Chapter 3. Using Prototype

The Prototype distribution is available from http://prototype.conio.net. The file prototype-x.x.x.js (at the time of writing: prototype-1.4.0.js) should be saved to a convenient location and renamed prototype.js.

Figure 3-1. Prototype download page

Using Prototype involves making the script in prototype.js visible to your own JavaScript. This is usually done via the script tag specifying the URL of prototype.js:

<script src="URL" content="text/javascript"></script>

Although Prototype can be referenced directly from the prototype distribution site, it is preferable and faster to work locally.

The following example assumes that prototype.js has been placed in a js directory and that the HTML file is alongside that directory.

C:\javascriptBook>dir /s /b
C:\javascriptBook\js
C:\javascriptBook\referencingPrototype.html
C:\javascriptBook\js\prototype.js

The example shows a sample HTML file that uses Prototype and may be used as a simple sanity check.

Example 3-1. referencingPrototype.html
<html>
<head>
    <title>Using Prototype</title>
    <script src="js/prototype.js" content="text/javascript"></script>
</head>
    <body id='body'>
    <script content="text/javascript">
    new Insertion.Top($('body'),'Using Prototype version:'+Prototype.Version);
    </script>
</body>
</html>

If you are using a JavaScript as your only scripting language, you may alternatively set this ...

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