JavaScript from Beginner to Professional: Learn JavaScript quickly by building fun, interactive, and dynamic web apps, games, and pages

Percival

Laurence Svekis

Maaike van Putten

Codestars By Rob Percival

$39.99

4.5 (58 Ratings)

Paperback Dec 2021 546 pages 1st Edition

Percival

Laurence Svekis

Maaike van Putten

Codestars By Rob Percival

$39.99

4.5 (58 Ratings)

Paperback Dec 2021 546 pages 1st Edition

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JavaScript from Beginner to Professional

JavaScript Essentials

In this chapter, we will be dealing with some essential building blocks of JavaScript: variables and operators. We will start with variables, what they are, and which different variable data types exist. We need these basic building blocks to store and work with variable values in our scripts, making them dynamic.

Once we've got the variables covered, we will be ready to deal with operators. Arithmetic, assignment, and conditional and logical operators will be discussed at this stage. We need operators to modify our variables or to tell us something about these variables. This way we can do basic calculations based on factors such as user input.

Along the way, we'll cover the following topics:

Variables
Primitive data types
Analyzing and modifying data types
Operators

Note: exercise, project, and self-check quiz answers can be found in the Appendix.

Variables

Variables are the first building block you will be introduced to when learning most languages. Variables are values in your code that can represent different values each time the code runs. Here is an example of two variables in a script:

firstname = "Maaike";
x = 2;

And they can be assigned a new value while the code is running:

firstname = "Edward";
x = 7;

Without variables, a piece of code would do the exact same thing every single time it was run. Even though that could still be helpful in some cases, it can be made much more powerful by working with variables to allow our code to do something different every time we run it.

Declaring variables

The first time you create a variable, you declare it. And you need a special word for that: let, var, or const. We'll discuss the use of these three arguments shortly. The second time you call a variable, you only use the name of the existing variable to assign it a new value...

Analyzing and modifying data types

We have seen the primitive data types. There are some built-in JavaScript methods that will help us deal with common problems related to primitives. Built-in methods are pieces of logic that can be used without having to write JavaScript logic yourself.

We've seen one built-in method already: console.log().

There are many of these built-in methods, and the ones you will be meeting in this chapter are just the first few you will encounter.

Working out the type of a variable

Especially with null and undefined, it can be hard to determine what kind of data type you are dealing with. Let's have a look at typeof. This returns the type of the variable. You can check the type of a variable by entering typeof, then either a space followed by the variable in question, or the variable in question in brackets:

testVariable = 1;
variableTypeTest1 = typeof testVariable;
variableTypeTest2 = typeof(testVariable);
console...

Operators

After seeing quite a few data types and some ways to convert them, it is time for the next major building block: operators. These come in handy whenever we want to work with the variables, modify them, perform calculations on them, and compare them. They are called operators because we use them to operate on our variables.

Arithmetic operators

Arithmetic operators can be used to perform operations with numbers. Most of these operations will feel very natural to you because they are the basic mathematics you will have come across earlier in life already.

Addition

Addition in JavaScript is very simple, we have seen it already. We use + for this operation:

let nr1 = 12;
let nr2 = 14;
let result1 = nr1 + nr2;

However, this operator can also come in very handy for concatenating strings. Note the added space after "Hello" to ensure the end result contains space characters:

let str1 = "Hello ";
let str2 = "addition";
let...

Chapter project

Miles-to-kilometers converter

Create a variable that contains a value in miles, convert it to kilometers, and log the value in kilometers in the following format:

The distance of 130 kms is equal to 209.2142 miles

For reference, 1 mile equals 1.60934 kilometers.

BMI calculator

Set values for height in inches and weight in pounds, then convert the values to centimeters and kilos, outputting the results to the console:

1 inch is equal to 2.54 cm
2.2046 pounds is equal to 1 kilo

Output the results. Then, calculate and log the BMI: this is equal to weight (in kilos) divided by squared height (in meters). Output the results to the console.

Self-check quiz

What data type is the following variable?
```
const c = "5";
```
What data type is the following variable?
```
const c = 91;
```

Which one is generally better, line 1 or line 2?

let empty1 = undefined; //line 1
let empty2 = null; //line 2

What is the console output for the following?

let a = "Hello";
a = "world";
console.log(a);

What will be logged to the console?

let a = "world";
let b = `Hello ${a}!`;
console.log(b);

What is the value of a?

let a = "Hello";
a = prompt("world");
console.log(a);

What is the value of b output to the console?

let a = 5;
let b = 70;
let c = "5";
b++;
console.log(b);

What is the value of result?
```
let result = 3 + 4 * 2 / 8; 
```
What is the value of total and total2?
```
let firstNum = 5;
let secondNum ...
```

Download Code

Key benefits

Write eloquent JavaScript and employ fundamental and advanced features to create your own web apps
Interact with the browser with HTML and JavaScript, and add dynamic images, shapes, and text with HTML5 Canvas
Build a password checker, paint web app, hangman game, and many more fun projects

Description

This book demonstrates the capabilities of JavaScript for web application development by combining theoretical learning with code exercises and fun projects that you can challenge yourself with. The guiding principle of the book is to show how straightforward JavaScript techniques can be used to make web apps ranging from dynamic websites to simple browser-based games. JavaScript from Beginner to Professional focuses on key programming concepts and Document Object Model manipulations that are used to solve common problems in professional web applications. These include data validation, manipulating the appearance of web pages, working with asynchronous and concurrent code. The book uses project-based learning to provide context for the theoretical components in a series of code examples that can be used as modules of an application, such as input validators, games, and simple animations. This will be supplemented with a brief crash course on HTML and CSS to illustrate how JavaScript components fit into a complete web application. As you learn the concepts, you can try them in your own editor or browser console to get a solid understanding of how they work and what they do. By the end of this JavaScript book, you will feel confident writing core JavaScript code and be equipped to progress to more advanced libraries, frameworks, and environments such as React, Angular, and Node.js.

Who is this book for?

This book is for people who are new to JavaScript (JS) or those looking to build up their skills in web development. Basic familiarity with HTML & CSS would be beneficial. Whether you are a junior or intermediate developer who needs an easy-to-understand practical guide for JS concepts, a developer who wants to transition into working with JS, or a student studying programming concepts using JS, this book will prove helpful.

What you will learn

Use logic statements to make decisions within your code
Save time with JavaScript loops by avoiding writing the same code repeatedly
Use JavaScript functions and methods to selectively execute code
Connect to HTML5 elements and bring your own web pages to life with interactive content
Make your search patterns more effective with regular expressions
Explore concurrency and asynchronous programming to process events efficiently and improve performance
Get a head start on your next steps with primers on key libraries, frameworks, and APIs

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Ali Jan 20, 2024

A great book and definitely recommended. Lots of interesting insights on JS and useful for beginners or some developers coming from other languages. I enjoy practical exercises as they are very well structured and introduce new concepts, leaving some room for devs to explore and experiment. Thank you for this great book!

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S DE CLERK May 31, 2022

I love this book.As a beginner I've been struggling to find good books on JS. Compared to languages like Python, there aren't many books around for beginners, and most recommended books are at least 5 years old. The most recommended one (starts with in "E"...) is super confusing and goes from easy to very hard to follow (for beginners) within the first 3 chapters. This book, however, is different.It's a true book for those new to Javascript and holds your hand, without insulting your intelligence, all the way. The in-chapter exercises are great for reinforcing learning, with end of chapter projects that are fun and practical and challenging in a way that doesn't make you want to rage quit and throw the book through your computer screen (like other books do). It provides detailed instructions on what is expected. The best part is that ALL the answers are at the back of the book for reference, so no frustrating googling or pulling answers from github.The code examples in the book are easy to follow, however sometimes it goes over two (or more) pages which can make it somewhat difficult to follow. This is a problem with most books though, and I wish they'd include line numbers to make it easier.The layout of the book makes it easy to reference and I find myself coming back to it to go over concepts and syntax again when building projects. Sure you can search online, but you can make notes in the book, which is why I love books and often find it more useful.In conclusion, if you're a noob, then you should DEFINITELY get this book. It's one of the most up-to-date books on the language (although for some reason they still use 'var' when 'let' and 'const' are deemed to be best practice these days, but it's not a deal-breaker since 'let' and 'const' best-practice is fairly recent and you'll encounter 'var' in the majority of code you'll come across.I love this book, and so will you.

Amazon Verified review

TomSF Dec 09, 2022

I have 7 JS books, this one is the best! very practical.

Andre Thomas Dec 27, 2021

This first edition is off to a great start. This gives those looking to learn JavaScript a major advantage when it comes to get up and running quickly. Tutorial videos are good but they lack in thoroughness. This book gives the detail one need to actually grasp the fundamentals so that you don’t just know that it works but you know WHY and HOW it works. This latter understanding sets you apart from the competition big time.I am really enjoying this read because it’s easy to understand and it’s filling the gaps in my understanding. So grateful for this book. A must read for sure.

Si Dunn Feb 07, 2022

I received a review copy of this book, and I am impressed with the quality and thoroughness of its contents. I don't work with JavaScript frequently these days, but when I do, I like to have a good JavaScript book close at hand so I can look up the things and quirks that I can't quite remember. To me, this is a good how-to book not only for learning JavaScript from scratch, but also for keeping skills refreshed, and learning some new aspects of JS when needed. This book's writing is clear, the examples and self-tests are good, and I particularly like the fact that answers to the practice tests are included at the back. I also like how beginners are shown how to work with HTML right away and to use their computer's console to view results. I do wish that Node.js and using node to run .JS files at the command line had been introduced sooner than near the end of the book. However, it hasn't hurt me at all to spend more time with the Chrome, Windows, and Firefox consoles while testing out many of this book's code examples. I recommend this book to others who are either learning JavaScript or needing a good how-to book to keep handy. My thanks to Packt for giving me this opportunity to review it.

JavaScript from Beginner to Professional: Learn JavaScript quickly by building fun, interactive, and dynamic web apps, games, and pages

What do you get with Print?

JavaScript from Beginner to Professional

JavaScript Essentials

Variables

Declaring variables

Primitive data types

String

Analyzing and modifying data types

Working out the type of a variable

Operators

Arithmetic operators

Addition

Chapter project

Miles-to-kilometers converter

BMI calculator

Self-check quiz

Summary

Page 1 of 8

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JavaScript from Beginner to Professional: Learn JavaScript quickly by building fun, interactive, and dynamic web apps, games, and pages

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Description

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