Definition:
JavaScript is a programming language originally designed to add interactivity to web pages and create web applications. Despite the similarity in name, it is not related to Java. It is used in the development of web pages for tasks such as automatically changing the date of a page, making a page appear in a pop-up window when you click on a link or having a text or image change when you hover over it. It is also often used to make surveys and forms. It runs on the computer of the visitor to the web, so it does not require constant downloads from the website.
Table of Contents
The JavaScript language
JavaScript is a high-level, dynamic and interpreted language. It is defined as object-oriented, prototype-based, imperative and weakly typed. Along with HTML and CSS, it is one of the three essential technologies in the world’s web production: most websites employ it and it is compatible with all modern browsers without the need for plug-ins. JavaScript has an API to work with text, arrays, dates and regular expressions.
Despite some names and similarities in the standard library, JavaScript and Java have no relationship and have very different semantics. JavaScript syntax is actually derived from C, while its semantics and design are influenced by the Self and Scheme programming languages.
Using JavaScript
JavaScript is also used in non-web-based environments, such as PDF documents, site-specific browsers, and desktop widgets. Much newer and faster JavaScript virtual machines(VMs),as well as platforms built on this language, have increased the popularity of JavaScript for web applications. On the client side, JavaScript has traditionally been applied as an interpreted language, but newer browsers can compile on the spot.
It is also used in the development of video games, in the creation of desktop and mobile applications and in the programming of servers with execution environments such as Node.js. To interact with a web page, the JavaScript language of an implementation of the Document Object Model (DOM) is provided.
JavaScript was typically used in HTML web pages to perform operations and only within the framework of the client application, without access to server functions. It is currently used to send and receive information from the server along with the help of other technologies such as AJAX. JavaScript is interpreted in the user agent at the same time that the statements are downloaded along with the HTML code.
Related Terms
