Scripting
Client side scripting in JavaScript is the 'behaviour' layer of web development. Here we make the content that has been structured by HTML and styled by CSS behave differently depending on what the user does with it. This includes dynamic page elements or client side form validation just as two possibilities. The following articles deal with the various ascpects of JavaScript and socalled 'DHTML'.
Enhance your (page) performance! - 17th January 2007
A few tricks to implement to make your web site appear faster and give the user a more instant experience. (published at Thinkvitamin)
Event Driven Web Application Design - 17th January 2007
Ever wondered why so many web applications are inaccessible and hard to maintain? Maybe it is time to change the approach to web application design. (published at Yahoo User Interface Blog)
Text-Resize Detection - 12th September 2006
A quick trick mixed with a custom event allows you to detect and react on font size changes in the page. (published at Alistapart)
The future is hybrids - how JavaScript can purify pure CSS solutions - 4th September 2006
A reminder why JavaScript is so much better in providing web page behaviour than CSS is. (published at Wait-Till-I.com)
The Importance of Maintainable JavaScript - 17th July 2006
JavaScript is hip again; there's no doubt about it. But if you're starting to get down and dirty with it, there's no excuse not to keep it clean. (published at Thinkvitamin)
From DHTML to DOM scripting - 29th March 2006
This article tries to explain the difference between DHTML and DOM scripting and their danges and virtues and uses the development of a dynamic web page (Tab Interface, product pop-up, slideshow) as an example. (published at local)
Preview images with DOM, CSS and PHP - 19th July 2005
Sometimes we want to offer the visitors a preview of the image a link points to. Depending on PHP and GD availability, this script will offer a preview link showing or creating a thumbnail of the linked image. The visitors can see if the link is worth opening without leaving the current page. (published at local)
DOMSlides - yet another DOM/CSS based presentation slides system - 18th July 2005
DOMSlides turns an HTML document into presentation slides via Unobtrusive JavaScript. Readers without JavaScript will see one HTML page with content split up into headings and content. Readers with JavaScript can navigate the slides either via previous and next, the cursor up and cursor down keys ora table of contents. (published at domscripting.webstandards.org)
Complex Dynamic Lists: Your Order Please - 24th May 2005
This article describes how you can turn a nested list into a OSX styled finder navigation to help the visitor choose one item out of a complex hierarchy of items. (published at alistapart.com)
How to simulate CSS constants - 12th May 2005
One feature designers often wished they had with style sheets are constants - the chance to define something once and reuse it over and over in the style sheet document. This article shows some techniques for how to achieve that and discusses their pros and cons. (published at devarticles.com)
Dynamic Galleries with DOM and CSS - January 2005
This article shows how to use DOM and CSS to create a fully accessible dynamic gallery that shows images without page reloads for those who can and falls back to a linked thumbnail list for all others. Local copy without ads. (published at Devarticles.com)
Standards, baby, yeah! - July 2004
Illogically called "Standards Vs. Sensible Design", this article tries to explain why following and advocating standards is great, but not enough. It needs a shift in technical use and in design to make web development a more secure and respected job. If you want to, you can also read the original "director's cut" version with all special effects. (published at Sitepoint.com)
Javascript Image Replacement - November 2003
A JavaScript-based alternative to the Fahrner Image Replacement technique using plain vanilla XHTML, with no special IDs or CSS tricks. Published on alistapart, this one caused a rather long and ugly discussion on the forum, mainly due to a misunderstanding that later on got sorted out. (published at Alistapart)
Dynamic Page Elements - Cloak and Dagger Web design - October 2004
Dynamic elements make web pages more fun, more interactive and allow us to make pages more usable - if we have CSS, Javascript and a mouse at our disposal. This article discusses some uses of dynamic page elements with accessibility and usability in mind and shows where they fail and what to do to make them better. Also make sure to check the local copy of this article for updates and less advertisements. (published at devarticles.com)
Accessible Interdependent Select Boxes - May 2003
This article explains how to mimick the funtionality of an interdependent select box in an accessible way. (published at evolt.org)
Create Pop-ups Without Dead Links - June 2004
A short article explaining how you can create popup windows with
enhanced features only for those browsers and settings supporting it.
Currently this article is with a wrong photo and was mildly edited, if
you want to read the original proposal, you can read it here. (published at Sitepoint.com)
Unobtrusive Javascript Self Training Course - October 2004
Brush up on your Javascript skills and join us in 2000 with this self training course. (published at )
Javascript fallback example - February 2004
A quick example how Javascript can work for the user rather than against them. Done to show a .NET team that the inbuilt fallback functionality is not up to the task. (published at onlinetools.org)
YADM - Yet another dynamic menu - June 2004
This "article" is a copy of the YADM homepage. (published at Devarticles.com)
Conjuring site navigation - June 2004
A JavaScript-trick to automatically add a navigation dropdown to the page. The navigation gets populated by the LINK data in the document, thus enhancing browsers that don't do that. Comes with a PHP example, too. (published at Alistapart.com)
Dynamic Elements - cloak and dagger web design - September 2004
Dynamic elements make web pages more fun, more interactive and allow us to make pages more usable - if we have CSS, Javascript and a mouse at our disposal. This article discusses some uses of dynamic page elements with accessibility and usability in mind and shows where they fail and what to do to make them better. You can view this article in a local version, that gets maintained more frequently. (published at Evolt.org)
Javascript navigation - cleaner, not meaner - February 2004
Javascript makes HTML more interactive and can increase usability. It can also mess up the markup code with loads of event handlers. Which is not at all necessary, as this example explains. (published at Evolt.org)
An explorer script with no need for ID - October 2003
A script that turns a nested unordered list into a collapsible and expandable explorer tree. This article covers the basic functionality of Puredom Explorer. (published at )
Collapsible page elements with DOM - November 2002
This article explains how to collapse and expand a part of a page via DOM without disturbing the accessibility of the document. The article lead to the release of the DOMCollapse script. (published at Evolt.org)
The table ruler - April 2004
A JavaScript-trick how to make a table row highlight when you hover the mouse over it. Using DOM to avoid the need for inline event calls, the HTML of the table is kept very clean. (published at Alistapart.com)
Recommended books about Scripting
DHTML Utopia: Modern Web Design
Stuart Langridge has delivered a wonderful, up-to-date book on DOM scripting. If you want to develop modern JavaScript and you don't feel like scanning through dozens of confusing tutorials and mail threads, this is a good place to start. It does require a certain JavaScript knowledge and is good for developers, pure designers might have a hard time following it.
