Introduction
Programming is essentially telling a computer what to do, when to do it and how to do it. It is giving your computer a series of instructions to execute. Programming controls most electronic objects. From computers, to vending machines, to cellphones and most importantly, the web.
JavaScript has been coined the language of the web. This is because most, if not all websites use it to make their pages appear more dynamic. It is easy to learn and understand, plus it doesn’t cost too much to update and upgrade. A lot of the software that’s used is open source. There are also lots of websites with free activities you can use to practice.
It is a programming language that is rooted in text and it allows web pages to be interactive. It provides attractive elements that bring users to web pages. Common examples of JavaScript you use everyday are Amazon searchboxes, New York Times embedded videos or Twitter feed updates. Making use of JavaScript improves the user experience of a website by converting static pages to interactive or animated pages. So, in short, JavaScript adds behavior to web pages.
Most of the time, JavaScript is used inside web browsers and on web-based apps. Beyond that, it is used on servers, in software and on embedded hardware controls. Some examples of interactive features on web pages are: zooming in and out on an image, playing audio and video on a web page and showing animations.
If you are just starting out and your goal is to become a software developer, then you must be well versed in JavaScript. It is the most established programming language in the world. Once you are able to master it, you will be able to develop front and back-end software. JavaScript is omnipresent and is pre-installed in every contemporary web browser, so you don’t have to go out of your way to study it.
There are many structures within JavaScript that developers can use when constructing mobile and web apps. JavaScript frameworks are bodies of code libraries that offer pre written code for everyday programming tasks and features. One such library is JQuery.
At first, JavaScript was only used in Browsers to build interactive web pages and it was referred to as Toy language by developers. That quickly changed when it started receiving a lot of support and getting investment from large companies like Google and Facebook. These days you can build full scale mobile apps, Real-time networking apps, Command-Line tools and Games.
Learn JavaScript Quickly
When embarking on your coding journey, you may have a constant feeling of having a hard time. Your progress can seem slow and it’s easy to want to throw in the towel. Here is what I can recommend for you to learn expeditiously:
  1. Appropriately emphasize the amount that will bring the greatest benefit.
Pinpoint the main components of JavaScript and study them more intensively. Do not feel the need to study everything equally. The Pareto principle states that in certain situations, 80% of the effects result from 20% of the causes. So, if you focus on 20% of the content in this book that will bring about 80% of the results you desire, you will be able to learn in record time. Key areas to focus on are Functions, Variables, Conditional statements, Objects and Arrays.
  1. Be diligent.
Watching tutorials and reading is extremely helpful when learning something new. But, it would serve you better to devote more of your time to practicing. When you learn to ride a bike, you have to actively move your limbs in order to move forward. The same thing applies when learning JavaScript, you learn faster by writing code on your machine. In addition to this, dedicating your time is essential. Setting aside an hour to practice and write code at least five times a week will greatly improve your knowledge.
Challenge yourself, and build an actual project with JavaScript, no matter how small. Doing this will just cement everything you’ve learned. You will also be able to identify what you might be struggling with and apply extra effort in those areas.
  1. Learn how to troubleshoot errors.
When learning JavaScript you will come across bugs. Harnessing the skill to solve those problems will always be useful. It will make you sharp as a programmer and allow you to finish projects faster.
What Is JQuery ?
Many years ago, when programmers wanted to change the look and feel of the attributes on their web pages, they had to include lots of font tags and color attributes. This made their HTML pages become overloaded with code and it was very hard to maintain. This meant that all web pages had to be maintained and modified manually. After the invention of CSS they were able to change the appearance of websites without having to write endless lines of code for each page. When JavaScript came along, programmers began writing the JavaScript code into their HTML documents because they weren’t well versed on it at the time. Eventually, they applied the CSS theory to JavaScript and JavaScript libraries were born. Among all the libraries in existence at the time, JQuery stood out and we still use it today.
When you google JQuery, all that comes up is that it is a JavaScript library, but there is more to it than that. It simplifies the scripting of HTML on the client-side. Its main objective is to make using JavaScript easier for you. It can also be used to make adding animation easier. It basically takes a whole lot of common tasks that need several lines of JavaScript to run and attaches them to form a single line of code.
What do client-side mean and server-side mean?
Client-side and server-side are also referred to as front end and back end even though they aren’t entirely the same thing. Client side is where the application code runs and server-side is where the source code is stored.
Some of the most well known features of JQuery are:
●     HTML manipulation
●     DOM manipulation
●     CSS manipulation
●     Effects and Animation
●     Ajax
●     Utilities
JQuery became popular because there was a demand in the market for a tool to simplify the coding experience. JQuery is faster than its counterparts and is constantly being extended. It aids in writing User Interface function codes in as few lines as possible. It is compatible with all browsers and is up to date with their latest features.