Messy javascript as long as it works, does it matter? [closed] - javascript

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I have a question regarding the act of breaking the laws of javascript (Don't repeat code, etc) and that is, does it really matter as long as the performance and functionality isn't affected in anyway?
I have a script with 200+ line of code that looks messy after I did some work arounds, made it compatible with every browser and bugtested it a few times, and even after that it still runs pretty great even if the code isn't as organized. I haven't run into any errors with it yet and the load time is supreme. I should also note that I learned javascript a few weeks ago, so I am not perfect at it.
I do understand that if you're writing a huge applicaton it may have a noticeable impact on the performance and load time.
This has been on my mind for a few days and I just wanted to see your opinion about it, so please post a detailed opinion and maybe some tips and tricks as your answer. Thank you. :)

Yes, it matters. A lot.
You cite performance and download time as if they were the most important things.
I'd say that readable code that's easily understood by others might be more important than your measures.
Keeping code DRY, organized, neat, and readable are the signs of a professional in my view. Sloppy, copy & paste messes come from hacks.

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javascript guidance re arranging functions into files [closed]

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Have written a large system in ColdFusion/Javascript/MySQL. There is lots of Javascript. The few functions which are long are separated into cases. Currently I have all the js in 3 files, depending on the section of the application to which they refer.
Every now and again, some function which tested okay before turns out not to be working (I might have changed something elsewhere to cause that problem, without realizing I had to retest).
Okay, I deserve that, but when one js function in the file stops working, sometimes others do as well. So unexpectedly something I was counting on to validate things, or prevent a submit in the presence of errors does not work.
I've thought of breaking up the js so that any javascript function which is used by just one program will be resident there, and I would use the files with several js functions only for those that several programs have to access. That would insulate my functions somewhat from problems occurring elsewhere.
Is this approach recommended? Could someone offer good reasons for or against it? Or is there a way to "firewall" my functions so that problems with one do not spill over into another?
I'm feeling that the js is a weak link in my system -- that I can't trust it; yet I need it, so I have to find a way to make things more stable. Any and all suggestions to help would be much appreciated.
The suggestion "get better at Javascript" has already occurred to me. I am trying. Meanwhile, my needs are not very demanding. All my functions do simple things and are written in a pretty straightforward way. Yet I am having all this trouble.

How to Detect, Measures & Debug Javascript strain on CPU? [closed]

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This question is pretty simple:
How does one go about detecting and debugging javascript stress on the CPU and/or optimize the code?
As you start building more and more code you reach points where things slow down. How do you figure out if you have unnecessary js running, maybe redundant code, OR if it's getting too much for a computer? My computer is pretty powerful but I can't assume everyone has a monster computer.
Is there a function, program or some tools that can help with this task?
This question seems general but I really don't know how to simplify it otherwise.
Any help or pointing in the right direction is much apprecitated :) Thank you.
Try this app called Spy-JS.
It is a tool which allows you to trace your code, and figure out which executions are taking the longest, allowing you to figure out where you need to optimize.
The tool you are searching for is called a "profiler".
The Firebug extension for Firefox comes with such a profiler and allows you to measure which parts of your Javascript code take how much time to execute.
Keep in mind that it only measures the execution speed in Firefox. Other browsers might implement certain javascript features more or less efficient, which means that the performance bottlenecks could be in other places when your application is executed in another browser. But more often than not your own code is at fault when a program runs slower than it should.

Prerequisites for Creating Chrome/Safari Extensions [closed]

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I have been a programmer for a long time now but have majorly operated in C and Fortran. I like to believe I am good at scientific/numerical computing.
Recently, I had an idea for a browser extension. I did some googling and realized that Javascript is my best option to do so. I have never in my life looked at HTML or Javascript or CSS. The Safari and Chrome websites suggest that I should learn HTML, CSS and Javascript.
My question was- how should I proceed with this goal in mind. I don't plan to make web applications anytime but want to concentrate only on browser extensions. How much of HTML and CSS do I really need to know? Will the Web Fundamentals at CodeAcademy suffice? Do I need to get that out of the way before attempting to study Javascript? How should I plan this study?
P.S. I looked at a few books on Javascript and it looks eerily close to C which is a big plus for me. Learning Javascript isn't my concern, learning HTML/CSS is.
The Code Academy Web Fundamentals link should suffice for the HTML & CSS. Don't be afraid of HTML- you're just marking up, or rather describing the presentation of, a document. With CSS, for the most part, you're just declaring styles on the document: Make this paragraph bold; Change this background to red, etc.
I am still learning JavaScript but I bet It'll be easier for you because of your background in C. The syntax should look very familiar. Perhaps one of the most obvious differences is that C needs a compiler to run whereas JavaScript just runs in your browser.
Some nice sandboxes to try out snippets of code are http://www.jsfiddle.net and http://www.jsbin.com.
http://www.codecademy.com/ is a great place to start.
If you want a nice technical guide to the DOM, JS, the server, and really the web in general, this is also a good guide

Coding: solve bug or move on? [closed]

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I have a general development question...
I've been making this rpg and recently came across this annoying bug. It's driving me nuts, and haven't made progress on other aspects of the game because I've been so focused on solving it. The bug isn't necessarily a show stopper, but it is something that will need to be solved.
Here is the bug: JavaScript - extremely confused on removing elements from Container
My issue is:
On one hand, if I don't spend the time really thinking about the bug, I will probably never solve it.
On the other hand, it's preventing me from advancing other aspects of development.
That being said, my question is: If there is one, what's a good rule of thumb on time you should invest into a bug before moving on?
I'm not sure if this question belongs here, or another SO site.
Thanks
If you have decided the bug must be fixed, it doesn't matter when you do it. However, the longer the bug persists, the harder it will be to solve, so fixing it early is the best path to success.
Joel says (see #5) you should fix bugs right away.
That's one reason to fix bugs right away: because it takes less time.
There's another reason, which relates to the fact that it's easier to
predict how long it will take to write new code than to fix an
existing bug.

Help impress interviewer with javascript and jQuery skills [closed]

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One of the interviewers asked to impress him with the JavaScript and CSS skills. He provided a link to two websites and asked to write a JavaScript application (page or pages) that takes content from one or both of these websites and demonstrates my command of jQuery and CSS. It doesn’t have to be useful to end-users, but it should be interesting to programmers.
What interesting things should I write? What would impress you in the candidate?
P.S.
The sites have real-estate information.
So, what would be the best way to read information from a given URL and extract some of it using jQuery?
That interview question is so subjective. What impresses one person might be basic to another. Why not ask a more meaningful question that demonstrates whether or not the candidate actually knows the language.
With all that said and if you really want to work for this company, I would study up on the basics of both js and jquery and really learn how to optimize basic functions. If you had to impress me then you should try to optimize a block of code as best you can without making the code unreadable. There's nothing better than clean, fast and readable code.

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