Week 2

Advance Web Programming
Lecture 1
Objects, Properties, Methods
(Introduction to JavaScript)
1
During Today’s Lecture …
• We will have a 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 2
3
Last time we looked at two distinct ways of
performing the “form” field checking function.
From now onwards, we will be employing the

2nd way more often than not
In that 2nd way, we referred to a function in the

HTML BODY, and but defined that function in
the HTML HEAD
4
The main code segment that goes between the
<SCRIPT>, </SCRIPT> tags in the HEAD:
function checkForm() {
if ( document.sendEmail.sender.value.length < 1) {
window.alert( “Empty From field! Please correct” );
}
}
The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the

“Send eMail” button:
onMouseOver=“checkForm()” 5
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Send an eMail</TITLE>
<SCRIPT>
function checkForm(){
if (document.sendEmail.sender.value.length < 1) {
window.alert('Empty From field! Please correct');
}
}
</SCRIPT>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgcolor="#FFFFCC">
<H1>Send an eMail</H1>
<FORM name="sendEmail" method="post" action=sendMailScriptURL>
<TABLE><TR> <TD>From: </TD>
<TD><INPUT type="text" name="sender" size="50" ></TD>
</TR><TR> <TD>To: </TD>
<TD><INPUT type="text" name="receiver" size="50"></TD>
</TR><TR><TD>Subject: </TD>
<TD><INPUT type="text" name="subject" size="50"></TD>
</TR><TR><TD valign="top">Message: </TD>
<TD><TEXTAREA name="message" cols="38" rows="6"></TEXTAREA></TD>
</TR><TR><TD colspan="2" align="right">
<INPUT type="reset" name="reset" value="Reset All Fields">
<INPUT type="submit" name="sendEmail" value="Send eMail" onMouseOver="checkForm()">
</TD></TR></TABLE></FORM>
</BODY> 6
</HTML>
New Concept: Client-Side Scripts
• Small programs that are a part of the Web page
and run on the user’s (client’s) computer
• They interact with the user to collect info or to

accomplish other tasks
• Once it has been collected, they may help pass

the collected info on to a server-side script
• We’ll use JavaScript to do client-side scripting.

However, there are many other languages that
can be used for that purpose, e.g. VBScript 7
Advantages of Client-Side Scripting
• Reduced server load as it does not have to
send messages to the user’s browser about
missing or incorrect data
• Reduced network traffic as the form’s data is

sent only once instead of many to’s and fro’s
8
Disadvantages
• Client-side scripts do not work with all browsers
• Some user intentionally turn scripting off on

their browsers
• This increases the complexity of the Web page,

as it now has to support both situations:
browsers with scripting capability, and those not
having that capability
9
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 10
Some of things that JavaScript cannot do!
• The following file ops. 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 11
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”12
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
13
Case Sensitivity
• HTML is not case sensitive. The following
mean the same to the browser:
– <HTML> -- <html>
– <Html> -- <htMl>
• 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
14
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 15
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)
16
Not Object-Oriented!
• JavaScript is not a true object-oriented
language like C++ or Java
• It is so because it lacks two key features:

– A formal inheritance mechanism
– Strong typing
• Nevertheless, it does include many key

concepts that are part of almost all object-
oriented languages, and therefore is referred as
an object-based language 17
Object: A named collection of properties
(data, state) & methods (instructions, behavior)
A collection
of properties
All objects have the
& methods “name” property: it
holds the name of
the object (collection)
name method 2
prop 1
prop 3 prop 5
prop 2
method 1 prop 4 method 3
18
Example: A Bicycle
name accelerate()
color
pressure direction
height
inflate() speed turn() park()
19
Example: JavaScript’s “window” Object
name open()
width
document status
height
close() location alert()
20
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) 21
Referring to a Property
dot
objectName.propertyName
Examples:
window.width
button.value
22
23
24
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Change Property Demo # 1</TITLE>
<SCRIPT>
function changeStatus() {
window.status = “Mouse has touched the button”;
}
</SCRIPT>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<H1>Change Property Demo # 1</H1>
<FORM name=“dummy” method=“” action=“”>
<INPUT type=“submit” name=“” value=“Change Status“
onMouseOver=“changeStatus()”>
</FORM>
</BODY> 25
</HTML>
function changeStatus() {
window.status=“Mouse has touched the button”;
}
property new value

“Submit” button:
onMouseOver=“changeStatus()”
26
27
28
function gotoURL() {
window.location=“http://www.vu.edu.pk/”;
}
property new value

“Go to VU” button:
onMouseOver=“gotoURL()”
29
You should be connected to the
Internet for the successful execution
of the example that we just
discussed
30
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
31
Types of Objects
• JavaScript objects
– Objects that are part of JavaScript
– Examples: window, document
• Browser objects
– Objects that contain info not about the
contents of the display, but the browser itself
– Examples: history, navigator
• User-defined object
32
One More Example:
Let us try to change the background color

of the window
33
34
35
function changeBgcolor() {
window.document.bgColor = “pink”;
}
property new value

“Change Color” button:
onMouseOver=“changeBgcolor()”
36
In addition to “bgColor”, there are many other
properties of the “document” object, e.g.
• fgColor • cookie
• linkColor • forms[ ]
• title • images[ ]
• • links[ ]
URL
• …
• referrer
• …
• lastModified
• …
37
Read-Only Properties
38
• 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
39
40
41
function changeBgcolor() {
oldColor = window.document.bgColor;
window.document.bgColor = “pink”;
window.alert("The old color was " + oldColor);
}

“Change Color” button:
onMouseOver=“changeBgcolor()”
42
• 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
43
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”
44
Referring to a Method
dot
objectName.methodName( argumnets )
Examples: Info is
window.close() passed on to
the method
button.click()
through one
or more
arguments45
A few more methods associated
with the “window” object
• alert()
• confirm()
• prompt()
• close()
• open()
• focus()
• blur()
• setTimeOut()
46
47
function vuWindow() {
window.open(“http://www.vu.edu.pk/”);
}
method argument

“New VU Window” button:
different event handler
onClick=“vuWindow()”
48
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 49
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
50
Next (the 2nd) Web Dev Lecture:
Data Types and Operators
• To find out about data types
• To become familiar with JavaScript data types
• To become able to use JavaScript statements

and arithmetic operators
51

Week 2

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Week 2

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Advance Web Programming

• We will become able to appreciate the concept

• We will learn about the properties of those

• We will become able to perform simple tasks

From now onwards, we will be employing the

In that 2nd way, we referred to a function in the

The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the

• They interact with the user to collect info or to

• Once it has been collected, they may help pass

• We’ll use JavaScript to do client-side scripting.

• Reduced network traffic as the form’s data is

• Some user intentionally turn scripting off on

• This increases the complexity of the Web page,

• It is designed to be used for developing

• Create graphics (although, it does have the

• Any network programming bar one function: the

2. Control the content and appearance of the

3. Interact with the user through event handlers

4. Arbitrary calculations, including floating-point

5. Store & modify a limited amount of data about

• JavaScript is case sensitive. Only the first of

• It is designed to be used for developing

• An object has properties – e.g. a window has

• Objects are modified with methods that are

• It is so because it lacks two key features:

• Nevertheless, it does include many key

• A property may have one of the following

The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the

The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the

• Also try changing the width, height

Let us try to change the background color

The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the

• But the properties are not there just so that we

• Let us now look at an example where we first

The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the

• And that JavaScript treats everything that it

• We have also learnt how to change the

The JavaScript code included as an attribute of the

• We became able to appreciate the concept of

• We learnt about the properties of those objects

• We also became able to perform simple tasks

• To find out about data types

• To become familiar with JavaScript data types

• To become able to use JavaScript statements

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