JAVASCRIPT: PART UN

Definition of Javascript: an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers.

You might be thinking, “Hmm, what in the world does that mean…” Well, that is exactly what I said when I first decided to dip my toe into Javascript. At first, it seemed a bit overwhelming, especially when I compared it to what I had been learning with HTML and CSS. Unlike the other two, which for me seemed much more straightforward in the coding, Javascript is an entirely new “monster”. 

The first thing I realized about Javascript is that in order to begin learning it, I needed to go back to a place where I thought I left a lot of bad memories in my life behind; Math class. Javascript, unlike HTML and CSS, is rooted firmly in the use of functions. That’s right, all those IF THEN functions that I loved loathed so much from high school and my first years of college, concepts I thought I was done with for next to forever, have wiggled their way back into my life. “Oh, well” I said, deciding to suck it up and give it my darnedest try. And as luck would have it, I found out that when it comes to Javascript functions, unlike in my previous math life, I am amazing! Ok, maybe not quite amazing just yet, however what is really amazing is how much simpler it all is than I thought. 

So, to illustrate I’ll go through I little basic javascript code that I have been putting together. Keep in mind, this is not to knock your socks, only a simple illustration to show that if its what you really want to learn to do, its not that hard in actuality. Ok, here we go:

Today's Date

Click the button to display a date after changing the year, month, and day.

The code shown in the picture above is all that is necessary to make a cool functioning little button that, in this case, will tell you the exact time based on where you are at the moment. Now you may be thinking "Wow, that's kind of a lot for just one button. What if I want to have 20 different buttons?" This is exactly what I thought at first, however I am beginning to understand that while there are some shortcuts and other little things you can setup for yourself to make your task a bit easier, this is something that simply comes with the territory of coding and programming.

As for resources that you can use to begin your own journey down the Javascript path, I recommend giving the following sites a visit. The information that they have definitely helped me to get started, and I believe they will most likely be able to help you:
Codecademy.com
A free online course to get your feet wet in Javascript.
Makeuseof.com
A good explanation and example of what exactly Javascript is and how to use it effectively.