JavaScript Spring 2001:


In the spring falling my Java class I took both HTML as well as Java script. The JavaScript that I learned focused on form validation, as well as the date function. After I took JavaScript I worked on sever projects at work utilizing what I had learned.

Form Validate: My first JavaScript project was so write student application form. The script that we wrote was supposed to validate the form upon submission. In addition there were several date functions some calculating the time left to fill out the form. That time is now long passed so it looks funny. Source code:

Adapter Selector: The project I did for work turned out to be extremely complicated. The original problem was for the user to be able to select the microscope that they are using. The program would then tell the user which adapter to buy, as well as the price. Now various complications arose.

  1. The user had to select if the filter wheel they were buying an adapter for was on the excitation side of the emission side
  2. The user had to define the type of wheel/ adapter they were using ie. 32mm or liquid light guide
  3. Since the user had to define the excitation/ pension port as well as the type of wheel why not build a type of shopping cart? Hence there is a page for each possible combination!
  4. Since we now had a "shopping cart" we had to define valid options as well as prevent invalid options!

The kernel of the program was a function I named writeIt(source code). Each of the hyperlinks would pas the appropriate values to this program which would then write the adapter type, cost, and description in the correct form fields. When ever possible I tried to use .js files (which act like a server side include for JavaScript). In this way I could update many pages when I had to update my code. An example of the complexity of the final product.

I realize now that the proper way to have written this program was to put the adapter fields in a data base and then call the values from that data base when they were needed. I plan to rewrite these page's in the future utilizing a data base.

DHTML: A simple from write program i wrote when i was looking into making my own bulletin board. It was written in JavaScript which only resides client side. In my research I found that Bulletin boards are data base driven. To write a proper Bulletin Board the easiest way is using PHP and MySQL both of which are open source meaning that I could use others code to help me. Another alternative would be to use ASP or JSP and another data base.

PS. The style sheets were added later.

 

 

 

  
 
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