Scripting, Programming, and Objects

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You might wonder why this chapter is separate from the last one. With both scripts and embedded objects, the interactivity takes place on the client side. What's the difference? Why distinguish between scripting and objects? Remember the point of Web client-side scripting ”small bits of interpreted code used to add a bit of functionality to a page or fill the gaps in an application. Scripting is not necessarily as complex or general as programming, although it often seems as if it is. Programming is more generalized than scripting; programming enables you to create just about anything that you can imagine, although it tends to be more complex in some sense than scripting. Think about checking the data fields of a form; you need only a few lines of JavaScript to make sure the fields are filled. Now consider trying to create something sophisticated, such as a full-blown video game within a Web page. This takes more than a few lines of JavaScript code, and probably should be programmed in a language such as Java, C/C++, or Visual Basic. In fact, building objects is not trivial. It can require significant knowledge of programming. Fortunately for most casual Web page designers, putting together a custom object probably isn't necessary as existing components can be used. This chapter discusses each of the object technologies, as well as how such objects can be inserted into a Web page in conjunction with HTML/XHTML markup and scripting.

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