Introduction to JavaScript Objects, Properties, Methods

Today’s Lecture … We will have a more formal introduction to JavaScript and client-side scripting We will become able to appreciate the concept of objects in JavaScript We will learn about the properties of those objects, and about how to read & modify them We will become able to perform simple tasks through the application of methods

Last time we looked at two distinct ways of performing the “form” field checking function. From now onwards, we will be employing the 2 nd way more often than not In that 2 nd way, we referred to a function in the HTML BODY, and but defined that function in the HTML HEAD

The main code segment that goes between the, tags in the HEAD : function checkForm() { if ( document.send .sender.value.length < 1) { window.alert( “Empty From field! Please correct” ); } The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the “Send ” button: onMouseOver=“checkForm()”

Send an function checkForm(){ if (document.send .sender.value.length Send an From: To: Subject: Message:

Some of things that JavaScript cannot do! The following file operations on the client computer: –Read-- Modify –Rename-- Delete –Create Create graphics (although, it does have the ability to format pages through HTML - including the placement of graphics) Any network programming bar one function: the ability to download a file to the browser specified through an arbitrary URL

Some of the things that JavaScript can do! 1.Control the appearance of the browser 2.Control the content and appearance of the document displayed in the browser 3.Interact with the user through event handlers 4.Arbitrary calculations, including floating-point ones 5.Store & modify a limited amount of data about the user in the form of client-side “cookies”

Client-Side JavaScript Although a version of JavaScript exists that can be used to write server-side scripts, our focus in this course will only be on client-side scripting

Case Sensitivity HTML is not case sensitive. The following mean the same to the browser: – -- JavaScript is case sensitive. Only the first of the following will result in the desired function – the rest will generate an error or some other undesirable event: –onMouseClick-- OnMouseClick –onmouseclick-- ONMOUSECLICK

JavaScript A programming language specifically designed to work with Web browsers It is designed to be used for developing small programs – called scripts – that can be embedded in HTML Web pages JavaScript: –Is an interpreted language –Supports event-driven programming –Is object-based

JavaScript is Object-Based Everything that JavaScript manipulates, it treats as an object – e.g. a window or a button An object has properties – e.g. a window has size, position, status, etc. Objects are modified with methods that are associated with that object – e.g. a resize a window with resizeTo(150, 200)

Properties Objects may have a single or several properties A property may have one of the following values: –Number-- Text-- Boolean –Array-- Functions –Objects (Example: “document” – a property of the “window” object – is an object in itself. A “document” in turn may contain a “form” object as a property, and then that “form” may contain a “button” property, which, once again, is an object in itself)

Referring to a Property objectName.propertyName Examples: window.width button.value dot

Change Property Demo # 1 function changeStatus() { window.status = “Mouse has touched the button”; } Change Property Demo # 1

The main code segment that goes between the, tags in the HEAD : function changeStatus() { window.status=“Mouse has touched the button”; } The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the “Submit” button: onMouseOver=“changeStatus()” propert y new value

The main code segment that goes between the, tags in the HEAD : function gotoUrl() { window.location=“ } The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the “Go to IMT” button: onMouseOver=“gotoUrl()” propert y new value

A Suggestion Please try the pieces of code that I just demonstrated to you to change the status and location properties of the “window” object yourself Also try changing the width, height properties of the “window” object

Types of Objects JavaScript –Objects that are part of JavaScript –Examples: window, document Browser –Objects that contain info not about the contents of the display, but the browser itself –Examples: history, navigator User-defined

One More Example: Let us try to change the background color of the window

The main code segment that goes between the, tags in the HEAD : function changeBgColor() { window.document.bgColor = “pink”; } The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the “Change Color” button: onMouseOver=“changeBgColor()” propert y new value

In addition to “bgColor”, there are many other properties of the “document” object, e.g. fgColor linkColor title URL referrer lastModified cookie forms[ ] images[ ] links[ ] …

We have learnt how to modify the properties of objects But the properties are not there just so that we can modify them; we can also just read them – that is just find out their current value Let us now look at an example where we first read a property, display the current value, and then change the property

The main code segment that goes between the, tags in the HEAD : function changeBgColor() { oldColor = window.document.bgColor; window.document.bgColor = “pink”; window.alert("The old color was " + oldColor); } The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the “Change Color” button: onMouseOver=“changeBgColor()”

Now we have established what we mean by objects: a named collection of properties and methods And that JavaScript treats everything that it manipulates as an object We have also learnt how to change the properties of these objects by selecting a property and equating it to a new value

Methods: Functions (code, instructions, behavior) associated with objects Methods are functions associated with an object that can be used to manipulate that object Example: –window.close() –Here “close()” is a method that has been defined for the “window” object. Its function is to close the “window”

Referring to a Method objectName.methodName( argumnet1 ) Examples: window.close() button.click() dot Info is passed on to the method through arguments

A few more methods associated with the “window” object alert() confirm() prompt() close() open() focus() blur() setTimeOut()

The main code segment that goes between the, tags in the HEAD : function imtWindow() { window.open(“ } The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the “New IMT Window” button: onClick=“imtWindow()” method argument different event handler

Event Handlers Objects are made up of properties and associated methods Many objects also have “event handlers” associated with them “Events” are actions that occur as a result of user’s interaction with the browser We use “event handlers” [e.g. onMouseOver(), onClick()] to design Web pages that can react to those events More on event handlers in a future lecture

During Today’s Lecture … We had a more formal introduction to JavaScript and client-side scripting We became able to appreciate the concept of objects in JavaScript We learnt about the properties of those objects We also became able to perform simple tasks through the application of methods