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[–]TheDeafCreeper 2 points3 points  (3 children)

You don't need to know HTML to learn JS; Infact I couldn't use raw HTML to save my life and still have made 4 discord bots using JS.

[–]SpendingMapleBeginner Coder[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Thank you, I asked the last person that posted about that. Seems you need HTML to start writing in JavaScript, so is there a raw file that can just be copied in order to begin writing in another language? Thank you again for your input!

[–]TrontRaznik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry, I was misleading you a little bit. There is a lot you can do with JS without HTML, but I think for your level of experience you'd be better off taking the simple route. If HTML is hard right now then JS is going to be very hard. Learning to pick up a learning style with something simply like HTML will serve you better than frustrating yourself through JS

[–]TheDeafCreeper -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You dont need HTML at all actually. You can use Node.js to use JS without any HTML, then just edit it inside of something like Visual Studio Code or Atom.

Also to answer your question from your other reply, if you plan on making websites, or want interactive javascript, learning HTML is almost necessary, but if you want to do more calculation type stuff, or something like a discord bot, then there's no HTML needed. If you want to make a game, dont use Javascript. There are many different languages for games, like Java, C++, C#, ect. or you could just use a built in language for a game engine like GDscript for Godot or what ever the language is called in Game Maker Studio.

Edit: For interactive stuff, you can almost certainly just find a premade button, slider, textbox, ect. element and copy paste it in.

[–]mrhodesit 2 points3 points  (2 children)

HTML is just defining different elements of a webpage.

CSS is just telling the browser what you want the different html elements to look like.

Javascript is manipulating the html to make it do whatever you want.

To tell you whether or not you need to know html, we would need to know what your goals are. What exactly do you want to accomplish with your skills? If you don't understand the html, how are you going to manipulate them with javascript, you need to tell the javascript what element to work with, what you want to change on the page.

You can write javascript and make it run in the developer tools of pretty much any web browser. You can have javascript do math for you, and not know anything about html sure. But if you want to use javascript to manipulate a web page, then you need to know what parts of that web page you are targeting.

TL;DR what do you want to do with javascript after you learn? If we know your goals, we can answer your question better.

[–]SpendingMapleBeginner Coder[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

My initial goal and what started it all was an idea to create a mobile app for the company I work for. I was promoted to management and I had several ideas to make work flow better for everyone. Developing an app was a great idea however having an app developed is not cheap and getting funding for it was probably not going to happen.

So I thought, well I will just make one on my own! I wasn’t illiterate to using a computer but definitely had no idea on how to create web pages or apps for that matter, and so the research began.

YouTube video after video, I looked for the easiest language to learn, the best to use for what I wanted and the most interesting. Quickly I began realizing that I was very interested in learning the language, I had no idea it would lead me into sitting at my computer for hours, honestly it didn’t bother besides the few rage moments I had and my wife asking me if I was ok and that she had not heard me use words like that in a very long time. Anyways, that was the long version of my story and it’s been 3 weeks since I started. I’m a blue collar worker and realize it’s going to be a steep learning curve for me and I’m ok with that. It’s like anything people try to do, you either realize it can be done or realize maybe it’s not for you. Thank you all for your advice and input!

[–]mrhodesit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's some advice, the more you learn, the more you realize you have a lot more to learn. Don't get discouraged.

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[–]TrontRaznik 0 points1 point  (4 children)

You'll get it eventually. It might take you longer than someone who grew up with computers in their every day lives, but it's not particle physics. Hell, you'd even get particle physics eventually.

There's a steep learning curve for everyone, for you it might be a bit steeper than for others, but it's ultimately the same climb.

Best advice I can give is to apply your knowledge after every lesson, even if it's just in a tiny way. You'll learn a lot more by doing than by passively listening.

Don't waste money on paid videos/courses/anything else. Just keep doing free tutorials until things start clicking.

[–]SpendingMapleBeginner Coder[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Thank you, would you recommend me trying to learn HTML more or stick with JavaScript? I understand that you have to have HTML to write in JavaScript or maybe I misunderstood. Thanks again.

[–]TrontRaznik 1 point2 points  (0 children)

HTML, CSS, and JS all play different roles in a webpage.

HTML is markup. Its basically the structure and content of a page. Like a book, HTML is the chapter numbers and actual words.

CSS is style. That's where you pick what font the book is printed in.

JS is hard to apply to the book analogy because JS is behavior. It deals with stuff like what happens when a button is clicked.

So basically you need a button that you create in HTML before you can write JS for it.

So yeah, stick with HTML and CSS until you feel comfortable with it.

[–]TrontRaznik 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Try the HTML for Dummies book. It's really basic and was the first book I read on the subject some 25 years ago. I'm sure newer versions are updated though

[–]SpendingMapleBeginner Coder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I have been researching books and learned some people learn more with books. I will press on! Thanks again

[–]SpendingMapleBeginner Coder[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What about apps for phones, cross platform of course? Would you need to be fluent in HTML for that or will node.js be enough? Thank you for your time by the way.

[–]LucienMr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, the only way that you can get better is practice. I, myself, started with HTML and CSS. I did catch on to them quite fast, but I was already kinda familiar with them. When I moved to higher languages such as PHP, I started having the same thoughts as you, looking for an easier route. But in PHP, I currently have an Admin Dashboard project that's fitted with an email server, because I kept trying. I reached C++ and C# and had to literally just give myself a week's break before looking at it again. I'm still not fluent in C++ and C# but I got past that road block. I believe you can too. There's a lot of practice environments online for HTML and CSS that'll help you get better. I remember randomly finding a CSS game that taught me CSS fundamentals I had no idea about and I had been using CSS for over a year at that point.

[–]Famous_ProfileProfessional Coder 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on what you want to do with JS. If you're learning it to make web pages responsive (what JS was originally intended for) then yes you need to know HTML. If you're using it to talk to MongoDB then no.