JavaScript makes HTML pages more dynamic and interactive.
The HTML <script> TagThe HTML <script> tag is used to define a client-side script (JavaScript). The <script> element either contains script statements, or it points to an external script file through the src attribute. Common uses for JavaScript are image manipulation, form validation, and dynamic changes of content. To select an HTML element, JavaScript most often
uses the document.getElementById() method. This JavaScript example writes "Hello JavaScript!" into an HTML element with id="demo": Example<script> document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "Hello JavaScript!"; </script> Try it Yourself »
A Taste of JavaScriptHere are some examples of what JavaScript can do: ExampleJavaScript
can change content: document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "Hello JavaScript!"; Try it Yourself » ExampleJavaScript can change styles: document.getElementById("demo").style.fontSize = "25px"; document.getElementById("demo").style.color = "red"; document.getElementById("demo").style.backgroundColor = "yellow"; Try it Yourself » ExampleJavaScript can change attributes: document.getElementById("image").src = "picture.gif"; Try it Yourself »
The HTML <noscript> TagThe HTML <noscript> tag defines an alternate content to be displayed
to users that have disabled scripts in their browser or have a browser that doesn't support scripts: Example<script> document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "Hello JavaScript!"; </script> <noscript>Sorry, your browser does not support JavaScript!</noscript> Try it Yourself »
HTML ExercisesTest Yourself With ExercisesExercise:Use JavaScript to change the HTML content of the <p> element to "Hello World!". <body> <p id="demo">Hi.</p> <script> document.("demo").innerHTML = "Hello World!"; </script> </body> Start the Exercise
Tag | Description |
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<script>
| Defines a client-side script
| <noscript>
| Defines an alternate content for users that do not support client-side
scripts
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For a complete list of all available HTML tags, visit our HTML Tag Reference. Take your webpages to the next level by harnessing JavaScript. Learn in this article how to trigger JavaScript right from your HTML documents. About JavaScriptJavaScript is a programming language mostly used client-side to make webpages interactive. You can create amazing webpages without JavaScript, but JavaScript opens up a whole new level of possibilities. Note: In this article we're going over the HTML code you need to make JavaScript take effect. If you want to learn JavaScript itself, you can start with our JavaScript basics article. If you already know something about JavaScript or if you have a background with other programming languages, we suggest you jump directly into our JavaScript Guide. How to trigger JavaScript from HTMLWithin a browser, JavaScript doesn't do anything by itself. You run JavaScript from inside your HTML webpages. To call JavaScript code from within HTML, you need the
<script> element. There are two ways to use script , depending on whether you're linking to an external script or embedding a script right in your webpage. Linking an external scriptUsually, you'll be writing scripts in their own .js files. If you want to execute a .js script from your webpage, just use <script> with an src attribute pointing to the
script file, using its URL: <script src="path/to/my/script.js"></script>
Writing JavaScript within
HTMLYou may also add JavaScript code between <script> tags rather than providing an src attribute. <script>
window.addEventListener("load", () => {
console.log("This function is executed once the page is fully loaded");
});
</script>
That's convenient when you just need a small bit of JavaScript, but if you keep JavaScript in separate files you'll find it easier to - focus on your work
- write self-sufficient HTML
- write structured JavaScript applications
Use scripting accessiblyAccessibility is a major issue in any software development. JavaScript can make your website more accessible if you use it wisely, or it can become a disaster if you use scripting without care. To make JavaScript work in your favor, it's
worth knowing about certain best practices for adding JavaScript: - Make all content available as (structured) text. Rely on HTML for your content as much as possible. For example, if you've implemented a nice JavaScript progress bar, make sure to supplement it with matching text percentages inside the HTML. Likewise, your drop-down menus should be structured as
unordered lists of links.
- Make all functionality accessible from the keyboard.
- Let users Tab through all controls (e.g., links and form input) in a logical order.
- If you use pointer events (like mouse
events or touch events), duplicate the functionality with keyboard events.
- Test your site using a keyboard only.
- Don't set nor even guess time limits. It takes extra time to navigate with the keyboard or hear content read out. You can hardly ever predict just how long it will take for users or browsers to complete an process (especially asynchronous actions such as loading resources).
- Keep animations subtle and brief with no
flashing. Flashing is annoying and can cause seizures. Additionally, if an animation lasts more than a couple seconds, give the user a way to cancel it.
- Let users initiate interactions. That means, don't update content, redirect, or refresh automatically. Don't use carousels or display popups without warning.
- Have a plan B for
users without JavaScript. People may have JavaScript turned off to improve speed and security, and users often face network issues that prevent loading scripts. Moreover, third-party scripts (ads, tracking scripts, browser extensions) might break your scripts.
- At a minimum, leave a short message with
<noscript> like this: <noscript>To use this site, please enable JavaScript.</noscript> - Ideally, replicate the JavaScript functionality
with HTML and server-side scripting when possible.
- If you're only looking for simple visual effects, CSS can often get the job done even more intuitively.
- Since almost everybody does have JavaScript enabled,
<noscript> is no excuse for writing inaccessible scripts.
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