"JavaScript by Doing: Over 100 Hands-On Coding Challenges for Mastering JS" by Laurence Lars Svekis is an extensive resource designed to transform beginners into proficient JavaScript developers through a practical, exercise-driven learning approach. The book is organized into several chapters, each dedicated to a fundamental aspect of JavaScript, starting from basic programming concepts to more advanced topics like asynchronous programming and working with APIs.
The initial sections of the book introduce readers to JavaScript's syntax and basic programming constructs such as variables, data types, and control structures like loops and conditional statements. Each concept is accompanied by targeted coding exercises that encourage hands-on practice. For example, early exercises have readers practice outputting text to the console, working with variables, and implementing basic conditional logic.
As the reader progresses, the exercises gradually increase in complexity. The book introduces functions and arrays, explaining how to define functions, pass parameters, return values, and manipulate arrays. This section is crucial as it lays the groundwork for understanding JavaScript's functional programming capabilities, which are expanded upon in later chapters that discuss callbacks, promises, and async/await patterns for handling asynchronous operations.
One of the standout features of the book is its deep dive into the Document Object Model (DOM). This section teaches readers how to interact with and manipulate web pages dynamically, covering topics from basic element selection and event handling to more complex DOM manipulations. Exercises in this section are particularly interactive, requiring readers to write JavaScript code that responds to user inputs and alters the DOM accordingly.
Advanced topics include error handling and debugging, where the author provides strategies to manage and troubleshoot JavaScript code effectively. This section prepares readers to handle real-world programming challenges, ensuring they can maintain and debug their code under various scenarios.
Throughout the book, multiple-choice quizzes and interview-style questions are interspersed with the exercises, serving both as a revision tool and a way to prepare for job interviews focused on JavaScript-related questions.
The final chapters of the book are dedicated to best practices and modern JavaScript features, including ES6 modules and features like let, const, arrow functions, and template literals. These chapters are critical for readers looking to write clean, efficient, and modern JavaScript.
"JavaScript by Doing" not only equips readers with the technical skills needed for web development but also encourages a problem-solving mindset. The book is an excellent resource for anyone looking to start their journey in JavaScript programming or refine their understanding of the language through active, applied learning.
