2 Introduction to JavaScript Programming

Netscape originally introduced JavaScript as the scripting language for its Navigator web browser. The scripting language allows code to be embedded in HTML pages and executed inside a browser, which acts as the host environment for the scripts. The browser exposes HTML page elements and browser controls to the scripts as host objects and functions. By manipulating these host objects, JavaScript is able to control the behavior of the browser and add interactivity to the web pages.

Since the release of Netscape Navigator 2.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0, JavaScript has established itself as the standard browser scripting language. Subsequent standardization efforts have produced the specification known as ECMA-262, which is the standard implemented in Style Intelligence.

As a standardized scripting language, JavaScript provides an excellent foundation for report scripting needs. Its origin as a web scripting language makes it ideal for the reporting environment. The integration of JavaScript with Style Intelligence therefore combines two powerful paradigms for report generation and gives developers maximum flexibility in controlling reports and user interactions.

The purpose of this section is to provide a broad overview of JavaScript programming, and how JavaScript can be embedded in Viewsheets. A simple JavaScript reference is provided in Appendix JS: General JavaScript Functions. To find more complete coverage, please refer to a JavaScript book or tutorial website (e.g., http://www.w3schools.com/js).

If you are already familiar with the JavaScript language, you can skip ahead to Adding Script to a Viewsheet, which explains the different areas of a Viewsheet to which you can add script.

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