Javascript [Electronic resources] : The Definitive Guide (4th Edition) نسخه متنی

Chapter 24. Client-Side JavaScript Reference

This part of the book is a reference
section that documents the classes, methods, properties, and event
handlers defined by web browsers that support client-side JavaScript.
These classes, methods, and properties form the de facto standard
called the DOM Level 0 API. Beginning scripters and programmers
writing with backward compatibility in mind will use this reference
section in conjunction with the core JavaScript reference of Part III. The introduction and sample reference page explain how to use
and get the most out of this reference section. Take the time to read
this material carefully, and you will find it easier to locate and
use the information you need!

This reference section is arranged alphabetically. The reference
pages for the methods and properties of classes are alphabetized by
their full names, which include the names of the classes that define
them. For example, if you want to read about the submit(
) method of the Form class, you would look under
"Form.submit," not just "submit."

To save space in this enlarged fourth edition of the book, most
properties in this reference section do not have reference pages of
their own (all methods and event handlers do have their own reference
pages, however). Instead, simple properties are completely documented
in the reference page for the class that defines them. For example,
you can read about the images[] property of the
Document class in the "Document" reference page.
Nontrivial properties that require substantial explanation do have
reference pages of their own, and you'll find a cross-reference
to these pages within the reference page of the class or interface
that defines the properties. For example, when you look up the
cookie property in the "Document"
reference page or the status property in the
"Window" reference page, you'll find a short
description of the property and a reference to pages named
"Document.cookie" and "Window.status."

Client-side JavaScript has a number of global properties and
functions, such as window,
history, and alert( ). In
client-side JavaScript, a Window object serves as the global object,
and the "global" properties and functions of client-side
JavaScript are actually properties of the Window class. Therefore, in
this client-side reference section, global properties and functions
are documented in the "Window" reference page or under
names such as "Window.alert( )."

Sometimes you may find that you don't know the name of the
class or interface that defines the method or property you want to
look up, or you may not be sure which of the three reference sections
to look up a class or interface in. Part VI of this book is a special
index designed to help with these situations. Look up the name of a
class, method, or property, and it will tell you which reference
section to look in and which class to look under in that section. For
example, if you look up "Button," it will tell you that
the Button class is documented in this client-side reference section.
And if you look up the name "alert," it will tell you
that alert( ) is a method of the client-side
Window class.

Once you've found the reference page you're looking for,
you shouldn't have much difficulty finding the information you
need. Still, you'll be able to make better use of this
reference section if you understand how the reference pages are
written and organized. What follows is a sample reference page titled
"Sample Entry" that demonstrates the structure of each
reference page and tells you where to find various types of
information within the pages. Take the time to read this page before
diving into the rest of the reference material.