given date or time and after that cookies' value will not be accessible.
Note: Cookie values may not include semicolons, commas, or whitespace. For this reason, you may want to use the JavaScript escape() function to encode the value before storing it in the cookie. If you do this, you will also have to use the corresponding unescape() function when you read the cookie value.

Example:

Following is the example to set a customer name in input cookie.
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function WriteCookie()
{
   if( document.myform.customer.value == "" ){
      alert("Enter some value!");
      return;
   }

   cookievalue= escape(document.myform.customer.value) + ";";
   document.cookie="name=" + cookievalue;
   alert("Setting Cookies : " + "name=" + cookievalue );
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form name="myform" action="">
Enter name: <input type="text" name="customer"/>
<input type="button" value="Set Cookie" onclick="WriteCookie();"/>
</form>
</body>
</html>
This will produce following result. Now enter something in the text box and press the button "Set Cookie" to set the cookies.
Enter name:
Now your machine has a cookie called name. You can set multiple cookies using multiple key=value pairs separated by comma.
You will learn how to read this cookie in next section.

Reading Cookies:

Reading a cookie is just as simple as writing one, because the value of the document.cookie object is the cookie. So you can use this string whenever you want to access the cookie.
The document.cookie string will keep a list of name=value pairs separated by semicolons, where name is the name of a cookie and value is its string value.
You can use strings' split() function to break the string into key and values as follows:

Example:

Following is the example to get the cookies set in previous section.
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function ReadCookie()
{
   var allcookies = document.cookie;
   alert("All Cookies : " + allcookies );

   // Get all the cookies pairs in an array
   cookiearray  = allcookies.split(';');

   // Now take key value pair out of this array
   for(var i=0; i<cookiearray.length; i++){
      name = cookiearray[i].split('=')[0];
      value = cookiearray[i].split('=')[1];
      alert("Key is : " + name + " and Value is : " + value);
   }
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form name="myform" action="">
<input type="button" value="Get Cookie" onclick="ReadCookie()"/>
</form>
</body>
</html>
Note: Here length is a method of Array class which returns the length of an array. We will discuss Arrays in a separate chapter. By that time please try to digest it.
This will produce following result. Now press the button "Get Cookie" to see the cookies which you have set in previous section.
Note: There may be some other cookies already set on your machine. So above code will show you all the cookies set at your machine.

Setting the Cookies Expiration Date:

You can extend the life of a cookie beyond the current browser session by setting an expiration date and saving the expiration date within the cookie. This can be done by setting the expires attribute to a date and time.

Example:

The following example illustrates how to set cookie expiration date after 1 Month :
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function WriteCookie()
{
   var now = new Date();
   now.setMonth( now.getMonth() + 1 ); 
   cookievalue = escape(document.myform.customer.value) + ";"
   document.cookie="name=" + cookievalue;
   document.cookie = "expires=" + now.toUTCString() + ";"
   alert("Setting Cookies : " + "name=" + cookievalue );
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form name="formname" action="">
Enter name: <input type="text" name="customer"/>
<input type="button" value="Set Cookie" onclick="WriteCookie()"/>
</form>
</body>
</html>

Deleting a Cookie:

Sometimes you will want to delete a cookie so that subsequent attempts to read the cookie return nothing. To do this, you just need to set the expiration date to a time in the past.

Example:

The following example illustrates how to delete cookie by setting expiration date one Month in past :
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!--
function WriteCookie()
{
   var now = new Date();
   now.setMonth( now.getMonth() - 1 ); 
   cookievalue = escape(document.myform.customer.value) + ";"
   document.cookie="name=" + cookievalue;
   document.cookie = "expires=" + now.toUTCString() + ";"
   alert("Setting Cookies : " + "name=" + cookievalue );
}
//-->
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form name="formname" action="">
Enter name: <input type="text" name="customer"/>
<input type="button" value="Set Cookie" onclick="WriteCookie()"/>
</form>
</body>
</html>
Note: Instead of setting date, you can see new time using setTime() function.