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I recently began as a web designer but spend more and more time learning front end web development. I enjoy Javascript and the work. I am very interested in creating web applications unfortunately I find that Javascript frameworks change so quickly. I began learning Angular 1.3 only to find the release of 2.0 to kill my interest. I also worry that learning frameworks will not help my skill as a developer only as a framework user. It makes me want to just develop with modular Vanilla.
What recommendations do you have for creating web applications with this problem in mind? I greatly appreciate your comments.
One of the best things you can learn as a developer is to ALWAYS find a solution before creating one.
Yes, vanilla Javascript surely has it's place, for as you progress as a developer, you too will want to write your own javascript.
I recently just got into MEAN stack development, and I can definitely say if I were to try to write all of this by hand, especially if your not an expert, would be a nightmare, if not impossible/impractical.
I understand the craving / desire, we all have it. We start to code and feel like wizards when we can conjure up this neat program we build all by ourselves. But we also have to realize there is a little bit of reasoning behind utilizing frameworks, just take this into perspective, taking MEAN stack as an example,
Right now, there are a team of developers working on MongoDB, a team of developers working on Angular, Express, NodeJS etc.
Each of these frameworks is being FOCUSED on and perfected, think about that for a second. These aren't things that are just thrown together, these are strong written frameworks, and when combined together, can make an awesome toolset.
Building your own library can also be a good idea, and I would encourage it, especially for CUSTOM solutions. This can be fun and creative.
However, as for making the strongest web framework you can have, it would take more work than whats practical. Utilizing the work of others is one of the most important things you can do as a developer! Good luck.
You could resort to Google Trends to figure out which technologies last and where the trend is going. A quick research points very much to the study of jQuery (even though AngularJS trend is more impressive):
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=AngularJS%2C%20%2Fm%2F0268gyp%2C%20%2Fm%2F02p97&cmpt=q&tz=
Going Vanilla is always a good idea in order to strengthen your understanding of the fundamentals - learning some popular frameworks is essential to work productively and find good projects!
It seems that many of the JavaScript questions are answered by the simple use of pushing a library, without taking into account the person asking the question. I think libraries are great myself, but sometimes I think that we're too quick to throw a library down someone's throat.
Imagine a person asks a question and it's apparent that they barely know JavaScript. They're just using code they found and piecing it together with other code, and really have no firm foundation to work on. To add a library on top of that flimsy foundation seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
With that in mind, what JavaScript / programming / web browser concepts do you think are necessary to understand before a library/framework is introduced to a person? Should a framework / library be part of the learning process?
I don't think someone has to grasp absolutely everything to use a library, I just think some people would be better served with a "Library X might help solve your problems, but before you do that, you might want to read up on the following concepts", rather than just a "use library x" answer.
What you should learn are some fundamental programming techniques:
closures
continuations
function objects / what a "first class" function is
JavaScript object oriented design
difference between "prototype" languages and traditional Object Oriented languages
Absolutely firm grounding in HTML and CSS: standards, tricks, and various browser compatibility issues
UI Design Principals
With that in mind, today its practically impossible to develop without a library. I recommend Dojo but others use jQuery, YUI, etc...
When choosing a library, you need to have a firm understanding of what problem you are trying to solve. Is it browser abstraction? dealing with communication? charting? animations? graphics? UI toolkits?
Each library has its "niche", so you need to really know what you're specific problem domain is and in turn choose a library accordingly.
I would suggest using the brick and mortar kind of library and find a good book on JavaScript.
I think that one reflex reaction to a "how do implement X" is "don't reinvent then wheel", and this is generally good advice. I think that if you have to ask how to do something reasonably complex, and it's already in a library then you're going to waste massive time trying to piece together something from a few answers on SO.
So barring the obvious: learn the syntax of the language, learn how to debug etc., by and large a library is the right answer. And that's not just to say "Use the library, disengage brain" it also means "Study the library, look at the issues it's solving - you didn't realise your problem was so complex? Well the folks who put hours and days into the library studied the problem in some detail and probably developed the library by using it extendsively. Study the implementation and learen how."
I think that studying good code is a very good way to learn.
Libraries bring similarities to browsers where so much is different from browser to browser. This is why, I'd suspect, people suggest their usage in various answers. Nothing is stoping anyone from reading a good js book if they want to actually understand what is going on, but we surely cannot shove books and tutorials down anyone's throat. You need to want to learn before that would be worth anything.
They should read this http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596517742/wrrrldwideweb
And check out some of the links here http://www.crockford.com/
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First, a little background: I have written a little application in python with SQLAlchemy, which is roughly an improved RSS reader: it selects links that should interest the user, and shows them to him. I already have a very simple command-line interface, and I envision a variety of interfaces: web, instant-messaging, desktop...
For now I'd like to create a simple web interface, but I have absolutely zero experience in the matter (appart from making a simple php forum 5 or 6 years ago...). So I'm comming here for advice on where to start:
Is there a good tutorial on HTML/CSS/Javascript focused on making a website look good simply? I know about w3schools, but it's a terrible tutorial IMHO, since it teaches you about HTML/CSS but doesn't show you how to use them.
Should I use a javascript library? Which one?
Should I use a web framework? I'm guessing either not or a very lightweight one, since I already have an application core with a database and SQLAlchemy, and I don't want to drop it.
Any other advice?
Thanks!
I recommend that you use some kind of web framework, it will make things a lot easier. Since you already know Python you should look into Django framework. It seems that you can use SQLAlchemy with Django, see djange-sqlalchemy project.
I recommend using JQuery framework/library for Javascript stuff. It greatly simplifies coding and takes care of most web browser incompabilities.
This CSS tutorial seems to give you the basics.
I would start by reading the Django tutorial and start trying things out. I wouldn't worry too much about HTML stuff, you should be able to pick up enough from Django tutorial. Make your site first functional with HTML, Django and SQLAlchemy. Only then start worring about Javascript. Who knows, maybe you do not need Javascript at all?
Do not try make your site work and look good at the same time. When you are making your site work, use simple and ugly HTML pages. When you are making you web site look good, work only with static HTML pages and CSS files. It is easier to combine the two in the end.
Just like everyone else here, I'll chime in with "Use my favorite framework, because it's what I use...."
I would start with small goals for a web interface. Get something simple up and running that to make sure you understand how things work.
Write an app that responds to the following url and returns something.
http://localhost:8000/my_links
Once you understand the little bit of machinery it takes to make that possible, what is handed to you as far as information about the request, and what you need to produce to return to the caller, it should be come clear how to fill in the blanks to get from your existing application to data thrown at the web browser.
Learn WSGI for no other reason than most of the libraries that will help you build a web application utilize this to some degree.
One of the links from the above page that I found extremely beneficial in understanding how all this works. was Ian Bickings article "A Do-it Yourself Framework"
Once you get a grasp of that stuff, you may find that dealing with WSGI at such a low level is maybe a little too cumbersome. That's when you'll probably want something like WebOb
which is just one of several ways people have come up with for abstracting away the low level details of the request/response cycle into some convenient objects. In a sense encompassing the HTTP protocol without trying to make it make sense to someone who doesn't want to know what HTTP is.
Depending on the complexity of your application you may decide that handling a request, looking at the path and dispatching off to one of many functions is a drag you'd rather not deal with. This is where everyone's favorite framework starts to be beneficial. And I would suspect that you would know enough by this point to better assess the frameworks that are out there and determine which fits your needs and goals.
Lots prefer django, maybe you will too. Others prefer Turbogears, and or Pylons, maybe bfg, maybe grok, maybe zope, maybe plone. But no one here knows what you want your application to do.
It's an interestingly common mistake: all of the above answers provide technological advise on what's the best technology to do ... what exactly? You should work the other way around.
I think that if you want your application to be successful, you have to make sure it enables its users to get the most out of it in the most natural way to them.
Therefore, i suggest you first "storyline" how things should happen from a user's perspective. Use paper and pen, or more sophisticated wireframing tools such as balsamiq mockups.
So, first lay out what the experience should be, and this will tell you which technology will be the best choice to enable that experience.
Oh, and don't forget to read this.
HTML, CSS and JS Book: DHTML and CSS for the World Wide Web
Javascript Library: JQuery
Web Framework: Not sure, DJango?
Other Advice: Learn to write HTML, CSS, and JS in a a simple text editor with syntax highlighting. Complex IDE's are cool, but for this stuff, they will make you learn slower.
Web applications are not simple.
HTML and CSS: Head First HTML is probably a good starting point. The Head First series are usually excellent tutorials. As Josh said, write your pages by hand.
Javascript: you don't need this to get started. Maybe in a later version. When you have a better idea what you'll need Javascript for, you'll be better equipped to pick a library that suits your needs.
Web framework: You should probably start with Django. That's the opposite of a "very lightweight" framework, but in this context "lightweight" requires more expertise to make something polished. So it's a good idea to aim for "feature rich and well supported" instead.
Here is another option, I feel it's worth mentioning before making any decision.
As web framework I would advise web2py, it is very easy to setup and yet powerful. Here is a document showing the differences between Django, web2py and some others. It is somewhat old but will give you a good overview.
Since you have legacy code, if you really want to keep it there is a fair compatibility between the two although you should double-check. The easiest would be to adapt your code, of course, the differences aren't so big. But that's your call :-)
Regarding the Javascript library, probably jQuery.
The best introduction you could follow is the opera web standards curriculum. Some of the information will be too basic - but a full understanding of all the topics covered will give you a very good grounding.
http://www.opera.com/company/education/curriculum/
Alternatively team up with someone who specialises in front-end development.
The question is: Is it bad to learn how to do special effects, table sorting, etc, using jQuery instead of learning the bits of code that bring that alive with pure javascript?
I have previously addressed a similar problem in a question, but I missed adding this extra inquiry!
Yes you can. Doing it in JQuery isn't bad. Everyone uses some sort of Javascript library. I love JQuery. Your odds of making things that work in all browsers go up quite a bit, you get the UI done quicker, etc.
Though having a bit of Javascript knowledge is good, because when things go wrong you want to be able to debug the problem.
JQuery.com has lots of good tutorials.
You really should use jQuery; it will allow you to spend more time adding features instead of trying to make your code work in every browser (Note that even jQuery is not a silver bullet; you'll still have some cross-browser headaches in any non-trivial web app, especially if you need to support IE6).
There's no point in turning your back on new tools and libraries just to "stay close to the metal".
If you're afraid of lowering your value in your boss' eyes, look at it a different way. Would you prefer to hire a programmer who spends all of his time working around browser bugs, or a programmer who uses jQuery and finishes his projects faster because of it? Remember that managers are trying to ship products and make money, not simply hire elite programmers.
Personally I was recommended to learn JS before learning jQuery. But started off with jQuery, and can make pretty much with it without to much JS experience. What you do need to know of JS you can just google it and learn it when needed ;)
jQuery is fantastic for us that doesn't take the time to learn everything about JS
Personally, until the beginning of this year, I used to limit my use of javascript to only helping aid the user with things like web forms.
However, after playing around with jQuery for no more than a few days, I realised how much easier it made achieving javascript effects and functionality. Now I pretty much use jQuery on most web pages, a lot of the time, just to add nicer UI effects.
A background knowledge of raw javascript will never go amiss and you will almost certainly still have to mix it in with your jQuery scripts, but when you run into troubles, nearly every problem I've had, had a solution already posted on Stack Overflow or just on Google.
Not a very technical answer, but as an intermediate programmer, and javascript newbie I've had no problems learning to work with jQuery. The documentation and community are very helpful.
I think you should set yourself a goal of knowing javascript well enough to be able to author a plugin if you need it in your favorite framework. While using a framework is almost always the right way to go, there will be times when you can't find a plugin that does exactly what you need. At that point you need to know javascript well enough to be able to adapt a plugin to your needs or write your own.
I am a .NET webdev using ASP.NET, C# etc... I "learned" javascript in college 5+ years ago and can do basic jobs with it. But I wonder if it is useful to become proficient in it.
Why should I learn Javascript?
Is it more advantageous then learning JQuery or a different library?
Yes, definitely learn Javascript before you learn one of the libraries about. It's the whole walk-before-you-can-run thing.
Make sure you add these sites to your bookmarks:
Mozilla's developer site: This contains the reference to the Javascript API in Mozilla. This will help you make sure you're writing code that Firefox understands.
IE's site in Microsoft Developer Network: The same, for IE.
W3's reference of DOM for HTML: In most web applications today, the Javascript code manipulates the DOM, which is an internal keeping track of the objects displayed on screen (but you already knew that, right ?) This is the reference to the DOM API. It is language neutral, which means it does not target Javascript, but these methods exist in Javascript too.
Douglas Crockford' site: Doug Crockford is THE MAN when it comes down to Javascript. The articles in his page are a must read. Because Javascript has closures and first-class functions, he believes it is closer to Lisp and Scheme than to other languages. And he teaches you how to greatly improve your code with these language features.
Yahoo Developer network: You may also want to check this. I'm not a regular visitor to this site, though, so I can't really say much about it.
Yes, absolutely you should learn JavaScript if you are doing web development. I highly recommend JavaScript: The Good Parts, by Doug Crockford. And, JQuery is a great framework to use (this site uses it) -- it kind of depends on what you are trying to do -- YUI and ExtJS are also very nice.
The answer is simple.
Hands down yes. There's a reason that Google have made such a big fuss about the V8 JS engine for Chrome, why Mozilla are working on TraceMonkey for Firefox and why Webkit have been working on Squirrelfish for a while (now Squirrelfish extreme). It's because JS is becoming more popular by the day.
Javascript is one of those languages that spending a few hours learning will probably teach you 99% of what you will ever really use. I would imagine you are at the point in your learning of javascript that you know more than enough now and just learn one or more of the frameworks now.
I would recommend brushing up on your non-frameworked javascript first. Refreshing/learning basic concepts of dom manipulation and what not. Like learning how to build a linked list, stack or queue in C++ before learning how to use the STL (standard template libraries).
In addition to brushing up on straight javascript, it might be good to get into a framework that doesn't abstract and change the way things work so much, for instance Prototype. You code with it very much the same way you code with straight javascript. Read through the Prototype code, learn how to make classes, and do some fancy stuff. From experience, I can say reading through the Prototype.js helped me learn alot.
After messing around a bit, then I'd say go for jQuery. If jQuery didn't, literally, change the way you write code I'd say go for it first, but learning how to build classes and js inheritance and what not can be a very important lesson for someone who wants to become fluent in JS.
Learning javascript is recommended for any web application developer. Why?
You will better understand the possibilities, limitations and dangers related to developing a web application
It is a boost for your career, if you are working on a web application that has a user interface.
However, learning javascript is usually a trade-off between a programming language and another. You should consider whether javascript is relevant for your career or project.
Unless you want to really get into javascript, I think you'd be better off learning enough JS to leverage one of the tried and tested javascript libraries out there.
One thing nice about JavaScript is that it is quite different from mainstream languages such as C#, VB.NET or Java. Learning it, especially if you have occasions to use it, will give you another insight on programming, and that's always good. I think it's worth learning it.
If you are doing web development then at some point you are going to get exposed to Javascript or ECMAScript at some point in your career for any one of a number of reasons. At a minimum you should know enough Javascript to be able to be able to validate user input; however, the web is moving in the direction of using more an more Ajax so you should also know enough Javascript to properly leverage one of the major libraries out there such as jQuery.
As some of the other users have noted, you can learn most of what you need of Javascript on a day to day basis in a single day or a couple of afternoons. If you want to get more advanced with Javascript then you are going to have to invest much more time in learning the language but odds are that unless you seek out this type of work that you are not going to encounter something that a preexisting library doesn't already exist for.
If all you want is to do some simple UI-effects and the like, I suggest you just pick a library and go for it!
Using libraries eliminates all the flawed implementations of JavaScript and provides you with an API which is the same across all browsers. And if you're working together with others it is also a great way of implementing code-standards and best practices.
Learning a second programming language is always good.
By the sound of it, JavaScript is a language that you use, to it will be of practical use too. As a web dev, it has been recommended to me in a review that i learn at least basic JavaScript.
A library such as jQuery is essential for web development thse days, so you could learn that too.
I don't think a lot of deliberate learning makes sense (but of course you need some basic knowledge), but I also think after some years of web development you'll become pretty proficient in the language anyway :)
If you are a webdev then yes, you should be proficient with Javascript. Javascript is a major part of making web apps as interactive as desktop apps.
With that being said, learn to use one of the cross-browser compatible libraries like JQuery, Prototype, etc. We do not need to have any more single browser crud created using Javascript, just because any real man/woman rolls their own.
A few things to learn in Javascript:
1. Basic syntax
2. The various flavours of function declaration.
3. Passing functions around and how to use passed in functions.
I recommend Jeremy Keith's books: DOM Scripting and Bulletproof Ajax. After you become more fluent in JS I would recommend a JS library(I use jQuery, but that is not important).
JS is important to learn. You cannot use a framework without the proper understanding of how it works. That is doing things backwards.
i thing you should have a good knoloedge base of language specification and DOM (Document Object Model). it means,you shoud know how find/create "page object" an edit properties. Also you should have an idea of "object oriented" javascript tecniques, which the starting point of a lot of framework. you don't need learn specific framework if you don't use it. simple keep in mind generic base concept!
I'll go with the opposite answer most are putting out there. Learning javascript as a developer these days is almost pointless. The language is similar enough to java/C# that it's syntax and semantics shouldn't be lost on you.
What you should learn is jQuery.
As you use jQuery you'll pick up the most common things you'll ever need from javascript anyway.
If you're involved with the Web in anyway then the answer is "Yes, always". Maybe an embedded or system's programmer could get by without JavaScript, but not a webdev.
Most of the libraries are designed to alleviate some of the pain of interacting with a multitude of browsers. They will not abstract away core JavaScript functionality.
Yes, you should learn JavaScript. Sooner or later you will need to use it!