There are a range of elements involved in the web developer’s job role and JavaScript is the fundamental and the primary programming language used by the modern-day developer.
It’s clear to see that JavaScript is one of the most widely used scripting languages on the web and isn’t going away any time soon. There have been improvements made by developers to increase the efficiency and smoothness of the language throughout the years. For example, jQuery is a JavaScript library helping simplify and build upon the animation and interactive functions of JavaScript to a higher level. This amount of flexibility is crucial to the modern-day web developer and to remain sharp in the profession.
As a web developer, your job can range from creating a static page of plain text to intricate web-based applications, social networks and e-commerce sites. This means that learning by yourself or attending a JavaScript training course is a ‘must’ in the toolkit for succeeding in the industry.
What is JavaScript and why is it important?
First and foremost, JavaScript is a programming language used to design dynamic, responsive and interactive elements to increase the user’s experience on a website. If you see a function on a website you use regularly, chances are that at the root of it is JavaScript.
It was the first of its kind that took the static webpage that offered to limit user-experience, to the animated, responsive and adaptive content pages you see on websites today. It wasn’t until 1999 that JavaScript was widely adopted and accepted as a fundamental tool to web developers.
How is it used in development?
The famous programming language is otherwise called a client-side script as it executes tasks on the client’s computer and doesn’t require the interaction of servers to function properly. Some of the dynamic features created by the developer using JavaScript are:
- Autocomplete
- Confirming web form data
- Fixing combability problems on the browser
- Playing sound and video
- Caused fades, resizes and relocations to become animated, creating dynamic page elements
- Rollovers and drop-down menus.
- New array functions
- Handling data and time
- Creating HTML content
- Detects the user’s browser and operating system
- Platform independent
- Provides greater control
As an Asynchronous language, JavaScript is able to communicate with the server behind the scenes without having an impact on the user interacting on the front end. With possible search terms that appear in a search engine, for example, it runs in the background reading letters as user types. After completing this it sends letters back to a remote server and the server then sends suggestions back.
The algorithms involved mean that JavaScript’s functions are highly efficient, especially when the amount of data communicated between the dialect and the server is small. This provides the most seamless user experience possible.
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