Type-writer status scroller

Cut & Paste Slowly coming together status scroller
Description: Status text that comes together slowly
Directions: Simply insert this in section:


<script language="JavaScript"><br /><!--// Copyright 1996 - Tomer and Yehuda Shiran<br />// This example will appear in our forthcoming book on JavaScript.<br />// Feel free to "steal" this code provided that you leave this notice as is.<br />// Additional examples from the book can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/9000/<br />// For more information contact Tomer or Yehuda Shiran <yshiran@iil.intel.com><br /><br />// set speed of banner (pause in milliseconds between addition of new character)<br />var speed = 10<br /><br />// decrease value to increase speed (must be positive)<br />// set pause between completion of message and beginning of following message<br />var pause = 1500<br /><br />// increase value to increase pause<br />// set initial values<br />var timerID = null<br />var bannerRunning = false<br /><br />// create array<br />var ar = new Array()<br /><br />// assign the strings to the array's elements<br />ar[0] = "Welcome to my JavaScript page"<br />ar[1] = "I hope you enjoy the R-Banner script"<br />ar[2] = "It is designed to be more stable than regular banners"<br />ar[3] = "Don't forget to check out the other scripts!"<br /><br />// assign index of current message<br />var message = 0<br /><br />// empty string initialization<br />var state = ""<br /><br />// no value is currently being displayed<br />clearState()<br /><br />// stop the banner if it is currently running<br />function stopBanner() { <br /> // if banner is currently running <br /> if (bannerRunning) <br /> // stop the banner <br /> clearTimeout(timerID) <br /> // timer is now stopped <br /> timerRunning = false<br />}<br /><br />// start the banner<br />function startBanner() { <br /> // make sure the banner is stopped <br /> stopBanner() <br /> // start the banner from the current position <br /> showBanner()<br />}<br /><br />// assign state a string of "0" characters of the length of the current message<br />function clearState() { <br /> // initialize to empty string <br /> state = "" <br /> // create string of same length containing 0 digits <br /> for (var i = 0; i < ar[message].length; ++i) { <br /> state += "0" <br /> }<br />}<br /><br />// display the current message<br />function showBanner() { <br /> // if the current message is done <br /> if (getString()) { <br /> // increment message <br /> message++ <br /> // if new message is out of range wrap around to first message <br /> if (ar.length <= message) <br /> message = 0 <br /> // new message is first displayed as empty string <br /> clearState() <br /> // display next character after pause milliseconds <br /> timerID = setTimeout("showBanner()", pause) <br /> }<br /> else { <br /> // initialize to empty string <br /> var str = "" <br /> // built string to be displayed (only character selected thus far are displayed) <br /> for (var j = 0; j < state.length; ++j) { <br /> str += (state.charAt(j) == "1") ? ar[message].charAt(j) : " " <br /> } <br /> // partial string is placed in status bar <br /> window.status = str <br /> // add another character after speed milliseconds <br /> timerID = setTimeout("showBanner()", speed) <br /> }<br />}<br /><br />function getString() { <br /> // set variable to true (it will stay true unless proven otherwise) <br /> var full = true <br /> // set variable to false if a free space is found in string (a not-displayed char) <br /> for (var j = 0; j < state.length; ++j) { <br /> // if character at index j of current message has not been placed in displayed string <br /> if (state.charAt(j) == 0) <br /> full = false <br /> } <br /> // return true immediately if no space found (avoid infinitive loop later) <br /> if (full) return true <br /> // search for random until free space found (braoken up via break statement) <br /> while (1) { <br /> // a random number (between 0 and state.length - 1 == message.length - 1) <br /> var num = getRandom(ar[message].length) <br /> // if free space found break infinitive loop <br /> if (state.charAt(num) == "0") <br /> break <br /> } <br /> // replace the 0 character with 1 character at place found <br /> state = state.substring(0, num) + "1" + state.substring(num + 1, state.length) <br /> // return false because the string was not full (free space was found) <br /> return false<br />}<br /><br />function getRandom(max) { <br /> // create instance of current date <br /> var now = new Date() <br /> // create a random number (good generator) <br /> var num = now.getTime() * now.getSeconds() * Math.random() <br /> // cut random number to value between 0 and max - 1, inclusive <br /> return num % max<br />}<br />startBanner()<br />// --><br /></script><br />