JavaScript: Crash Course
JavaScript (JS) is a dynamic computer programming language.
Installing & Setting up
JavaScript 101
- To include your example.js in an HTML page (usually placed right before </body> will guarantee that elements are defined when the script is executed):
<script src="/path/to/example.js"></script>
Variables can be defined using multiple var statements, or in a single combined var statement. The value of a variable declared without a value is undefined.
-
Types in JavaScript fall into two categories:
- Primitive:
- String
- Number
- Boolean
- null
- undefined
Null types are values that represent the absence of a value, similar to many other programming languages. Undefined types represent a state in which no value has been assigned at all.
Objects:
// Creating an object with the constructor:
var person1 = new Object;
person1.firstName = "John";
person1.lastName = "Doe";
alert( person1.firstName + " " + person1.lastName );
// Creating an object with the object literal syntax:
var person2 = {
firstName: "Jane",
lastName: "Doe"
};
alert( person2.firstName + " " + person2.lastName );
Array
// Creating an array with the constructor:
var foo = new Array;
// Creating an array with the array literal syntax:
var bar = [];
If/Else
var foo = true;
var bar = false;
if ( bar ) {
// This code will never run.
console.log( "hello!" );
}
if ( bar ) {
// This code won't run.
} else {
if ( foo ) {
// This code will run.
} else {
// This code would run if foo and bar were both false.
}
}
Switch
switch ( foo ) {
case "bar":
alert( "the value was bar -- yay!" );
break;
case "baz":
alert( "boo baz :(" );
break;
default:
alert( "everything else is just ok" );
}
```
### for
```
for ( var i = 0; i < 5; i++ ) {
// Logs "try 0", "try 1", ..., "try 4".
console.log( "try " + i );
}
```
### while
```
var i = 0;
while ( i < 100 ) {
// This block will be executed 100 times.
console.log( "Currently at " + i );
i++; // Increment i
}
```
or
```
var i = -1;
while ( ++i < 100 ) {
// This block will be executed 100 times.
console.log( "Currently at " + i );
}
```
### do-while
```
do {
// Even though the condition evaluates to false
// this loop's body will still execute once.
alert( "Hi there!" );
} while ( false );
```
### Ternary Operator
```
// Set foo to 1 if bar is true; otherwise, set foo to 0:
var foo = bar ? 1 : 0;
```
### Arrays
#### .length
```
var myArray = [ "hello", "world", "!" ];
for ( var i = 0; i < myArray.length; i = i + 1 ) {
console.log( myArray[ i ] );
}
```
#### .concat()
```
var myArray = [ 2, 3, 4 ];
var myOtherArray = [ 5, 6, 7 ];
var wholeArray = myArray.concat( myOtherArray );
```
#### .join()
```
// Joining elements
var myArray = [ "hello", "world", "!" ];
// The default separator is a comma.
console.log( myArray.join() ); // "hello,world,!"
// Any string can be used as separator...
console.log( myArray.join( " " ) ); // "hello world !";
console.log( myArray.join( "!!" ) ); // "hello!!world!!!";
// ...including an empty one.
console.log( myArray.join( "" ) );
```
#### .pop() and .push()
Remover or add last element.
#### .reverse()
```
var myArray = [ "world" , "hello" ];
myArray.reverse(); // [ "hello", "world" ]
```
#### .shift()
```
var myArray = [];
myArray.push( 0 ); // [ 0 ]
myArray.push( 2 ); // [ 0 , 2 ]
myArray.push( 7 ); // [ 0 , 2 , 7 ]
myArray.shift(); // [ 2 , 7 ]
```
#### .slice()
Extracts a part of the array and returns that part in a new array. This method takes one parameter, which is the starting index.
Removes a certain amount of elements and adds new ones at the given index. It takes at least three parameters:
* Index – The starting index.
* Length – The number of elements to remove.
* Values – The values to be inserted at the index position.
* var myArray = [ 0, 7, 8, 5 ];
* myArray.splice( 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4 );
```
console.log( myArray ); // [ 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ]
```
#### .sort()
Sorts an array. It takes one parameter, which is a comparing function. If this function is not given, the array is sorted ascending.
```
// Sorting with comparing function.
function descending( a, b ) {
return b - a;
}
var myArray = [ 3, 4, 6, 1 ];
myArray.sort( descending ); // [ 6, 4, 3, 1 ]
```
#### .unshift()
Inserts an element at the first position of the array.
```
.forEach()
function printElement( elem ) {
console.log( elem );
}
function printElementAndIndex( elem, index ) {
console.log( "Index " + index + ": " + elem );
}
function negateElement( elem, index, array ) {
array[ index ] = -elem;
}
myArray = [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ];
// Prints all elements to the consolez
myArray.forEach( printElement );
// Prints "Index 0: 1", "Index 1: 2", "Index 2: 3", ...
myArray.forEach( printElementAndIndex );
// myArray is now [ -1, -2, -3, -4, -5 ]
myArray.forEach( negateElement );
```
### Strings
Strings are a primitive and an object in JavaScript.
Some methods:
* length
* charAt()
* indexOf()
* substring()
* split()
* toLowerCase
* replace
* slice
* lastIndexOf
* concat
* trim
* toUpperCase
## Objects
Nearly everything in JavaScript is an object – arrays, functions, numbers, even strings - and they all have properties and methods.
```
var myObject = {
sayHello: function() {
console.log( "hello" );
},
myName: "Rebecca"
};
myObject.sayHello(); // "hello"
console.log( myObject.myName ); // "Rebecca"
```
The key can be any valid identifier:
```
var myObject = {
validIdentifier: 123,
"some string": 456,
99999: 789
};
```
## Functions
Can be created in many ways:
```
// Named function expression.
var foo = function() { ----> function expression (load later)
// Do something.
};
function foo() { ----> function declaration (load first)
// Do something.
}
```
If you declare a local variable and forget to use the var keyword, that variable is automatically made global.
Immediately -Invoked Function Expression:
```
(function() {
var foo = "Hello world";
})();
console.log( foo ); // undefined!
```
## Events
JavaScript lets you execute code when events are detected.
Example of code to change a source image:
```
windows.onload = init;
function init(){
var img = docuemnt.GetEventById("example");
img.src = "example.jpg"
```
Methods for events:
* click
* resize
* play
* pause
* load
* unload
* dragstart
* drop
* mousemove
* mousedown
* keypress
* mouseout
* touchstart
* touchend
##Closure
Closure is one of the main proprieties of JavaScript.
Example of closure for a counter. Normally we would have the code:
```
var count = 0;
function counter(){
count += 1;
return count
}
console.log(counter()); --> print 1
console.log(counter()); --> print 2
```
However, in JS we can enclose our counter inside an environment. This is useful for large codes, with multiple collaborations, for example, where we might use count variables more than once:
```
function makeCounter(){
var count = 0;
function counter(){
count += 1;
return count;
}
return counter; ----> closure holds count!
}
```
## Prototypes
```
function dog(name, color){
this.name = name;
this.color = color;
}
dog.prototype.species = "canine"
dog.prototype.bark = function{
}
```
## jQuery
Type Checking with jQuery:
```
// Checking the type of an arbitrary value.
var myValue = [ 1, 2, 3 ];
// Using JavaScript's typeof operator to test for primitive types:
typeof myValue === "string"; // false
typeof myValue === "number"; // false
typeof myValue === "undefined"; // false
typeof myValue === "boolean"; // false
// Using strict equality operator to check for null:
myValue === null; // false
// Using jQuery's methods to check for non-primitive types:
jQuery.isFunction( myValue ); // false
jQuery.isPlainObject( myValue ); // false
jQuery.isArray( myValue ); // true
```
Written by bt3gl
Related protips
2 Responses
I'm still learning Javascript and this helped me a lot. Thanks!
over 1 year ago
·
Glad to hear! :)
over 1 year ago
·
Have a fresh tip? Share with Coderwall community!
Post
Post a tip
Best
#Tags
Authors
Sponsored by #native_company# — Learn More
#native_title#
#native_desc#