Understanding the JavaScript language (guidelines for beginners)

by Janeth Kent Date: 18-06-2019 javascript tips

What began in 1995 as a modest 10-day project is now one of the world's most commonly used programming languages. JavaScript is actually everywhere, thanks to more advanced JavaScript engines and the introduction of frameworks like Node, Apache Cordova, Ionic, and Electron that took the language beyond the simple web page. And the language itself, like HTML, is now receiving long overdue upgrades to make JavaScript even more useful for the growth of current applications.

As they progress through their careers, many JavaScript coders like us achieve the point where they use the vast amount of things that define the language actively. However, these abilities may not be taken beyond basic levels, in many instances. Our guess is that this is either because JavaScript uses a C-like syntax to resemble other widely used C-like languages (such as C #and Java), leaving the feeling of familiarity.

People often feel they have a fairly strong knowledge of how JavaScript operates if they understand C #or Java. But this is a trap! JavaScript is much more functionally oriented compared to other mainstream languages. Some notions of JavaScript are essentially different from those of most other languages.

These differences are as follows:

Functions are first-class objects — Functions coexist with any other JavaScript object and can be handled like that. They can be developed by literals, referenced by variables, passed as function arguments, and even returned as function returns.

Function closures— The notion of function closures is largely misunderstood, but at the same moment it exemplifies the relevance of JavaScript features essentially and irrevocably. For now, knowing that a function is a closure when it actively maintains ("closes over") the external variables that are used in its body is sufficient.

Scopes — Until recently, there were no block-level variables in JavaScript (like in other C-like languages) ; instead, we only had to depend on global variables and function-level variables.

Prototype-based object orientation— JavaScript utilizes prototypes as opposed to other mainstream programming languages (such as C #, Java, and Ruby) that use class-based object orientation. Developers often attempt to use JavaScript as if it were Java and when come to JavaScript from class-based languages (such as Java), mainly writing Java's class-based code using JavaScript syntax. Then they're disappointed for some reason when the results change from what they're expecting.

 

JavaScript consists of a close relationship between objects and prototypes, and functions and closures.

Understanding the deep relationships between these notions can greatly enhance your JavaScript programming capability, providing you with a powerful base for any type of application development, whether your JavaScript code is performed on a web page, a desktop app, a mobile app, or a server.

Other JavaScript characteristics can assist you to write more elegant and effective code in relation to these basic ideas:

 

  • Generators, which are functions that can generate multiple values on a per-request basis and can suspend their execution between requests
  • Promises, which give us better control over asynchronous code
  • Proxies, which allow us to control access to certain objects
  • Advanced array methods, which make array-handling code much more elegant
  • Maps, which we can use to create dictionary collections; and sets, which allow us to deal with collections of unique items
  • Regular expressions, which let us simplify what would otherwise be complicated pieces of code
  • Modules, which we can use to break code into smaller, relatively self-contained pieces that make projects more manageable


 

Having a profound knowledge of the basics and learning how to make the most of sophisticated language features can raise your code to greater levels. Mastering your abilities to link these ideas and characteristics together will offer you a level of knowledge that will make it possible to create any kind of JavaScript implementation.

 

 


 

Business vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com
 
by Janeth Kent Date: 18-06-2019 javascript tips hits : 7199  
 
Janeth Kent

Janeth Kent

Licenciada en Bellas Artes y programadora por pasión. Cuando tengo un rato retoco fotos, edito vídeos y diseño cosas. El resto del tiempo escribo en MA-NO WEB DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT.

 
 
 

Related Posts

How to upload files to the server using JavaScript

In this tutorial we are going to see how you can upload files to a server using Node.js using JavaScript, which is very common. For example, you might want to…

How to combine multiple objects in JavaScript

In JavaScript you can merge multiple objects in a variety of ways. The most commonly used methods are the spread operator ... and the Object.assign() function.   How to copy objects with…

The Payment Request API: Revolutionizing Online Payments (Part 2)

In the first part of this series, we explored the fundamentals of the Payment Request API and how it simplifies the payment experience. Now, let's delve deeper into advanced features…

The Payment Request API: Revolutionizing Online Payments (Part 1)

The Payment Request API has emerged as the new standard for online payments, transforming the way transactions are conducted on the internet. In this two-part series, we will delve into…

Let's create a Color Picker from scratch with HTML5 Canvas, Javascript and CSS3

HTML5 Canvas is a technology that allows developers to generate real-time graphics and animations using JavaScript. It provides a blank canvas on which graphical elements, such as lines, shapes, images…

How do you stop JavaScript execution for a while: sleep()

A sleep()function is a function that allows you to stop the execution of code for a certain amount of time. Using a function similar to this can be interesting for…

Mastering array sorting in JavaScript: a guide to the sort() function

In this article, I will explain the usage and potential of the sort() function in JavaScript.   What does the sort() function do?   The sort() function allows you to sort the elements of…

Infinite scrolling with native JavaScript using the Fetch API

I have long wanted to talk about how infinite scroll functionality can be implemented in a list of items that might be on any Web page. Infinite scroll is a technique…

Sorting elements with SortableJS and storing them in localStorage

SortableJS is a JavaScript extension that you will be able to use in your developments to offer your users the possibility to drag and drop elements in order to change…

What is a JWT token and how does it work?

JWT tokens are a standard used to create application access tokens, enabling user authentication in web applications. Specifically, it follows the RFC 7519 standard. What is a JWT token A JWT token…

Template Literals in JavaScript

Template literals, also known as template literals, appeared in JavaScript in its ES6 version, providing a new method of declaring strings using inverted quotes, offering several new and improved possibilities. About…

How to use the endsWith method in JavaScript

In this short tutorial, we are going to see what the endsWith method, introduced in JavaScript ES6, is and how it is used with strings in JavaScript. The endsWith method is…

Clicky