[JavaScript]
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Introduction

In 1996, a paradigm shift occurred in web authoring with the introduction of scripting and object-embedding in web pages. The significance of these new tools should not be exaggerated: so-called “interactive web pages” have been possible through CGI (Common Gateway Interface) programs for some time, and all pages that contain embedded scripts and objects are not really “interactive.”

What such tools as JavaScript and ActiveX offer, however, is a way of embedding new features and kinds of information in web pages with much less programming knowledge than CGI programming requires. These tools can also be used without direct administrative access to the web server, which many web authors cannot easily obtain.

In these pages, we'll look at some of the basic aspects of JavaScript -- hardly enough to make you and expert, but enough to get you started with your own scripting. At the end of this guide, you'll find links to more extensive JavaScript programming references.

Before we get to the details, we'll clear away a few preliminary issues.

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