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JavaScript

mrx3
mrx3
8,742 Points

Is okay to look up previous programming concepts in JavaScript and jQuery?

I just started learning JavaScript and jQuery from a book by David Mcfarland. It's a great book with a lot... a lot of various examples, I'm up to the Events, and Animations you can add to a webpage. There's so much information to take in, and I practice a lot, like all day. I have so much fun playing around with the tutorials, and examples provided in the book. I find myself sometimes referencing back to the book when I want to make a image fade in or out, I applied a concept where if you clicked the plus sign on a f.a.q. page the answers faded in and out, and some of the other concepts . Now I find myself referring back to the book for little a help, is that okay, or should I be able to do it all by myself. Do any of people who work in the web design business still have to go back and refresh your memory on jQuery? I don't think I'm able to remember everything I can do and how to do it without having my book.

5 Answers

Jason Anders
MOD
Jason Anders
Treehouse Moderator 145,860 Points

It's more than okay to "look things up." That is why there is some much documentation... that is why there are sites like Stack Overflow. I really think you should read this Treehouse Blog Post by Andrew Chalkley. It's all good! :) :dizzy:

Erik Nuber
Erik Nuber
20,629 Points

No, there is just to much information. The more you practice, the more you will remember but, it is more than fine to look things up. I have gone to several meet ups and met people that have been programming for years and asked them the same thing and, that is what they told me as well.

mrx3
mrx3
8,742 Points

Thank you Erik. Sometimes I just feel really intimidated, I'm really good at HTML and CSS, but like you said, there's a ton of stuff. I guess I just get worried that when I get a job in the real world doing web design that people will down on me if I have to look something up in a book or ask what is the best way to do something.

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,007 Points

:point_right: Knowing how and where to look things up is an important skill.

Several of the courses here actually show you how to look up information online. It would be extremely rare for someone to memorize every possible aspect of the language and API's they need for development. Certainly the vast majority of developers cannot do that.

mrx3
mrx3
8,742 Points

Thanks Steven that makes me feel a lot better. I just sometimes feel that I don't measure up.

Jennifer Nordell
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse Teacher

I agree with Steven Parker. It's also important to take the information you look up and be able to extrapolate that to solve other problems. It's impossible to know every possible combination needed to solve every possible problem One of the greatest skills you can have is the ability to look up information and then use that information to solve your problem.

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points

I've been now at this for a couple of years, and I have a monitor dedicated to just pulling up documentation. Reading documentation, and knowing where and how to find solutions is an important skill.

mrx3
mrx3
8,742 Points

Thanks everyone for the replies, it makes me feel better that I can look up programming, html, css, and other concepts if I forget them.