Learning JavaScript, 3rd Edition

Chapter 2. JavaScript Development

If you’re new to JavaScript, understanding the language itself is only half the battle. You might reasonably have questions like:

• How do I name and organize my files?

• How do I run my code?

• How do I track changes as my application grows?

• How can I ensure consistency and quality in my code?

Don’t think of this chapter as a distraction from the topic at hand (JavaScript). Think of it as a practical introduction to some important tools and techniques that are commonly used in JavaScript development.

Prerequisites

This chapter assumes you’re comfortable using your computer’s terminal (command-line interface). This isn’t strictly necessary for JavaScript development, but you will find that many tools, tutorials, and books assume familiarity with the terminal. If you are new to terminal usage, you may want to read Appendix A before proceeding.

I also strongly recommend that you become familiar with Git, a popular open-source version-control system. In addition to providing a “safety net” for your work, allowing you to easily revert changes and see the history of your work, it is ubiquitous in open-source development and development teams. If you haven’t used version control before, I strongly recommend you use Git to track and version your source code as you go through this book: it will be great practice for you. There’s an introduction to Git in Appendix B.

Your Project Root

You’ll want to create a directory for each project. We’ll call ...