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JavaScript, which was originally developed by the Netscape company, is simply an extension of HTML. Where HTML allows you to change the look of a page and the way text and images are displayed on a page, JavaScript gives you even more control over the information that your page displays. With JavaScript, you can direct the browser to perform one of a set of actions based on criteria that can be different each time the page is viewed, such as the displaying a message based on the current date and time. A few items you can accomplish with JavaScript include - Displaying different text or images based on the current date or other criterion (such as the browser that's used to view the listing).
- Changing the appearance or the actual content of text or images based on the position of the mouse on the page. For example, you can have a different caption display underneath an image based on which portion of the picture the mouse cursor hovers over.
- Displaying a message box based on a left- or right- click of the mouse.
Don't confuse JavaScript with Java. Java is an actual computer programming language that has very powerful features, but requires a separate program a Java compiler) to work on a Web page. Specifically, the programmer creates a file of commands, and this compiler converts the Java commands into a sort of mini-application (called an applet), which is then saved in another location to be included as part of the Web page when it is accessed.
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