JavaScript Fundamentals

JavaScript Introduction

JavaScript is THE programming language for the web, and it's becoming more and more important in other areas as well. In this module we'll take a first look at the language and how to make our lives easier by using it efficiently.

• Why is JavaScript Important?
• What is ECMAScript?
• Performance
• Picking the right Libraries
• Developer Tools

JavaScript Language Fundamentals

In this module, we'll talk about the very basics of JavaScript. JavaScript can be a very tricky language, so we'll try to explain a couple of its quirks as well. This way, we can avoid surprises later.

• Using Variables
• Primitives and Objects
• Functions: more powerful than you'd expect
• Understanding Scope
• Strict Mode
• Error Handling
• Best Practices
• LAB - JavaScript Language Fundamentals

JavaScript Collections

Collections are a big part of OO programming, they allow you to map one-to-many or many-to-many relationships, as well as let you work with sets of data. In this module, we'll take a look at the different types of collections in JavaScript, and their uses.

• Storing multiple values in Arrays
• Useful Functions and Operators
• Using Objects as Maps
• Sets, Maps and Others
• LAB - Javascript Collections

JavaScript Constructors and Classes

Since ECMAScript 2015 we have native classes in JavaScript. Classes can be seen as templates for JavaScript Objects, encapsulating data and code to work on that data. We'll take a closer look in this module.

• Creating your own Objects using Constructors
• Prototypes
• Class syntax
• Using Properties to encapsulate your fields
• The 'this' keyword explained
• LAB - Constructors and Classes

Dealing with Async Code in JavaScript

Asynchronous code is really handy in JavaScript, since it allows us to keep the UI responsive while running a lot of code. In this module we'll see how to make our code run asynchronously.

• Threading in JavaScript
• Using Callbacks
• Event Handling
• Working with Promises
• Async and Await
• LAB - Dealing with Async Code

Structuring JavaScript Applications and Tooling

Hey new JavaScript developer! You are using WebPack right? WebPack? Yes, and Gulp and npm, you need those. And definitely use Babel. It's soo good... If your face looks like a big question mark right now, that's quite normal. Setting up a JavaScript project can be quite the challenge. It's easy to get lost in the overwhelming amount of tools and best practices. In this module we'll create some clarity about these tools and teach you how to set up a modern JavaScript project.

• Using Libraries
• Content Delivery Networks
• Getting Libraries with npm
• Modules versus the Global Object
• Using Task Runners like Gulp
• Bundling and Minification Tools like WebPack
• PolyFills and Transpilers like Babel and TypeScript
• Tools for Code Quality
• LAB - Structuring an Application

REST Services

This module is about communicating with the backend. REST allows client-server communication using HTTP.

• REST
• Verbs and URLs
• XML and JSON format
• Example with node.js and Express
• LAB - REST Services

Client-side Service Consumption with Vue.js

By using AJAX we can call server-side actions from our client-side code and process the results in a quick, user-friendly manner. In this chapter you will also get an introduction to a popular data binding framework: Vue.js. We will see how we can talk to a REST API from this framework.

• Getting data using AJAX
• Fetch API
• External Libraries
• Vue.js Essentials
• Loading Data in a Vue Application
• LAB - Consuming REST Services