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A fast-paced, thorough programming introduction that will have you writing your own software and web applications in no time. Like Python Crash Course , this hands-on guide is a must-have for anyone who wants to learn how to code from the ground up—this time using the popular JavaScript programming language. Learn JavaScript—Fast! JavaScript Crash Course is a fun-filled, fast-paced introduction to programming with JavaScript. Dive right in and you’ll be writing code, solving problems, and building working web applications and games in no time. You’ll start by learning fundamental programming concepts, such as variables, arrays, objects, functions, conditionals, loops, classes, and more. Aided by engaging examples and hands-on exercises, you’ll build on this foundation and combine JavaScript with HTML and CSS to create interactive web applications that you can run right away. Then you’ll put your new skills into play with three substantial projects: a Pong -style game with a virtual opponent, an app that generates electronic music, and a platform for visualizing data fetched from an API. Along the way, you’ll learn how to: • Update web pages in real time by manipulating the Document Object Model • Trigger functions in response to events like key presses and mouse clicks • Generate graphics and animations with JavaScript and HTML’s Canvas element • Visualize data with the D3.js library and scalable vector graphics (SVG) • Make electronic music with Tone.js and the Web Audio API If you’ve been thinking about digging into programming, JavaScript Crash Course will get you writing real programs fast. Why wait any longer? Jump on your magic carpet and ride! Praise for Javascript Crash Course Title Page Copyright Dedication About the Author and Technical Reviewer Acknowledgments Introduction Who Is This Book For? Why JavaScript? What Can You Expect to Learn? Online Resources Part I: The Language 1. Getting Started Using the JavaScript Console Using a Text Editor Summary 2. The Basics Expressions and Statements Numbers and Operators Order of Operations Floating Point Bindings Variables Constants Naming Conventions Incrementing and Decrementing Addition and Subtraction Assignment Multiplication and Division Assignment Strings Joining Strings Finding the Length of a String Getting a Character from a String Getting Multiple Characters from a String Trimming Whitespace from a String Other Useful String Methods Escape Sequences Template Literals Undefined and Null Booleans Logical Operators Comparison Operators Type Coercion Equality with Coercion Truthiness Uses for Truthiness Summary 3. Compound Data Types Arrays Creation and Indexing Arrays of Arrays Array Methods Objects Creating Objects Accessing Object Values Setting Object Values Working with Objects Nesting Objects and Arrays Nesting with Literals Nesting with Variables Exploring Nested Objects in the Console Printing Nested Objects with JSON.stringify Summary 4. Conditionals and Loops Making Decisions with Conditionals if Statements if...else Statements More Complex Conditions Chained if...else Statements Repeating Code with Loops while Loops for Loops for...of Loops for...in Loops Summary 5. Functions Declaring and Calling Functions Return Values Parameter Types Side Effects Passing a Function as an Argument Other Function Syntaxes Function Expressions Arrow Functions Rest Parameters Higher-Order Functions Array Methods That Take Callbacks Custom Functions That Take Callbacks Functions That Return Functions Summary 6. Classes Creating Classes and Instances Inheritance Prototype-Based Inheritance Using Constructors and Prototypes Comparing Constructors and Classes Exploring Object.prototype Walking the Prototype Chain Overriding a Method Summary Part II: Interactive Javascript 7. HTML, the DOM, and CSS HTML Creating an HTML Document Understanding Nested Relationships The Document Object Model The DOM API Element Identifiers script Elements CSS link Elements Rulesets Selectors Using CSS Selectors in JavaScript Summary 8. Event-based Programming Event Handlers Event Bubbling Event Delegation Mouse Movement Events Keyboard Events Summary 9. The Canvas Element Creating a Canvas Making Static Drawings Drawing Outlined Rectangles Drawing Other Shapes Using Paths Interacting with the Canvas Animating the Canvas Summary Part III: Projects Project 1: Creating a Game 10. Pong The Game Setup The Ball Refactoring The Game Loop Bouncing The Paddles Moving the Paddles with Player Input Detecting Paddle Collisions Bouncing Near the Paddle Ends Scoring Points Computer Control Game Over The Complete Code Summary 11. Object-Oriented Pong Object-Oriented Design The File Structure The GameView Class The Game Elements The Paddles The Ball The Scores and Computer Classes The Game Class Starting the Game Summary Project 2: Making Music 12. Generating Sounds The Web Audio API Setting Up Generating a Tone with the Web Audio API The Tone.js Library Generating a Tone with Tone.js Understanding the Tone.Synth Options Playing More Notes in Sequence Playing Multiple Notes at Once The Tone.js Transport Tone.Loop Tone.Sequence Tone.Part Making Drum Sounds Hi-Hat Synthesis Snare Synthesis Kick Synthesis Reverb A Drum Loop Working with Samples Summary 13. Writing a Song Getting Organized Event Handling Making the Drumbeat Adding the Bass Lines Adding Chords Playing a Tune The Complete Code Summary Project 3: Visualizing Data 14. Introducing the D3 Library The SVG Graphics Format Grouping Elements Drawing Circles Defining Paths Styling Elements with CSS Adding Interactivity with JavaScript The D3 Library Setup Selections Data Binding Data Joins Real-Time Updates Transitions and Key Functions Advanced Joins Creating a Bar Graph Setting Up Calculating Character Frequencies Drawing the Bar Graph Styling with CSS and Regular Expressions Cleaning the Data Animating the Changes Summary 15. Visualizing Data from the Github Search API Setting Up Fetching Data The Basic Visualization Creating the Elements Drawing the Axes Drawing the Bars Improving the Visualization Showing Repository Info Color-Coding the Bars Labeling the Left Axis Adding Interactivity Filtering the Data by License Animating the Changes The Complete Code Summary Afterword Index A fast-paced, thorough programming introduction that will have you writing your own software and web applications in no time. Like Python Crash Course , this hands-on guide is a must-have for anyone who wants to learn how to code from the ground upthis time using the popular JavaScript programming language. JavaScript is the programming language of the internetthe secret sauce that makes websites dynamic, responsive, and all-around awesome. This fast-paced tutorial quickly teaches total beginners how to code in this popular, easy-to-learn language. Light-hearted and hands-on, the book introduces you to programming essentials through fun examples, hands-on exercises, and cool projects like building a Pong-style computer game. Youll discover all of the important aspects of the language (without delving into expert-level nitty-gritty details or confusing jargon) as you develop a fast knack for programming with JavaScript.