Using JavaScript to write to the status bar

Introduction

Some of the simplest effects in JavaScript are also the most useful, in my opinion. One example is using JavaScript to write something to the status bar. The status bar is a lonely, empty place just waiting for you to take advantage of. You can use it to display a description of the link your mouse is currently over, show some message etc.

To write to the status bar, use the JavaScript function:

<script>
function writetostatus(input){
    window.status=input
    return true
}
</script>

For example, I create a link below that uses this function to a description of the link onmouse over:

<a href="http://www.google.com" onMouseover="writetostatus('Search the web!')"
onMouseout="writetostatus('')">Google</a>

I like this example by Website Abstraction, which gets really creative and "unscrambles" the message into view.

Conclusion

The key to writing to the status is using the property window.status, and remembering to return true if you're adding it to a function.