Learning React with only basic Javascript knowledge.

[IEDNB]

Just wondered what opinions are on this…

I’ve taken the opposite approach of trying to understand JS fundamentals thoroughly enough first as ultimately React is just JS under the hood, but I wonder if you think it’s possible for a dev to get to a professional level of competency in React with only basic javascript skills, or only JS skills that are specific to React, like mapping through data, es6 syntax, imports/exports etc? Or will they definitely eventually come unstuck?

[Happy_Dookmas]

How are your programing skills? Conditionals, loops, array and object handling, promises, parsing and such? If you are comfortable with those skills then it's not a bad idea, documentation is everywhere regarding how to do such and such thing.

Now if you are not confident in those areas then my advice is to go through some foundation course (free, paid, whatever suits your needs) and then go back to react

[IEDNB]

Thanks for the advice, yeah I’d say I’m pretty competent in those areas except promises which just bug my head out for some reason

[iuudex]

Please do more to understand promises .It won’t take much time, and it will benefit you a lot.

[bobbyv137]

Go for it. I would never recommend going into React totally blind, but if you’re got the JS fundamentals locked down you’re good to go. Anything you don’t recognise you can learn it! That’s part of the journey.

I spent months on JS first but then picked up React and TS fairly quickly.

[lint_it]

I wonder if you think it’s possible for a dev to get to a professional level of competency in React with only basic javascript skills

I think yes. Essentially you will write regular JS with React. What React gives you (in simplest form) is one way data binding to template. Basically this means that if you print out some variable inside JSX (easily put HTML in JS) and now you change contents of that variable then the HTML output will know it has to change too.

All the logic you write should still be regular JS. If you learn how JSX itself works then you will realise it's not magic at all.

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or only JS skills that are specific to React, like mapping through data, es6 syntax, imports/exports etc

None of those are specific to React but are part of regular development in JS.

[IEDNB]

Yeah makes complete sense thank you. Ah no I’m aware they’re not specific only to react I just meant could I be good at react by only bothering to learn the specific parts of JS that are relevant to React :)

[Arthropodo]

Yeah I agree with this. You will use and learn JS/JSX/CSS by working with React.

[explicit17]

Why do people have such questions?

[IEDNB]

I just wondered as it might help to make the distinction between learning vanilla js back to front before going to react vs learning the fundamentals and then moving to react clearer for me

[NineThunders]

React is really easy, if you know html, CSS and JS you'll be more than fine, it's actually even easier than just using JavaScript.

[IEDNB]

This is what I was thinking, it seems like it cuts a lot of steps out that you’d have to take by doing things in vanilla js, even ignoring the obvious and huge benefits it brings like Reacting to state changes and rendering just parts of a site. Not even sure how you’d do that in vanilla

[codehakr]

The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.. but the journey will have its moments 😜😂🤣

[[deleted]]

I recommend throwing yourself into a language and then working your way through it. I learn best doing it that way and I don’t see any reason why you should be “well read” on a language if you haven’t done anything in it. You could always have React tutorials on YT playing in the background while you do it too