Where to put JavaScript in HTML
By SamimIn this tutorial, we will see where and how to include JavaScript in our HTML code. JavaScript is a powerful programming language that allows us to include interactive and dynamic elements in our web pages. By using JavaScript we can make our web pages more functional and engaging.
In this article, we will cover the places mentioned below to put JavaScript in HTML code.
- Inside the
<head>Element - Before the Closing
</body>Tag - External JavaScript Files
Now, we will explore the above-mentioned topics one by one.
Inside the <head> Element
We can include our JavaScript code within the <head> element of an HTML document using the <script> tag. We basically used the <script> tag to include JavaScript code directly into our HTML code.
We include JavaScript within the <head> section to load and execute scripts before the web page content is rendered, this is a common way to add JavaScript to the HTML code.
We commonly do this to provide functionality used by the entire web page, such as handling navigation menus, analytics, or setting up variables and functions that other parts of the page may require.
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Include JavaScript</title>
<script>
// JavaScript code goes here
</script>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Provide Here Web Page content -->
</body>
</html>However, including JavaScript in the <head> can lead to slower page loading times if our script is large or time-consuming to execute.
Before the Closing </body> Tag
We can also add JavaScript before the closing </body> tag, this is a common and recommended practice to add JavaScript in HTML code.
This approach improves page performance and user experience by loading the HTML content before the JavaScript.
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Include JavaScript</title>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Provide Here Web Page content -->
<script>
// JavaScript code goes here
</script>
</body>
</html>External JavaScript Files
We can use external JavaScript for larger projects or for reusing JavaScript across multiple web pages. We can link an external JavaScript file using the <script> tag with the src attribute.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Include JavaScript</title>
<!-- Link JavaScript file -->
<script src="myscript.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<!-- Provide Here Web Page content -->
</body>
</html>In the above code, the myscript.js is an external JavaScript file.
Now, if the file is in another directory, we have to mention the path in our HTML code like below.
Suppose, the file is in the js directory.
<script src="js/myscript.js"></script>
We can also add an external JavaScript file before the closing </body> tag.
Best practice for placing JavaScript in our HTML code
The decision about where to place JavaScript code in our HTML code depends on what we want to do and how fast we want our web page to load.
- Inside
<head>: If we include JavaScript code inside the<head>tag, the JavaScript code will load and run before our web page content. This is good for setting up things like variables, functions, or configurations that the whole webpage needs.
However, putting JavaScript in the<head>may slow the page loading times if our script is huge or time-consuming to run. - Inside the
<body>: If we put JavaScript code inside the<body>just before the closing</body>tag, the JavaScript code will load and execute after the webpage content has been loaded. This makes our page load faster.
Now, the choice of whether to use JavaScript in the <head> or <body> section depends on our specific requirements. We can put in <head> section to load and execute the JavaScript before the HTML content. Similarly, we can place JavaScript in the <body> for faster page loading and better user experience.
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