Course description

Can you build a web page with HTML and CSS, but want it to do something when people click, type or fill in a form? This course teaches JavaScript from the very beginning and shows you, step by step, how to make your own pages interactive.

It's a full course, not a few quick tips. There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with a practical exercise. You follow a fictional pottery studio as its website grows from a plain brochure into pages with a live class timetable, filters and search, a price calculator, a booking request form and a saved wishlist. Every code example has been run, and every section has start and finished files, model answers and a cheat sheet.

What you'll learn

• Getting started: adding JavaScript to a page, the developer tools console and reading error messages.
• Values and variables: numbers, text, true and false, and converting between them.
• Decisions and loops: if, else, switch and loops that stop when they should.
• Functions: writing small, well-named functions with parameters and return values.
• Arrays and objects: lists, records, JSON and handy methods such as map, filter and reduce.
• The DOM: finding, changing, creating and removing page elements safely.
• Events: clicks, typing, filters, a live search and an accessible questions section.
• Forms: reading values, validation and clear, accessible error messages.
• Saving and loading data: localStorage, JSON, promises, async functions and fetch.

The final project

You'll plan and build an interactive page for a business or project of your own, with a checklist to work through before you publish. Three ready-made scenarios with their own files are included if you'd rather start with one of those.

Who this course is for

• People who have learned HTML and CSS and want to take the next step into programming.
• Small business owners and office staff who look after a website.
• Anyone starting out in web development who wants a solid grounding in plain JavaScript before trying a framework.

How the course works

Read each lesson, then open the practice files in your browser and code editor and try the exercise. All you need is a computer, a current web browser and a free code editor. You keep lifetime access, so you can come back whenever you need a reminder.

What will I learn?

• Add JavaScript to a web page and use the browser's developer tools console to run code and read errors
• Store and work with numbers, text and true or false values, and convert between them safely
• Make decisions with if, else and switch, and repeat work with loops
• Write your own functions with parameters and return values, and keep code tidy and readable
• Work with arrays, objects and JSON data, using map, filter, find and reduce
• Find, change, create and remove page elements with the DOM, safely and accessibly
• Respond to clicks, typing and form submissions, and validate forms with helpful error messages
• Save data in the browser with localStorage, load data with fetch, and handle loading errors

Frequently asked questions