Web Scripting Language

Web scripting languages are a form of high-level programming language. High-level programming languages are much closer to human language than machine language, through which computer hardware accepts commands. High-level programming languages, like C and C++, rely on programs called compilers or interpreters so they can be converted to machine language (mainly zeroes and ones). Programs written in scripting languages, called scripts, are not compiled ahead of time for specific computer systems like many high-level languages. Instead, the plain text that constitutes a script gets interpreted into computer commands while a program runs.

Scripts are used to add interactivity to otherwise static Web pages. They also can perform repetitive tasks like automatically filling out parts of Web-based forms, among other uses. Encyclozine.com described the capabilities of JavaScript, a popular Web scripting language: "Without any network transmission, an HTML page with embedded JavaScript can interpret the entered text and alert the user with a message dialog if the input is invalid. Or you can use JavaScript to perform an action (such as play an audio file, execute an applet, or communicate with a plug-in) in response to the user opening or exiting a page."

Scripting languages normally are interpreted by Web browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Web browsers interpret scripts along with Hypertext Markup language (HTML), the language in which Web pages are written. This can be done in one of two ways. In one scenario, programs written in scripting languages can run directly from a server. Otherwise, a script can be included with or directly in an HTML Web page that someone downloads to a computer. In either case, the Web browser is used to access the program.

In server-based situations, the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) allows users (clients) to run programs located on Web servers. CGI scripts are small programs written in a variety of different programming languages (including C, C++, and Perl) that run in real-time, which makes them ideal for such things as stock tickers, weather reports, or query results from a database that appear in the form of a Web page. In the 2000s, other methods—like Java servlets (Java programs that reside on Web servers) and Microsoft's Active Server Pages—began to replace CGI scripts.

JavaScript and Microsoft's Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) were two popular types of scripting languages in the early 2000s. JavaScript was created by Sun Microsystems and Netscape. It is based on the Java programming language, but was developed independently. JavaScript has the ability to interact with HTML code, enabling developers to create more interactive, appealing Web sites without having to learn a complicated programming language. JavaScript is used in Web browsers from both Nets-cape and Microsoft (Microsoft used its own version called Jscript). The language can be used for both client and server-based programs. Similar in many regards to JavaScript, Microsoft's Visual Basic Scripting Edition is based on the company's Visual Basic programming language. Among the benefits of Visual Basic Scripting Edition are its portability and speed. Not only is the language used by Web browsers, it also is used for other kinds of applications.