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Introduction to Javascript & Tutorial List

In this introductory tutorial we talk about what Javascript is, what it's used for, and why you should learn this powerful programming language.

We also quickly cover the learning level of difficulty for Javascript and prerequisites for this tutorial series.

Lessons in this course

If you're new to Javascript, or programming in general, start from the beginning.

Beginner
Development Environment Setup Your first Javascript app Comments Variables & Constants Operators
Conditional Control
if, else if & else Switch
Iteration Control
for, while & do while loops break & continue
Intermediate
Functions Arrays
Object Oriented Programming
Classes & Objects Standalone Objects Static Methods Accessors & Mutators Inheritance Composition
Document Object Model (DOM)
The DOM HTML Element Selection HTML Element Styling HTML Text & Content Manipulation HTML Attribute Events & Listeners

What is Javascript

Javascript allows us to add dynamic behavior and interactivity to a web page that doesn’t require a web server. A user’s browser will translate Javascript along with the HTML and CSS of a page.

Some examples are:

  • Animating visual elements
  • Hiding and displaying elements (menu’s, dialog boxes etc.)
  • Interactive maps
  • Visual feedback on user interactions

Javascript can also create single page applications with the help of frameworks like React and Vue Vue, and run backend web servers with Node.js .

Why learn Javascript

Javascript is part of the standard toolkit for any browser-based programming. Learning it has become a must for modern web developers.

There are also hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs out there for Javascript developers. Adding it to your resume can open many doors for you.

Is Javascript hard to learn

While it may be considered moderately complex, vanilla Javascript is relatively easy to learn, especially as a first language.

If you have some experience with higher level languages like PHP, C#, Java or Python, vanilla Javascript will be easy to learn.

Prerequisites

Before we proceed, please note that we make the following assumptions:

  • You know how to install software on whichever operating system you use.
  • You can create and navigate directories and files on your computer.

Knowledge of HTML and CSS is helpful but not required.

While this tutorial course is for beginners with no knowledge of Javascript or programming in general, programmers coming from other languages that want to learn Javascript will also find it very helpful.

This tutorial course covers many topics of programming in Javascript, ranging from beginner concepts to advanced.

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Environment Setup