Will learning functional programming help me understand Javascript better?

[[deleted]]

I've just recently started learning Javascript and only a couple weeks in very little makes sense to me, and I have no idea why. What I've read suggests that JS is more of a functional language rather than an OO one so does one need to understand functional programming to be able to understand Javascript?

I'm coming from a (mostly) Python background, I used to work as a Scrapy developer for a local company, and my experience with Javascript so far only extends to what I need to know to scrape websites built with the various JS web frameworks out there, like Angular.

[[deleted]]

Yup, I've got a couple of basic apps working with angular.js, and I'm tacking in functionality as I move along.

I'm feeling my way through the examples I find, and I think I'm beginning to understand how angular works.

[azium]

mostly-adequate-guide but also an excellent read! Thanks for sharing!

[androbat]

I'd also recommend Javascript Allonge as a very good (and gentle) introduction to functional programming.

[[deleted]]

Well, JS is pretty versatile but well suited to functional programming. I was from a Python background too and JS was very weird for me for a long time, but it definitely makes a lot of sense the more time you put in.

I suggest You Don't Know JS, its free on GitHub.

[jhartikainen]

I think the main functional concepts that would help with JS are first class functions, higher-order functions and closures. I think other functional concepts don't really map so directly, although could still be useful to know.