Because Dreamweaver extensions must be written in JavaScript, this manual assumes that readers are familiar with JavaScript syntax and basic programming concepts such as functions, variables, statements, operators, conditionals, and loops. This manual does not attempt to teach programming in general or JavaScript in particular.
If you are not yet an advanced JavaScript developer, but are familiar with the syntax of the language, start with objects to learn about extensibility. First read Chapter 2, "The Document Object Model," and then see Chapter 8, "Objects," for more information.
Anyone who wants to extend Dreamweaver should have a good JavaScript reference to help with syntax questions (for example, is it substring() or subString()?). Useful JavaScript references include Javascript Bible by Danny Goodman (IDG), JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David Flanagan (O'Reilly), and Pure JavaScript by R. Allen Wyke, Jason D. Gilliam, and Charlton Ting (Sams). For a free JavaScript reference, see Netscape's DevEdge Online website at http://developer.netscape.com:80/docs/manuals/javascript.html.