JavaScript Workshop

A whole component of the jQuery library is dedicated to the detection and reaction of standard browser events which are likely to occur frequently (during every visit to our page) when visitors view our pages.

One event that is used almost every time the jQuery library is engaged is the ready event. This can be used with the $(document).ready(function(){});. This will execute the code within its curly braces when the document is ready (once the page has finished loading minus images).

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I am teaching a third online class called Beginning Web Development with ASP.NET at LVS Online. This 6-week class will focus on the understanding the basics of how the .NET framework works with creating ASP.NET web applications using the C# programming langauage. Students will use the free web development tool Visual Web Developer 2008 Express to create their ASP.NET 3.5 web pages.

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Cameron Adams, web developer and author of Simply JavaScript gave a presentation at Web Directions North 08 about how JavaScript has affected the design and development of web interfaces.

Here are the presentation (.pdf) slides he used as well.

A relative latecomer to this world of JavaScript libraries, jQuery has taken the web development community by storm, quickly winning the support of major websites such as MSNBC, Google Code, and well-regarded open source projects including SourceForge, Trac, and Drupal.

Compared with other toolkits that focus heavily on clever JavaScript techniques, jQuery aims to change the way that web developers think about creating rich functionality in their pages.

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Events are things that happen that Flash can recognize and respond to. A mouse click is an event, as are mouse movements and keypresses on the keyboard. Events can also be things that the user doesn't initiate. The completion of a sound, for example, is an event.

Anytime an event happens, an object of the Event class is created. When the mouse button is clicked, a MouseEvent object (a subclass of the Event class) is created. When a key on the keyboard is pressed, a KeyboardEvent object (another subclass of the Event class) is created. It may seem a little strange that an object represents an event, but remember Flash objects can be very abstract.

With all these events happening, you need a way to detect and respond to them. You detect an event by creating an event listener (or event handler).

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The key to successful manipulating graphics on the Stage is to understand what is known as the display list. The display list is the hierarchy of visible objects on the Stage. The display list lets Flash keep track of what the user sees, the visual relationships between objects, and the stacking order (or overlapping) of the objects.

Conceptually, it's much like the folder structure on your computer desktop, and can be represented as a tree structure. The top-level element is the Stage. Each time you play a Flash movie in a Web browser, the Flash Player opens your SWF and places it on the Stage. So the Stage is the container that holds your main SWF.

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Sas Jacobs is a web developer who set up her own business, Anything Is Possible, in 1994, working in the areas of web development, IT training, and technical writing. The business works with large and small clients building web applications with ASP.NET, Flash, XML, and databases. Sas has wrote a number of books such as Beginning XML with DOM and Ajax, Foundation XML for Flash and Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0. She is also an instructor, speaker and avid photographer. Sas was nice enough to give me some of her time in discussing Flash and its use on the web.

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Last month, I attended the Future of Web Design conference in eclectic Manhattan, NY. The 1-day conference (plus a 2nd day for workshop) included speakers such as Andy Clarke, Keith Robinson, Jonathan Snook, and Jeffrey Zeldman. Apart from a few technical problems with the venue it was a great conference covering lots of interesting topics about current and "future" technologies.

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Animation effect can reinforce a message, clarify a user interaction, and even entertain. But they can just as easily cloud the interaction , distract the user, and annoy your visitors. Properly utilized, animation effects should emphasize the message of the site, clarify or reinforce the user interaction, or mildly entertain.

The script.aculo.us library is built on top of Prototype (discussed last meeting) and can create cool effects, allow for drag and drop, assist in Ajax development as well as provide DOM utilities. It is used by many commercial web sites such as Apple, Digg, Feedburner, Gucci and more.

Though just like many other libraries, be aware of the resources it will require and the real necessity of using them.

Have a safe and happy holiday and I'll see ya next year!