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The current essay is devoted to the basic principles and introduction of JavaScript. This language no longer needs to be introduced since it has become integral to any web development. Everybody knows that JavaScript is not that easy to IGNORE. Read this article if you want to understand the core principles of Javascript from getting to know its key structure. And also you will know how it helps create MOVABLE, MORE INTERESTING, and TASTIC content.

For all the wannabe programmers out there, or if you want to improve your web programming prowess. This article will form a solid ground in Javascript targeting the relevant notions and ideas needed for web app development.

In the following section, you will understand what JavaScript is, so let’s move on to it.

JavaScript is an interpreted, high-level programming that is used to build dynamic and interactive features on web pages.

Web browsers and page JavaScript web-interactive content and features. Such as multimedia, games, dynamic content updates, and validation, are made possible with this technology.

JavaScript is indispensable both on the client side and server side. It is on the client side that the script is executed in the browser. It enables interaction with the web page thus no page has to be loaded.

This therefore makes the websites easier and more pleasant to use. There also exists server-side scripting in which scripts are written in JavaScript using environments like Node.js to operate the server, databases, and web pages.

This makes JavaScript a tool that can be employed in the development process at both the front and the backend stages since both the front-end and back-end interphase with the application.

In the next section, you will take an overview of the JavaScript history.

Before getting started in the history overview, JavaScript is only one language. And there is no language else to do its job, especially in the front-end stage. That’s all.

Before JavaScript, web pages were only static pages and were lacking for dynamic procedures. So they decided to develop a scripting language for the Netscape Navigator.

The Netscape team was thinking of collaborating with Sun Microsystems to use their Java Programming language with the Netscape tool. But that was failed for some unknown reasons.

They decided to hire someone else to do this task, he called Brendan Eich, and let me say, that was the greatest decision ever made in history.

Brendan Eich started the task and generated the first version of the scripting language in 1995 and embedded it into the Netscape version 2.

The language syntaxes were similar to syntaxes of the Java programming language, and its interpreter was called “LiveScript”.

Eich was thinking of The name for his new scripting language. At this time Java was in hot demand and its popularity was officially spread. So he named his new scripting language with JavaScript name. And that was for a marketing ploy.

Microsoft takes over to generate its new Internet Explorer browser and that start a new war for browsers, against Netscape Navigator company.

Microsoft team released their scripting language in 1996 to embed it with Internet Explorer, they named it “JScript”.

This version supported HTML markups and CSS.

During this period, most of the developers weren’t able to develop their websites in two browsers to have the same design in both. It was a big change in the design and structures of two both.

So, this point leads Netscape and Microsoft to create other attractive sentences and slogans to do a ploy marketing for each other.

Netscape used the slogan “best viewed in Netscape”, while Microsoft used “best viewed in Internet Explorer”.

To finish the slogan war. The Netscape company created a standard specification for the first ECMAScript language, and that was in 1997.

During several years, they released many versions of the ECMAScript language each year with a new version starting in 1998 and ending in 2000 with the name ECMAScript 4.

But Microsoft was not standing idly because its Internet Explorer was in spread. They reached 95% of the market.

That means Microsoft JScript became the standard specification for the client side of the web application.

In 2000 the ECMAScript was stopped with version 4. Because JScript became more popular than ECMAScript, Microsoft won.

In 2004, Mozilla continued the challenge and released their new browser called “Firefox”, they improved this browser with ECMAScript 4 of the Netscape Navigator and did many other features according to the ECMA International standard.

This browser started to spread, and it became challenging for Google company and Microsoft.

In 2008 Google started a new challenge and released the Google Chrome browser with its v8 JavaScript engine. This browser was faster than Google Chrome competitors. Because they were dependent on just-in-time compilation.

In the next section, we will focus on the V8 JavaScript engine of the Chrome browser. Let’s dive right in.

V8 engine is a Google project which is an open source created to do a high performance for the JavaScript programming language.

The V8 engine is written in C++ programming language and implemented with two phases which are ECMAScript and WebAssembly.

Additionally, the v8 engine works with major operating systems such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and so many others.

Anyway, the mission of the V8 JavaScript engine is to translate the source code into binary bits (the machine code). And here, we are going to cover these phases. But before getting started, you have to know&nbsp;<a href="https://flatcoding.com/tutorials/php-programming/what-is-php-how-to-write-php-program/#understanding-the-differences-between-the-interpreter-and-the-compiler" target="_blank" rel="">the difference between compiler and Interpreter</a>.

The first step is receiving the source code from the server. Then it starts to analyze it according to some instructions in the lexical analysis and then generates a string containing the sequence of Lexical Tokens. This phase is also called a scanner.

The parser receives the sequence of tokens and generates the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) which represents those tokens in a big structure.

Once it receives the AST, the Ignition interpreter starts to generate the bytecode and that was produced from the AST.

Then it sends bytecodes to TurboFan, and here TurboFan converts these bytecodes into binary bits which is the machine code.

On the other hand, the V8 engine has another thing called a Just-In-Time compiler to convert ECMAScript into native machine code before the execution.

The compiled code is another optimization or (re-optimized) to be a highly optimized binary bit or machine code.

If incorrect things are happening during this stage. It de-optimizes it and returns it to the interpreter to re-evaluate.

That was an overview of the V8 JavaScript engine work from the top. In next section, you will learn more about JavaScript Capabilities and Limitations.

Capabilities and Limitations of In-Browser JavaScript

In the next section, I am going to write a program with JavaScript. Only to show a dialog box with – a “Hello World !” message.

Firstly, you have to install an editor to allow you to write the JavaScript code. And then copy the below code. Then open it in the browser.

The result would be a popup box containing the – “Hello World !” message.

What is JavaScript, and why is it important in web development?

JavaScript is a high-level, multi-paradigm programming language that is mainly used as an interpreter to add dynamic features to web pages. As a result, it is important for the contemporary web, allowing the enhancement of user experience for all web pages.

How does JavaScript make web pages dynamic and interactive?

With JavaScript, you can update and change the content of a web page without having to reload it. It provides features that support multimedia, games, and other stuff as well as help through dynamic content update mechanisms and real-time form validation — cases that make our webpages more interactive for the user.

Can JavaScript be used both on the client side and server-side?

JavaScript can run on the client side, in your browser, to manage user interactions with a web page and also on the server using environments like NodeJS backend code using JS, databases, and server operations.

What is the history behind the development of JavaScript?

JavaScript was created in 1995 by Brendan Eich to add interactivity and dynamic behavior to the Netscape Navigator browser. Originally named LiveScript, it was created to inject interactivity into static web pages. And eventually, it has emerged as the common language for web scripting.

Who created JavaScript, and when was it first introduced?

JavaScript was developed by Brendan Eich in 1995, inside Netscape. It became a part of Netscape Navigator 2.0 for the first time.

Why was JavaScript initially called LiveScript?

JavaScript was designed as LiveScript when it had only a few days of existence, the syntax resembled Java. In fact, they changed the name to recognize this and how popular Java was as a marketing ploy.

What is the difference between JavaScript and JScript?

JScript is Microsoft’s implementation of JavaScript, developed to support the Internet Explorer Web browser. Though closely related in its functionality, JScript and JavaScript originated from separate companies that created challenges with the compatibility of the technology across browsers during this early formative age of the web.

What is ECMAScript, and how is it related to JavaScript?

JavaScript conforms to ECMAScript, a standardized specification for scripting languages. The code was formerly standardized by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) to ensure that it does not invalidate on different web browsers and platforms.

How does the V8 JavaScript engine improve JavaScript performance?

Google created the V8 engine which is meant to compile JavaScript into machine code using JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation, This adds performance lift when running JavaScript. That means JavaScript will perform faster and more efficiently, particularly in modern web browsers such as Google Chrome.

What are the key phases of the V8 JavaScript engine’s execution process?

V8 engine processes JavaScript in the following way:

What are the capabilities of in-browser JavaScript?

What are the limitations of in-browser JavaScript?

Disadvantages include security risks (specifically at risk for XSS attacks), browser capabilities restriction (performance may vary between browsers) a performance tuning problem due to the nature of JavaScript being single-threaded, limited file system access and user-choice based mechanisms(JavaScript can be disabled by users).

How can JavaScript’s performance be affected by complex applications?

Because JavaScript is single-threaded, intensive apps can make performance slow or cause stuttering and even the UI freezes in big processing tasks. Web Workers can give us some level of concurrency but still, they are limited by performance problems.

Is it possible for users to disable JavaScript in their browsers? If so, what should developers consider?

Yes, JavaScript can be turned off in a browser and it might break some features on the site. If someone turns off JavaScript or has an issue where the script does not load, devs should be thinking about fallback methods.

This introduction explains JavaScript in great detail for beginners as to why it is regarded as a basic tool in web design. It mentions that JavaScript is a programming language that enables web pages to be more than static documents and interactive on both the client and server side.

This introduction has analyzed in detail how javascript has evolved over the years from how Brendan like invented it for Netscape Navigator until the time it became necessary in the web development phenomena. The comparison between JavaScript and JS which is a simpler version created by Microsoft for use on the Windows operating system among other related issues on the subsequent browser wars is presented.

Montasser Mossallem

JavaScript Introduction – Understand what JavaScript does, and its applicability, especially in building dynamic web pages. Click Now🚀.

JavaScript Introduction: What is JavaScript?

JavaScript Introduction

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JavaScript Tutorial

If you are a coder, one of your primary requirements is to have a trustworthy code- editor. A Code editor is very essential for improving the coding experience, and with this list of javascript code editors you can make your work better to push productivity levels and shortcut the development process. But there are so many to choose from, it’s a minefield!

In this article, we have mentioned some of the best code editors that support JavaScript programming language and multiple technologies of JavaScript language along with numerous functionalities to fulfill different developer needs.

Here is a list of code editors for JavaScript you’ll find in this article:

Let’s get started on each one in detail.

Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is a free, open-source source code editor. Over the years, It has been one of the best code editors that are used widely by developers everywhere.

Here are some key features and aspects of Visual Studio Code:

It is better to visit the official site of Visual Studio Code for the latest things and updates:&nbsp;<a href="https://code.visualstudio.com/">https://code.visualstudio.com/</a>.

Let’s move to the section below, which explains the Sublime Text editor.

Sublime Text is the commonly used text editor by developers for its fast speed and a lot of features even cross-platform.

However, without any further ado, here are the most important features of Sublime Text:

For up-to-date information and downloads of Sublime Text, please visit the official website at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sublimetext.com/">https://www.sublimetext.com/</a>

If you don’t like Microsoft products, or Sublime Text in particular then I recommend that You use the ATOM editor. You can see briefly below.

Atom – an open-source, customizable text editor by GitHub. It features an intuitive interface, is extensible, and integrates perfectly with Git (and GitHub).

Here are key features and aspects of the Atom code editor:

For the latest information and to download Atom, it’s recommended to visit the official website:&nbsp;<a href="https://atom.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">https://atom.io/</a>.

Let’s move to the following section to learn more about another popular code editor, which is Brackets.

Brackets is a free and open-source code editor for web design built on top of the Web Technologies : HTML, CSS and JavaScript. It is made for web development so it includes some features to make the front-end developers life easier.

Here are the key features of the Brackets code editor:

To get the latest information and download Brackets, we recommend visiting the official website:&nbsp;<a href="https://brackets.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">https://brackets.io/</a>.

In the section below, I will show you the features of Notepad++. Let’s move on.

Notepad++ for Windows — Popular and Free Source Code Editor It is well known for its light design, wide-language support, and extensive features.

Here are key features and aspects of Notepad++:

For the latest information and to download Notepad++, it’s recommended to visit the official website:&nbsp;<a href="https://notepad-plus-plus.org/">https://notepad-plus-plus.org/</a>.

In this article, we explored the best code editors for JavaScript.

So, choosing a code editor is one of the most important decisions for developers, as this decision can directly impact your productivity and coding experience.

Here are a few of the best high-end code editors you can use to improve your coding experience. From a lightweight and customizable editor like Visual Studio Code to a complete IDE such as Visual Studio, there is one code editor in the list that will meet your requirements.

So, you have to check out features, test different editors, and find one that suits well your workflow, and JavaScript style requirements and which you can customize the most.

Here is a list of JavaScript code editors you may need to choose from:-

The best code editor is the one that allows you to write better, cleaner, and error-proof efficient code.

Here are the top 5 JavaScript code editors (IDEs) that make coding easier, offering features like debugging, code suggestions, and tools.

Top 5 Code Editors: The Best IDE for JavaScript

JS Code Editors

JavaScript syntax is what you will use when writing and reading javascript code, it is the foundation of using this versatile programming language. It is the nom set of conventions and rules that tells you how to write your code so that the JavaScript engine can interpret it correctly.

From creating variables, functions, and loops to the way you write them, learning JavaScript syntax is important for writing efficient yet readable programs. In this section, we will go over some JavaScript and finish up with a few Definitions that I think are of good use.

Let’s get started with how JavaScript looks like when we use case-sensitive.

Understanding the Case Sensitivity in JavaScript

JavaScript is a case-sensitive language, which means it distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase. This applies everywhere throughout the language, like variable names or function names and even to identifiers. In other words, if in your code you’ve declared a Variable named myVariable, that is not the same as MyVariable or MYVARIABLE.

The case sensitivity is crucial to keep in mind when writing and debugging JavaScript code. A simple mix-up between lowercase and uppercase letters can lead to errors that might be challenging to track down. For example, if you reference&nbsp;<code>myfunction()</code>&nbsp;and not&nbsp;<code>myFunction()</code>, JavaScript will not recognize that as a function, and most probably this is going to raise an error.

In such situations following uniform naming conventions is a good practice to avoid case-sensitivity-related problems. When you have consistencies in the way a particular feature or variable is spelled, like how most devs write camelCase (myVariableName) it makes for easier reading and fewer things to mentally slip on when writing out your code. This makes our code cleaner, and more reliable and we will have fewer errors in development when respecting that JavaScript is case-sensitive.

So, let’s move on to the following section to understand how to write JavaScript with camelCase.

CamelCase is used more often in a naming convention where the first word we write down is lowercase, and every other word starts with an upper-case letter like&nbsp;<code>thIsLibrary</code>. JavaScript supports this convention for defining variables, functions, or object properties which helps you in keeping your code clean and readable.

Moreover, we can use the CamelCase in the naming of JavaScript variables and functions. So for example instead of naming the variable like this&nbsp;<code>my_variable_name</code>, you can name it like this&nbsp;<code>myVariableName</code>.

You also can do similar in the function names, here is an example:

whitespace and line breaks in JavaScript are all those spaces you leave around your code to make it look nice. Yes, the computer does not need extra spaces or line breaks to run your code but it helps you and others understand what is coded.

For example, spaces around operators like&nbsp;<code>+</code>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<code>=</code>&nbsp;make the code clearer:

One of the more important aspects of JavaScript is variables and data types. Let’s move on to the following section to gain an overview.

One more thing else Semicolons can be used but are optional. So you can put it at the end of the code line or don’t use it.

Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the basic syntax elements of the JavaScript language, such as variables, data types, operations, expressions, and more.

Like any other language, JavaScript has variables that are used to store values. The way of declaring a variable is to call var, let, or const for the respective scope and behavior.

Here is a quick example of variables in JavaScript.

Moreover, JavaScript supports various data types such as strings, numbers, booleans, arrays, and objects. You just need to take a look at all of them to consider the rules of JavaScript syntax when you write code.

So, let’s take a look at how to write comments in JavaScript code.

Before we go any further, I should be clear that comments in your code are invaluable. Comments are like margin notes, they make code more readable and help you remember what you were thinking at that exact moment.

In JavaScript, single-line comments begin with&nbsp;<code>//</code>, while multi-line comments are enclosed between&nbsp;<code>/*</code>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<code>*/</code>.

No programming language works without operators and expressions! JavaScript has its considerations also for that when you write its syntax. In the following section, you will take just an overview of that. let’s move on.

JavaScript syntax has a lot of operators that act on variables and values. What are these operators? These include arithmetic, assignment, comparison, logical, and bitwise operations. Good knowledge of operators and their ways is key to writing the most effective code.

So, once you understand the basics, next is understanding control flow structures. These structures are what ensure which command get executed first so that applications can be created to interact with them dynamically and more effectively. Let’s move on.

JavaScript Syntax for Conditional Statements

JavaScript provides conditional statements like&nbsp;<code>if</code>,&nbsp;<code>else if</code>, and&nbsp;<code>else</code>&nbsp;for executing different blocks of code based on specified conditions. It is very important because you may need to change from one of these statements to another so that you can implement decision-making logic in your programs.

Furthermore, the ternary operator (<code>? :</code>) provides a shorthand for writing conditional expressions, helping to keep the code short and readable.

Anyway, let’s move into the section below to understand why loops are in the JavaScript language syntax.

Loops are essential for iterating over arrays, and objects, or executing a block of code multiple times. JavaScript supports&nbsp;<code>for</code>,&nbsp;<code>while</code>, and&nbsp;<code>do-while</code>&nbsp;loops, each with its distinct use cases.

Let’s take an overview of functions with expressions.

JavaScript Syntax for Function Declarations vs. Expressions

Both include function declarations and function expressions. This will grant you the flexibility in your coding approach to switch smoothly between these forms.

Moreover, the arrow function syntax was introduced in ECMAScript 6 and enables you to write shorter functions with less verbosity, at least for one-liner functions.

Anyway, let’s move into the scope and closures in the following part.

The scope refers to where in your code you can access variables and functions. Scope is of two types in JavaScript; Global scope and local Scope.The closure occurs when a function retains access to its lexical scope, even after the function that created it has finished executing.

Objects and properties are significant aspects of JavaScript. Let’s take a brief look at them.

JavaScript Syntax for Objects and Properties

You can look at objects in JavaScript as key-value pair containers, to represent real-world things. Switching from an object literal notation to constructor functions is one of the main keys in how objects can be used and manipulated.

Let’s take a brief look at prototypes and inheritance in JavaScript.

JavaScript Syntax for Prototypes and Inheritance

The typical way in how JavaScript implements object orientation is through Prototypes and Inheritance. Easily move from object prototypes to constructor functions and then on to the class syntax introduced in ES6.

In the next section, you will gain an overview of callbacks in JavaScript.

One of the traditional ways JavaScript deals with asynchronous operations is by using callback functions. Here is where the callback pattern becomes extremely important as we move from simple callbacks into more complex scenarios.

Let’s delve into promises and async/await.

Promises provide a more structured and orderly way to work with asynchronous operations. By moving from callbacks to promises and using the new async/await syntax we have dramatically improved both code readability and maintainability.

Learning JavaScript syntax includes simple concepts like its primitive elements and control flow structures to the more advanced features related to functions, object-oriented ideas as well how to deal with asynchronous programming. You’ll need to understand how and when to switch between those concepts to write code efficiently, read it clearly, and not shoot your foot.

JavaScript syntax is the set of rules for writing code. This cheat sheet provides a complete guide to understanding JavaScript syntax.

JavaScript Syntax: The Complete Cheat Sheet

JavaScript Syntax

If you are ready to take your first steps into the realm of web development, then there cannot be a better way other than writing a ‘JavaScript Hello World’ program as shown below.

This article will walk you through the process of building the classic “Hello World!” in JavaScript program.

So, let’s see different ways to write a —”Hello World” program in Javascript:-

Before we get started let’s set up our workspace for JavaScript.

You only need a&nbsp;<a href="https://flatcoding.com/tutorials/javascript-programming/javascript-code-editors/" rel="" target="_blank">text editor</a>&nbsp;and a web browser to begin. Open your preferred text editor—whether it’s Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or another—and create a new file. Give it a name like&nbsp;<code>helloWorld.html</code>&nbsp;to indicate it’s an HTML file.

Start writing your code according to the structure you need, whether it is&nbsp;<a href="https://flatcoding.com/tutorials/javascript-programming/including-javascript-to-page-add-js-to-html/" rel="" target="_blank">embedded </a>in JavaScript or an external file.

In this example, we will use embedded JavaScript code within HTML.

According to the above HTML structure, we will write our JavaScript code inside the&nbsp;<code>&lt;script&gt;</code>&nbsp;tag.

Running JavaScript in the Browser: Print “Hello World” in Browser Console

In this program, we will use the&nbsp;<code>console.log</code>&nbsp;function to print the text in the browser console.

Now, let’s open the browser console by doing the following steps:-

We can also display the same output using JavaScript’s built-in&nbsp;<code>alert</code>&nbsp;function. This is done through a pop-up box that appears on the webpage during actions.

So, let’s see how can we do that in the following section.

Displaying the Message Using the Alert Function in JavaScript

Basically, JavaScript provides us with a simple notification or message to the user while exploring the browser—It is&nbsp;<code>aleret()</code>.

Let’s see what happens if we add this line of code to our webpage.

So, when the webpage is loaded the JavaScript will trigger a pop-up on the browser containing a message of — “Hello, World” as a dialog box.

Additionally, there is another way to show — the “Hello, World” text on the webpage using the&nbsp;<code>document.write</code>. Let’s move on to the following part to understand how can we do that.

Using&nbsp;document.write&nbsp;to Print — the “Hello World” in JavaScript

Actually,&nbsp;<code>document.write</code>&nbsp;is a built-in method in JavaScript that allows us to write content directly to the webpage.

This function is executed when the browser starts parsing the HTML. Here is an example.

Learn how to write a simple 'Hello World' program in three different ways in JavaScript. Click here to see these examples.

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