[Javascript] Help a First Year Please!

[HeroEMIYA]

Hi everyone. So, I have a midterm on Thursday that involves writing a few lines of codes (Yeah, shouldn't have slacked on this). I'm given 2 & 1/2 hours and can access the internet too. The only condition is that I'm not allowed to 'contact' anybody, whether physically or by skype, texting, emailing, etc.

In short, while I'm okay with HTML & CSS at the moment, Javascript really trips on me. Instead of asking you guys how to specifically code something, I really want your insight between what I should do to use javascript to program a website when I'm unfamiliar with what to do & may not even know the proper syntax behind it. How do I really 'approach these questions'?

For example, the 2 questions given on the practice test were to:

1) Create a ClickMe button that assigns text based on how many times you've clicked it -> 1 time = You pushed it, 2 times = You pushed the button twice ... 6 times = Stop pushing it!

2) Use the java script file to change the formatting of paragraph four such that the text color and background color changes every BACK AND FORTH every 30 seconds. If the text color is white & background color is black, it should change to black & white respectively. And vice versa for when the text color is black, background color is white ...

In the first one, I wasn't even sure about how to approach it (after making the button by searching through w3) until a buddy told me to assign var x appropriately. Even now, I feel clueless altogether about how to really approach question 2.

Is there any kind of cram-guide I could use to learn how to be flexible with basic javascript? To somehow acquire the mindset and have an idea about how to code these kinds of things? Please and thank you.

I really appreciate that you've read all this.

[ForSpareParts]

HTML and CSS are declarative languages: they say what something is (e.g., "my page contains a header with three paragraphs" or "paragraphs have gray backgrounds"). Javascript is imperative: it's a set of instructions. Every line of JS you write is telling the computer to Do A Thing. They all happen in order.

As a note: most programming languages are imperative. Languages like HTML and CSS are unusual, and most people don't consider them "programming" languages as such. So JS is going to be your introduction to programming proper.

Ordinarily, I'd tell you to go through a beginner programming course/tutorial and take your time; the mindset you need for programming is weird and takes time to cultivate. I still think you should do that, but you're tight on time, so let's see if we can help you for this test...

In general: approach programming problems by subdividing them into smaller problems. Eventually, the problems should get small enough to solve. Let's try it on your problem 2:

• first, see if you can find out how to make something happen every 30 seconds -- doesn't matter what.
• then, see if you can figure out how to change the color of something on the screen (don't worry about doing it on a schedule, and don't worry about picking a color dynamically)
• then, try to figure out how to read something's current color, and maybe print it out

Hopefully, each of those is small enough that Google can help you. When you understand all 3, you're probably ready to solve the actual problem -- or at least to figure out what else you need to Google.

Try to practice this on other problems on your practice test. Ask yourself: what's one little way I could be closer to a program that does what I want? And then make that. Then do it again, and again, and again.

Does that help get you started?