newbie : using javascript

[shisya]

hi

i am developing web pages for my college.
i know HTML and a little bit of javascript and php.
i wanted to know whether it is possible to have client-side interactivity, like popup menus,et al without using javascript ?
if yes, what would i need to know to do it ? would those things be possible with php ?

also when designing web pages what things do i keep in mind regarding using javascript ? is it supported on all browsers ? how badly can my display of content be affected if i use javascript ?

thanx in advance.
shisya.

[pclement]

Javascript is pretty much the only widely supported client-side scripting language for web browsers. Feature support will vary amongst browsers. The only other option would be to use components (ActiveX, Java, etc.) that the user must first download and register on their machine.

AFAIK, PHP is a server-side scripting language.

[JPnyc]

As a general rule of thumb, use JS for things that you can't do any other way, and if at ALL possible, do NOT make site navigation dependent upon it. More and more users surf the web with scripting disabled, and handicapped users, such as braille browser users, will not be able to navigate your site.

JS is good for visual effects, and for form validation, and not a whole lot beyond that.