Web Development for Beginners

Using ggplot2 and other excellent visualization R packages, we can generate various static plots illustrating the secret hidden in the data. However, interactive graphics can be more appealing than static graphics in some cases. Plotly and echarts4r are extremely useful for users to explore data by simply clicking their mouse. Furthermore, Shiny can easily create a dynamic web app and requires no additional web knowledge. Furthermore, Shiny can easily create a dynamic web app without additional web knowledge. ¹

These fantastic technologies are powered by JavaScript, a programming language designed to allow programmers to create web applications. A solid foundation in JavaScript is essential for creating more intricate things, so I started learning JavaScript last month. I downloaded several books into my Kindle so I could read before going to bed. They are as follows:

1. Web Development for Beginners
2. Advanced JavaScript
3. JavaScript Everywhere
4. Eloquent JavaScript

Unfortunately, I read Eloquent JavaScript and JavaScript Everywhere first, and they are unfriendly to newcomers; without basic knowledge, you will fail. Without reading them continuously, I opened Web Development for Beginners. When I saw the table of contents for this book, I knew it was the one I should read!

I read it in five nights. This book, as the title suggests, introduces three core World Wide Web (WWW) technologies:

• HTML elements are accessed using angular brackets, or commonly known as tags. These tags are used to create the structure for a web page.
• CSS is used to enhance the appearance of a web page.
• JavaScript is a scripting language that plays a vital role in developing dynamic websites. It is used for user interaction, content management, manipulating databases, and many more.

— Web Development for Beginners

Reading this book will help you understand how the three mentioned above work together. The most important thing for me is to comprehend “JavaScript is used to create dynamic HTML by making changes to the DOM tree.”

Following the completion of reading this book, I began to read Advanced JavaScript, a much thicker book with a significantly richer explanation of JavaScript.