JavaScript Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition

Chapter 12. Handling Events

Client-side JavaScript programs use an asynchronous event-driven programming model. In this style of programming, the web browser generates an event whenever something interesting happens to the document or browser or to some element or object associated with it. For example, the web browser generates an event when it finishes loading a document, when the user moves the mouse over a hyperlink, or when the user strikes a key on the keyboard. If a JavaScript application cares about a particular type of event, it can register one or more functions to be invoked when events of that type occur.

The event type is a string that specifies what kind of event occurred. The type “mousemove,” for example, means that the user moved the mouse. The type “keydown” means that a key on the keyboard was pushed down. And the type “load” means that a document (or some other resource) has finished loading from the network. Because the type of an event is just a string, it is sometimes called an event name, and indeed, we use this name to identify the specific kind of event we’re talking about.

The event target is the object on which the event occurred or with which the event is associated. When we speak of an event, we must specify both the type and the target. A load event on a Window, for example, or a click event on a <button> Element. Window, Document, and Element objects are the most common event targets in client-side JavaScript applications, but some events are triggered ...