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Best Javascript tutorial so i can get started on JQuery?

I have managed to master XHTML/CSS and now I'm thinking to move on and try to learn jquery.There is only one problem everyone says that in order to better understand Jquery I must learn Javascript. I already started to read the w3school.com tutorial on javascript but I am wondering to what extent should I learn javascript before I move on to jquery and what to do after I read the tutorial on w3school.com. Are there any guides you guys can refer me to? Thanks in advance for the answers!

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jQuery is Javascript! If you know javascript you will pick jQuery up in days. – Gary Willoughby Jun 28 '11 at 19:54
I doubt you can "master" HTML/CSS without learning js first. – Raynos Jun 28 '11 at 22:35

marked as duplicate by Mark Trapp Dec 17 '11 at 3:46

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3 Answers

up vote 7 down vote

First learn how to create somewhat useful javascript apps in javascript before hopping on jQuery. Trust me on this, you'll learn jQuery much faster when you know what is going on.

Also: please don't read w3schools to learn javascript. Actually, don't read javascript resources that seem to have a design that looks like it is stuck in the 90's. They usually let you learn bad practices and giving examples that shouldn't be used in production code. There are a lot of better resources for this, such as:

And even then you can't really call yourself a master until you've worked on it professionally for a while.

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up vote 3 down vote

"Must" you learn javascript before learning jQuery? - No. BUT, it is like anything else...jQuery is based upon javascript and therefore, if you have a good handle on javascript, you will have an easier time with jQuery.

A good reference for learning jQuery is "jQuery in Action (second edition)". I have gleaned a lot of benefit from that book.

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So in other words it is not necesary to learn Javascipt in order to manage to master jquarry to its full capacity? – Aly Jun 28 '11 at 19:53
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jQuery is NOT based upon javascript, jQuery IS javascript. – Gary Willoughby Jun 28 '11 at 19:56
@user29333 - I think to "master" it, you need to know javascript well. But, to utilize it in some very useful scenarios, you can learn the basics of selectors and how it parses through the HTML and get some good benefit from it. Personally, I am a marginal javascript person, but just used jQuery to help me manipulate some data in a Telerik grid. I haven't "mastered" javascript, but got some good use from jQuery because I learned the basics. – Catchops Jun 28 '11 at 20:12
@Gary - true - point well taken! – Catchops Jun 28 '11 at 20:13
up vote 2 down vote

False. You should definitely try and learn the syntax of Javascript (how to do variables, loops, etc.), but by no means do you need to know every facet of Javascript before trying to learn jQuery. The jQuery framework is different enough almost to be considered another language, in all honesty.

Look at some examples on the web and start binding some click events. Have at it.

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