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Learn in this article how to trigger JavaScript right from your HTML documents.</p> <figure class="table-container"><table> <tbody> <tr> <th scope="row">Prerequisites:</th> <td> You need to be familiar with how to <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website">create a basic HTML document</a>. </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Objective:</th> <td> Learn how to trigger JavaScript in your HTML file, and learn the most important best practices for keeping JavaScript accessible. </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></figure></div><section aria-labelledby="about_javascript"><h2 id="about_javascript"><a href="#about_javascript">About JavaScript</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p><a href="/en-US/docs/Glossary/JavaScript">JavaScript</a> is a programming language mostly used client-side to make webpages interactive. You <em>can</em> create amazing webpages without JavaScript, but JavaScript opens up a whole new level of possibilities.</p> <div class="notecard note"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> In this article we're going over the HTML code you need to make JavaScript take effect. If you want to learn JavaScript itself, you can start with our <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Adding_interactivity">JavaScript basics</a> article. If you already know something about JavaScript or if you have a background with other programming languages, we suggest you jump directly into our <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide">JavaScript Guide</a>.</p> </div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="how_to_trigger_javascript_from_html"><h2 id="how_to_trigger_javascript_from_html"><a href="#how_to_trigger_javascript_from_html">How to trigger JavaScript from HTML</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>Within a browser, JavaScript doesn't do anything by itself. You run JavaScript from inside your HTML webpages. To call JavaScript code from within HTML, you need the <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script"><code><script></code></a> element. There are two ways to use <code>script</code>, depending on whether you're linking to an external script or embedding a script right in your webpage.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="linking_an_external_script"><h3 id="linking_an_external_script"><a href="#linking_an_external_script">Linking an external script</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>Usually, you'll be writing scripts in their own .js files. If you want to execute a .js script from your webpage, just use <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script"><code><script></code></a> with an <code>src</code> attribute pointing to the script file, using its <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Web_mechanics/What_is_a_URL">URL</a>:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></div><pre class="brush: html notranslate"><code><script src="path/to/my/script.js"></script> </code></pre></div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="writing_javascript_within_html"><h3 id="writing_javascript_within_html"><a href="#writing_javascript_within_html">Writing JavaScript within HTML</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>You may also add JavaScript code between <code><script></code> tags rather than providing an <code>src</code> attribute.</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></div><pre class="brush: html notranslate"><code><script> window.addEventListener("load", () => { console.log("This function is executed once the page is fully loaded"); }); </script> </code></pre></div> <p>That's convenient when you just need a small bit of JavaScript, but if you keep JavaScript in separate files you'll find it easier to</p> <ul> <li>focus on your work</li> <li>write self-sufficient HTML</li> <li>write structured JavaScript applications</li> </ul></div></section><section aria-labelledby="use_scripting_accessibly"><h2 id="use_scripting_accessibly"><a href="#use_scripting_accessibly">Use scripting accessibly</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>Accessibility is a major issue in any software development. JavaScript can make your website more accessible if you use it wisely, or it can become a disaster if you use scripting without care. To make JavaScript work in your favor, it's worth knowing about certain best practices for adding JavaScript:</p> <ul> <li> <p><strong>Make all content available as (structured) text.</strong> Rely on HTML for your content as much as possible. For example, if you've implemented a nice JavaScript progress bar, make sure to supplement it with matching text percentages inside the HTML. Likewise, your drop-down menus should be structured as <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Lists#unordered_lists">unordered lists</a> of <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Creating_links">links</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Make all functionality accessible from the keyboard.</strong></p> <ul> <li>Let users Tab through all controls (e.g., links and form input) in a logical order.</li> <li>If you use pointer events (like mouse events or touch events), duplicate the functionality with keyboard events.</li> <li>Test your site using a keyboard only.</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p><strong>Don't set nor even guess time limits.</strong> It takes extra time to navigate with the keyboard or hear content read out. You can hardly ever predict just how long it will take for users or browsers to complete a process (especially asynchronous actions such as loading resources).</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Keep animations subtle and brief with no flashing.</strong> Flashing is annoying and can <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/seizure-does-not-violate.html" class="external" target="_blank">cause seizures</a>. Additionally, if an animation lasts more than a couple seconds, give the user a way to cancel it.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Let users initiate interactions.</strong> That means, don't update content, redirect, or refresh automatically. Don't use carousels or display popups without warning.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Have a plan B for users without JavaScript.</strong> People may have JavaScript turned off to improve speed and security, and users often face network issues that prevent loading scripts. Moreover, third-party scripts (ads, tracking scripts, browser extensions) might break your scripts.</p> <ul> <li>At a minimum, leave a short message with <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noscript"><code><noscript></code></a> like this: <code><noscript>To use this site, please enable JavaScript.</noscript></code></li> <li>Ideally, replicate the JavaScript functionality with HTML and server-side scripting when possible.</li> <li>If you're only looking for simple visual effects, CSS can often get the job done even more intuitively.</li> <li><em>Since almost everybody <strong>does</strong> have JavaScript enabled, <code><noscript></code> is no excuse for writing inaccessible scripts.</em></li> </ul> </li> </ul></div></section><section aria-labelledby="learn_more"><h2 id="learn_more"><a href="#learn_more">Learn more</a></h2><div class="section-content"><ul> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script"><code><script></code></a></li> <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noscript"><code><noscript></code></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sitepoint.com/javascript-accessibility-101/" class="external" target="_blank">James Edwards' introduction to using JavaScript accessibly</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/" class="external" target="_blank">Accessibility guidelines from W3C</a></li> </ul></div></section></article><aside class="article-footer"><div class="article-footer-inner"><div class="svg-container"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="162" height="162" viewBox="0 0 162 162" fill="none" role="none"><mask id="b" fill="#fff"><path d="M97.203 47.04c8.113-7.886 18.004-13.871 28.906-17.492a78 78 0 0 1 33.969-3.39c11.443 1.39 22.401 5.295 32.024 11.411s17.656 14.28 23.476 23.86c5.819 9.579 9.269 20.318 10.083 31.385a69.85 69.85 0 0 1-5.387 32.44c-4.358 10.272-11.115 19.443-19.747 26.801-8.632 7.359-18.908 12.709-30.034 15.637l-6.17-21.698c7.666-2.017 14.746-5.703 20.694-10.773 5.948-5.071 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content are ©1998–2025 by individual mozilla.org contributors. Content available under <a href="/en-US/docs/MDN/Writing_guidelines/Attrib_copyright_license">a Creative Commons license</a>.</p></div></div></footer></div><script type="application/json" id="hydration">{"url":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Use_JavaScript_within_a_webpage","doc":{"body":[{"type":"prose","value":{"id":null,"title":null,"isH3":false,"content":"<p>Take your webpages to the next level by harnessing JavaScript. Learn in this article how to trigger JavaScript right from your HTML documents.</p>\n<figure class=\"table-container\"><table>\n <tbody>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Prerequisites:</th>\n <td>\n You need to be familiar with how to\n <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website\">create a basic HTML document</a>.\n </td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Objective:</th>\n <td>\n Learn how to trigger JavaScript in your HTML file, and learn the most\n important best practices for keeping JavaScript accessible.\n </td>\n </tr>\n </tbody>\n</table></figure>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"about_javascript","title":"About JavaScript","isH3":false,"content":"<p><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Glossary/JavaScript\">JavaScript</a> is a programming language mostly used client-side to make webpages interactive. You <em>can</em> create amazing webpages without JavaScript, but JavaScript opens up a whole new level of possibilities.</p>\n<div class=\"notecard note\">\n<p><strong>Note:</strong>\nIn this article we're going over the HTML code you need to make JavaScript take effect. If you want to learn JavaScript itself, you can start with our <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Adding_interactivity\">JavaScript basics</a> article. If you already know something about JavaScript or if you have a background with other programming languages, we suggest you jump directly into our <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide\">JavaScript Guide</a>.</p>\n</div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"how_to_trigger_javascript_from_html","title":"How to trigger JavaScript from HTML","isH3":false,"content":"<p>Within a browser, JavaScript doesn't do anything by itself. You run JavaScript from inside your HTML webpages. To call JavaScript code from within HTML, you need the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script\"><code><script></code></a> element. There are two ways to use <code>script</code>, depending on whether you're linking to an external script or embedding a script right in your webpage.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"linking_an_external_script","title":"Linking an external script","isH3":true,"content":"<p>Usually, you'll be writing scripts in their own .js files. If you want to execute a .js script from your webpage, just use <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script\"><code><script></code></a> with an <code>src</code> attribute pointing to the script file, using its <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Web_mechanics/What_is_a_URL\">URL</a>:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">html</span></div><pre class=\"brush: html notranslate\"><code><script src=\"path/to/my/script.js\"></script>\n</code></pre></div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"writing_javascript_within_html","title":"Writing JavaScript within HTML","isH3":true,"content":"<p>You may also add JavaScript code between <code><script></code> tags rather than providing an <code>src</code> attribute.</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">html</span></div><pre class=\"brush: html notranslate\"><code><script>\n window.addEventListener(\"load\", () => {\n console.log(\"This function is executed once the page is fully loaded\");\n });\n</script>\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>That's convenient when you just need a small bit of JavaScript, but if you keep JavaScript in separate files you'll find it easier to</p>\n<ul>\n<li>focus on your work</li>\n<li>write self-sufficient HTML</li>\n<li>write structured JavaScript applications</li>\n</ul>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"use_scripting_accessibly","title":"Use scripting accessibly","isH3":false,"content":"<p>Accessibility is a major issue in any software development. JavaScript can make your website more accessible if you use it wisely, or it can become a disaster if you use scripting without care. To make JavaScript work in your favor, it's worth knowing about certain best practices for adding JavaScript:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Make all content available as (structured) text.</strong> Rely on HTML for your content as much as possible. For example, if you've implemented a nice JavaScript progress bar, make sure to supplement it with matching text percentages inside the HTML. Likewise, your drop-down menus should be structured as <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Lists#unordered_lists\">unordered lists</a> of <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Creating_links\">links</a>.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Make all functionality accessible from the keyboard.</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Let users Tab through all controls (e.g., links and form input) in a logical order.</li>\n<li>If you use pointer events (like mouse events or touch events), duplicate the functionality with keyboard events.</li>\n<li>Test your site using a keyboard only.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Don't set nor even guess time limits.</strong> It takes extra time to navigate with the keyboard or hear content read out. You can hardly ever predict just how long it will take for users or browsers to complete a process (especially asynchronous actions such as loading resources).</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Keep animations subtle and brief with no flashing.</strong> Flashing is annoying and can <a href=\"https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/seizure-does-not-violate.html\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">cause seizures</a>. Additionally, if an animation lasts more than a couple seconds, give the user a way to cancel it.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Let users initiate interactions.</strong> That means, don't update content, redirect, or refresh automatically. Don't use carousels or display popups without warning.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Have a plan B for users without JavaScript.</strong> People may have JavaScript turned off to improve speed and security, and users often face network issues that prevent loading scripts. Moreover, third-party scripts (ads, tracking scripts, browser extensions) might break your scripts.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>At a minimum, leave a short message with <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noscript\"><code><noscript></code></a> like this: <code><noscript>To use this site, please enable JavaScript.</noscript></code></li>\n<li>Ideally, replicate the JavaScript functionality with HTML and server-side scripting when possible.</li>\n<li>If you're only looking for simple visual effects, CSS can often get the job done even more intuitively.</li>\n<li><em>Since almost everybody <strong>does</strong> have JavaScript enabled, <code><noscript></code> is no excuse for writing inaccessible scripts.</em></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"learn_more","title":"Learn more","isH3":false,"content":"<ul>\n<li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/script\"><code><script></code></a></li>\n<li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/noscript\"><code><noscript></code></a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.sitepoint.com/javascript-accessibility-101/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">James Edwards' introduction to using JavaScript accessibly</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Accessibility guidelines from W3C</a></li>\n</ul>"}}],"isActive":true,"isMarkdown":true,"isTranslated":false,"locale":"en-US","mdn_url":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Use_JavaScript_within_a_webpage","modified":"2024-12-19T15:37:45.000Z","native":"English (US)","noIndexing":false,"other_translations":[{"locale":"de","title":"Verwenden Sie JavaScript innerhalb einer Webseite","native":"Deutsch"},{"locale":"fr","title":"Utiliser JavaScript au sein d'une page web","native":"Français"},{"locale":"ja","title":"ウェブページで JavaScript を使う","native":"日本語"}],"pageTitle":"Use JavaScript within a webpage - Learn web development | MDN","parents":[{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development","title":"Learn"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto","title":"How to solve common problems"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems","title":"Solve common HTML problems"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Use_JavaScript_within_a_webpage","title":"Use JavaScript within a webpage"}],"popularity":null,"short_title":"Use JavaScript within a webpage","sidebarHTML":"<ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Add_a_hit_map_on_top_of_an_image\">Add a hitmap on top of an image</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Define_terms_with_HTML\">Define terms with HTML</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Cheatsheet\">HTML Cheat Sheet</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Author_fast-loading_HTML_pages\">Tips for authoring fast-loading HTML pages</a></li><li><em><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Use_JavaScript_within_a_webpage\" aria-current=\"page\">Use JavaScript within a webpage</a></em></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems/Use_data_attributes\">Using data attributes</a></li></ol>","source":{"folder":"en-us/learn_web_development/howto/solve_html_problems/use_javascript_within_a_webpage","github_url":"https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/files/en-us/learn_web_development/howto/solve_html_problems/use_javascript_within_a_webpage/index.md","last_commit_url":"https://github.com/mdn/content/commit/5b20f5f4265f988f80f513db0e4b35c7e0cd70dc","filename":"index.md"},"summary":"Take your webpages to the next level by harnessing JavaScript. Learn in this article how to trigger JavaScript right from your HTML documents.","title":"Use JavaScript within a webpage","toc":[{"text":"About JavaScript","id":"about_javascript"},{"text":"How to trigger JavaScript from HTML","id":"how_to_trigger_javascript_from_html"},{"text":"Use scripting accessibly","id":"use_scripting_accessibly"},{"text":"Learn more","id":"learn_more"}],"pageType":"learn-faq"}}</script></body></html>