JS Kickstart: A Beginner's Guide to JavaScript

Beginner-friendly JavaScript textbook with exercises and automated tests.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js (version 14 or higher)
• A code editor (VS Code recommended)

Setup

Option 1: Clone with Git (Recommended)

1. Open a terminal/command prompt
2. Navigate to where you want the project (e.g., your Desktop or Documents folder):

   cd Desktop

3. Clone the repository (this creates a js-kickstart folder automatically):

   git clone https://github.com/r-/js-kickstart.git

4. Enter the project folder:

   cd js-kickstart

5. Install dependencies:

   npm install

Option 2: Download ZIP

1. Click the green "Code" button on GitHub
2. Select "Download ZIP"
3. Extract the ZIP file to your desired location
4. Open a terminal in the extracted folder
5. Install dependencies:

   npm install

Running Exercises

IMPORTANT: Always run commands from the main project folder (where package.json is located), not from inside exercise folders!

1. Navigate to an exercise folder (e.g., exercises/02-sequence/03-day-plan/)
2. Edit the script.js file in that folder
3. Test your script by running it directly:

   node exercises/02-sequence/03-day-plan/script.js

4. When ready, test your solution with the automated tests:

   npm test

Running Specific Tests

To run tests for a specific exercise (run from main project folder):

npm run test:one -- 02-sequence

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Read the exercise instructions in the exercise folder's README.md
2. Edit the script.js file in that exercise folder
3. Run your script directly: node exercises/[chapter]/[exercise]/script.js
4. Test with automated tests: npm test or npm run test:one -- [chapter]
5. Check the solution.js file if you get stuck (for teachers and reference)

For Input/Output Exercises

Some exercises require user input. For these:

1. Install the prompt library (one time only):

   npm run setup:prompt

2. Follow the exercise instructions

📚 Course Structure

Chapters

1. Intro & Setup - Getting started with Node.js and VS Code
2. Sequence - Step-by-step programming
3. Variables & Datatypes - Storing and using data
4. Operators - Arithmetic, comparison, and logic
5. Input & Output - Interacting with users
6. Selections - Making decisions with if statements
7. Iterations - Repeating code with loops
8. Functions - Organizing code into reusable blocks
9. Arrays - Working with lists of data
10. Mini Project - Putting it all together

Exercise Structure

• Each chapter contains 3-5 practical exercises
• Every exercise has automated tests for instant feedback
• Early chapters use simple scripts, later chapters introduce functions

🧪 Testing

For Students

• Run all tests: npm test
• Run specific test: npm run test:one -- <exercise-path>

These commands test your script.js files to check your progress.

For Instructors/Developers

• Test all solutions: npm run test:solutions
• Test specific solution: npm run test:solutions:one -- <exercise-path>

These commands test the reference solution.js files for validation.

🎯 Learning Goals

By completing this course, you will understand:

• Basic programming concepts (sequence, selection, iteration)
• JavaScript syntax and best practices
• How to write and test code
• Problem-solving through programming

📖 How to Use This Course

1. Read the chapter material in book/chapters/
2. Practice with exercises in exercises/
3. Test your solutions with npm test
4. Reflect on what you've learned

🆘 Getting Help

• Check the exercise README for specific instructions
• Review the chapter material for concepts
• Look at error messages from tests for hints
• Ask your teacher or study group for support
• Ask questions on GitHub: Create an issue for help with exercises or technical problems

🐙 Working Across Multiple Computers

Want to save your progress and work on exercises from different computers? Learn how to use GitHub to sync your work:

👉 Complete Guide: Using GitHub for Your Exercises

This guide covers:

• Forking the repository to your own GitHub account
• Saving your exercise solutions
• Syncing work between home, school, and library computers
• Getting updates when new exercises are added

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Whether you want to:

• Report a bug or typo
• Suggest improvements to exercises
• Add new learning materials
• Fix documentation

Please see our Contributing Guide for detailed instructions on how to get involved.

📄 License

MIT License - feel free to use and adapt for educational purposes.

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Happy coding! 🎉

JavaScript is a trademark of Oracle Corporation. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Oracle.