Beginning JavaScript with DOM Scripting and Ajax, 2nd Edition

Chapter 6 ■ Common Uses of JavaScript: Images and Windows
accidentally closing the window your web site needs. Years of unsolicited advertising and
pop-ups have conditioned web surfers to immediately close new windows without even
glancing at them.
• Employing timed execution of code via the window methods setTimeout() and
setInterval() is a bit like using makeup: as a girl you learn how to put it on; as a woman
you learn when to take it off. You can use both of these methods—and they are tempting to
create all kinds of snazzy effects—but you should think of your users, and ask yourself,
“Is there really a need for animation when a static interface might lead much more quickly
to the same result?”
Summary
Well done! You have reached the end of this chapter and should be well equipped now to create your own JavaScript
solutions with images and windows, or—even better—window replacement techniques.
If some of the examples were a bit tough to wrap your head around, don’t get frustrated, because this is a feeling
you’ll experience often as a JavaScript developer. And it does not mean that you don’t get it. Dozens of ways exist to
solve any given problem in JavaScript. Although there are much easier ways than those explained here, getting used to
this kind of scripting should make you well equipped for more advanced scripting tasks like using third-party APIs or
web application development.
In the next chapter, you have the chance to become better acquainted with event and property handling, as we
discuss navigation and forms.
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