July, 2005

What’s an Object

You probably think you know the answer to this one, but I’d bet you can’t put it into words. Most developers use objects so frequently that they never stop to think about this basic issue. An object is represented differently in almost every language, and JavaScript is a little different from all the others.

Objects in JavaScript are associative arrays (such as in Perl). This opens up a number of powerful techniques to the daring JavaScript programmer. You are daring, aren’t you? Read What’s an Object »

Debugging JavaScript Applications: Tracing

Displaying trace messages has always been an integral part of writing Web applications whether back in the days of C++ CGIs or today writing Java Servlets. Cracking open the debugger to step through your application just never seems to be as effective as the classic printf statement.

As we write more and more complex Web applications taking advantage of XMLHttpRequest, it’s imperitive that our debugging tools advance along with our other tools. Read Debugging JavaScript Applications: Tracing »