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<h1>JavaScript</h1>

<p>JavaScript is a small scripting programming language embedded in web browsers

to enable dynamic content and interaction. </p>

<h2>Why is JavaScript necessary?</h2>

<p>JavaScript executes in the client and enables dynamic content and interaction

that is not possible with HTML and CSS alone. Every modern Python web

application uses JavaScript on the front end. </p>

<h2>Front end frameworks</h2>

<p>Front end JavaScript frameworks move the rendering for most of a web

application to the client side. Often these applications are informally

referred to as "one page apps" because the webpage is not reloaded upon every

click to a new URL. Instead, partial HTML pages are loaded into the

document object model or data is retrieved through an API call then displayed

on the existing page.</p>

<p>Examples of these front end frameworks include:</p>

<p><a href="https://angularjs.org/">Angular.js</a></p>

<p><a href="http://backbonejs.org/">Backbone.js</a></p>

<p><a href="http://emberjs.com/">Ember.js</a></p>

<p>Front end frameworks are rapidly evolving. Over the next several years

consensus about good practices for using the frameworks will emerge.</p>

<h2>How did JavaScript originate?</h2>

<p>JavaScript is an implementation of

<a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/JavaScript_Overview">the ECMAScript specification</a>

which is defined by the

<a href="http://www.ecma-international.org/default.htm">Ecma International Standards Body</a>.</p>

<h2>JavaScript resources</h2>

<p><a href="http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/internals/howbrowserswork/">How Browsers Work</a>

is a great overview of both JavaScript and CSS as well as how pages are

rendered in a browser.</p>

<p><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/A_re-introduction_to_JavaScript">A re-introduction to JavaScript</a>

by Mozilla walks through the basic syntax and operators.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/10/28/useful-coding-workflow-tools-for-web-designers-developers/">Coding tools and JavaScript libraries</a>

is a huge list by Smashing Magazine with explanations for each tool and

library for working with JavaScript.</p>

<p><a href="http://superherojs.com/">Superhero.js</a> is an incredibly well designed list

of resources for how to test, organize, understand and generally work with

JavaScript.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.unheap.com/">Unheap</a> is an amazing collection of reusable JQuery

plugins for everything from navigation to displaying media.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.breck-mckye.com/blog/2014/12/the-state-of-javascript-in-2015/">The State of JavaScript in 2015</a>

is an opinion piece about favoring small, single-purpose JavaScript libraries

over larger frameworks due to churn in the ecosystem.</p>

<h2>JavaScript learning checklist</h2>

<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>

Create a simple HTML file with basic elements in it. Use the

<code>python -m SimpleHTTPServer</code> command to serve it up. Create a

<code>&lt;script type="text/javascript"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</code>

element at the end of the <code>&lt;body&gt;</code> section in the HTML page. Start playing

with JavaScript within that element to learn the basic syntax.</p>

<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>

Download <a href="http://jquery.com/">JQuery</a> and add it to the page above your

JavaScript element. Start working with JQuery and learning how it makes basic

JavaScript easier.</p>

<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>

Work with JavaScript on the page. Incorporate examples from open source

projects listed below as well as JQuery plugins. Check out the Unheap link

below to find a large collection of categorized JQuery plugins.</p>

<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>

Check out the JavaScript resources below to learn more about advanced concepts

and open source libraries.</p>

<p><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i>

Integrate JavaScript into your web application and check the

<a href="/static-content.html">static content</a> section for how to host the JavaScript

files.</p>

<h3>Do you need to style your app or deploy it next?</h3>

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How do I save and version my code so it does not get lost?

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What are web application programming interfaces?

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