JavaScript

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A re-introduction to JavaScript
An overview for those who think they know about JavaScript

JavaScript® (often shortened to JS) is a lightweight, interpreted, object-oriented language with first-class functions, most known as the scripting language for Web pages, but used in many non-browser environments as well such as node.js or Apache CouchDB. It is a prototype-based, multi-paradigm scripting language that is dynamic, is type safe, and supports object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles.

The JavaScript standard is ECMAScript. As of 2012, all modern browsers fully support ECMAScript 5.1. Older browsers support at least ECMAScript 3. A 6th major revision of the standard is in the works. The current progress of different new and improved features can be followed on the dedicated wiki.

This section of the site is dedicated to the JavaScript language itself, the parts that are not specific to Web pages, or other host environments. For information about APIs specific to Web pages, please see DOM. Read more about how DOM and JavaScript fit together in the DOM Reference.

Documentation

JavaScript Guide
If you are new to JavaScript, you should read this guide.
JavaScript Reference
This JavaScript reference includes complete documentation for JavaScript 1.5 and updates.

Introductory articles

JavaScript technologies overview
Introduction to the web browser JavaScript landscape

Advanced articles

JavaScript data structures
Overview of available data structures in JavaScript
Inheritance and the prototype chain
Explanation of the widely misunderstood and under-estimated prototype-based inheritance
Canvas tutorial
<canvas> is the HTML5 element which can be used to draw graphics using scripting. It can, for instance be used to draw graphs, make photo compositions or do simple (and not so simple) animations.
JavaScript Language Resources
A description of the JavaScript language standards.
Internet Explorer Standards Support Documents
Microsoft publishes documents that describe "variations, clarifications, and extensions to certain final approved web standards supported by Internet Explorer." Of these, the ones that are related to JavaScript are:

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Tools & advanced resources

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Other resources

JavaScript Garden
A site with helpful information about the more esoteric parts of JavaScript.
JSWiki
A Github-based wiki that indexes libraries and resources.
Stack Overflow
A collaboratively built and maintained Q&A site and look if you can find the answer to your question. If not you will be able to ask your question there.
Pineapple · JavaScript
A large database of current JavaScript tutorials and resources.

JavaScript is a trademark or registered trademark of Oracle in the U.S. and other countries.

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