date: 8:08pm, 07.07.2005 (gmt+12).

javascript is a strange and often overlooked beast. while it is potentially very powerful, in the past it has rarely been used for anything more than image swapping and form validation. in just a few short months however, the much publicised AJAX has transformed from an obscure technology to a near-universally accepted technique, and is an excellent example of how javascript should be utilised to it's full potential.

prototype is a freely available javascript library which aims to ease development of dynamic web applications, and serves as a great platform for extending javascript into some truely dizzying heights.

and thomas fuchs has done just that - his wonderful and frankly covetous script.aculo.us provides web developers with rich user interaction previously only open to the realm of flash and shockwave.

following on from the excellent work of thomas, justin palmer has created some additional effects for use with script.aculo.us, which are definately worth a look as well.

but all of this fanciful javascript does beg the question:

“what about my source code?”

with this large influx of javascript, the last thing you need is your source code bogged down by an deluge of <script> tags and onclick=“” attributes.

fear not, for ben nolan already has an answer. behaviour is a fantasic system allowing you to apply javascript functionality using css selectors, which is an infinitely more attractive prospect than the “tag soup” that groups like WaSP have just helped us escape.

 

- adrian