Coding with JavaScript For Dummies (For Dummies Series)

Go from beginner to builder quickly with this hands-on JavaScript guide.

Coding with JavaScript For Dummies provides easy, hands-on instruction for anyone looking to learn this popular client-side language. No experience? No problem! This friendly guide starts from the very beginning and walks you through the basics, then shows you how to apply what you've learned to real projects. You'll start building right away, including web page elements and simple applications, so you can immediately see how JavaScript is used in the real world. Online exercises allow you to test your code and expand your skills, and the easy-to-follow instruction provides step-by-step guidance toward understanding the JavaScript syntax, applications, and language.

JavaScript enhances static web pages by providing dynamic elements that can adapt and react to user action. It's a need-to-know tool for aspiring web designers, but anyone can benefit from understanding this core development language. Coding with JavaScript For Dummies takes you from beginner to builder quickly as you:

• Learn what JavaScript does, how it works, and where to use it
• Master the core elements of JavaScript and immediately put it to work
• Build interactive web elements and try out your code online
• Create basic applications as you apply JavaScript to the app development workflow

"Extremely informative, challenging, and often times humorous -- this book is highly recommended." - Doug Thompson

We hope you enjoy reading and learning from this book as much as we enjoyed writing it. Coding with JavaScript For Dummies is the result of hundreds of hours of writing chapters, drinking coffee, reading chapters, discussing chapters, rewriting chapters, and thinking like JavaScript beginners.

We used an extreme form of collaboration throughout the process of writing this book. Each word and sentence was actually signed off on (several times) and typed by both of us. As a result, no single page of the book can be said to have been written by Chris or by Eva. This is different from every other book with co-authors that we're aware of -- usually, chapters are divided between authors and the reader may notice a change in voice at some point in the book. Not here.

Even the screenshots were shot by both of us. You may notice that some of the screenshots were done on a Mac (by Chris) and some were done using Windows (by Eva).

We strongly believe that our collaboration made us both better writers and resulted in a better book than if either of us had written it by ourselves.

If you have any questions about the book prior to purchasing it, or after purchasing it, please don't hesitate to reach out to us through our company, WatzThis?.

Thank you and enjoy!
-Chris and Eva

Learn to:

• Go from no coding experience to knowing your way around JavaScript
• Add interactive elements to websites
• Develop, debug, and deploy JavaScript apps

Learn JavaScript — the fun, fast, and easy way to create dynamic websites!

JavaScript is essential for creating modern websites, and this easy-to-follow guide makes learning JavaScript basics a snap. Discover what JavaScript does, get a handle on basic syntax, learn to work with CSS and graphics online, and even explore how to use JavaScript with HTML5. Once you know the basics, you can refine and practice your skills at Codecademy.com.

• Build the foundation — learn what JavaScript does, how it works, and where to use it
• Get started — master the core elements of JavaScript as you begin building basic applications
• Put the parts together — make sense of variables, arrays, operators, branching, and looping
• Organize your JavaScript — find out how to create and use functions and objects
• Move online — discover how JavaScript works in a web browser and learn to manipulate documents, handle events, and integrate input and output
• Explore advanced uses — see how to use regular expressions, callbacks, anonymous functions, and closures
• Find more cool tools — learn to use HTML5 APIs and jQuery^® to enhance your JavaScript programming
• Test your skills — visit Codecademy.com to try your hand at coding with JavaScript

Open the book and find:

• How to set up your development environment
• What arrays are for
• The importance of loops
• Ways to do more with less code using jQuery
• Help working with JavaScript animations
• Tips on modifying styles and colors
• What you can do with AJAX
• Ten common bugs and how to avoid them

Learn to:

• Go from no coding experience to knowing your way around JavaScript
• Add interactive elements to websites
• Develop, debug, and deploy JavaScript apps

Learn JavaScript — the fun, fast, and easy way to create dynamic websites!

JavaScript is essential for creating modern websites, and this easy-to-follow guide makes learning JavaScript basics a snap. Discover what JavaScript does, get a handle on basic syntax, learn to work with CSS and graphics online, and even explore how to use JavaScript with HTML5. Once you know the basics, you can refine and practice your skills at Codecademy.com.

• Build the foundation — learn what JavaScript does, how it works, and where to use it
• Get started — master the core elements of JavaScript as you begin building basic applications
• Put the parts together — make sense of variables, arrays, operators, branching, and looping
• Organize your JavaScript — find out how to create and use functions and objects
• Move online — discover how JavaScript works in a web browser and learn to manipulate documents, handle events, and integrate input and output
• Explore advanced uses — see how to use regular expressions, callbacks, anonymous functions, and closures
• Find more cool tools — learn to use HTML5 APIs and jQuery^® to enhance your JavaScript programming
• Test your skills — visit Codecademy.com to try your hand at coding with JavaScript

Open the book and find:

• How to set up your development environment
• What arrays are for
• The importance of loops
• Ways to do more with less code using jQuery
• Help working with JavaScript animations
• Tips on modifying styles and colors
• What you can do with AJAX
• Ten common bugs and how to avoid them

Chris Minnick is an accomplished author, trainer, and web developer who has worked on web and mobile projects for both small and major businesses. Eva Holland is an experienced writer and trainer who has designed and taught online, in-person, and video courses. They are cofounders of WatzThis?