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JavaScript jQuery Basics (2014) Creating a Simple Drawing Application Perfect

Kevin Faust
Kevin Faust
15,353 Points
Posted by Kevin Faust
Kevin Faust
15,353 Points

just wonderin since the jquery course is done, is there anyone that can actually do stuff past the basics

i probably can only do easy stuff like hide, show, click, etc. only the basics. Even though i completed this project, in no way would i be able to recreate this at all. im just wonderin if anyone is the same boat? i hope that later on when we start AJAX we'll be able to understand jquery bettter.

4 Answers

Justin Iezzi
Justin Iezzi
18,199 Points

When I finished the jQuery course I made an effort to recreate the drawing application on my own. It took time and patience, but I did it. Doing this really helped solidify everything I learned up to that point, including HTML/CSS. It was also a great opportunity to try some new things. Here's the finished product: http://codepen.io/nomad5/pen/EjGLzW

After you finish a course, take everything that you've learned and put it in practice, I can't stress this enough. It doesn't matter what it is, just something that includes what you've been taught. You'll force yourself to retain the knowledge and fill in the gaps.

Its been a month since I finished the drawing application course and you can tell by my profile that I've only completed a few more since then. I've just been busy building stuff and learning from it.

Treehouse is an excellent resource, but to really retain the material you'll have to start working on your own things on the side. This is why many of the Treehouse teachers recommend starting your own project, just to practice the material.

Kevin Faust
Kevin Faust
15,353 Points
Kevin Faust
Kevin Faust
15,353 Points

Hey Justin, thanks for the comment. my plan for now is Im going to try making a really basic static website and then add some simple jquery to it and hopefully i can progress to more harder stuff.

Justin Iezzi
Justin Iezzi
18,199 Points

Sounds like a great plan Kevin. Just keep at it, even when it's difficult, and you'll be fine. Patience is key here. Good luck!

John Yzaguirre
John Yzaguirre
22,025 Points
John Yzaguirre
John Yzaguirre
22,025 Points

Great job! Really looking drawing app

Joseph Szoke
Joseph Szoke
15,087 Points
Joseph Szoke
Joseph Szoke
15,087 Points

Kevin,

I remember going through the jquery course and feeling the same way. What I didn't realize is that treehouse does a great job at preparing you for the future. They take the time to show you where the next answer will be before you have a question.

It's been a while but I'm pretty sure they go through the jquery Api site. Jquery is very important in the industry now so I took a week or so and read through every single page of the jquery site just so I know the possiblities of jquery. As I was reading I would think of projects I could use each one in.

I also learned a lot about jquery through using plugins. I would go through their js files and see what functioning code looked like. Try customizing a plugin more then their stated documentation.

Just keep coding. It will click and be second nature soon enough.

Joe

Craig Brah
PLUS
Craig Brah
Courses Plus Student 3,802 Points
Craig Brah
Craig Brah
Courses Plus Student 3,802 Points

I agree, the previous courses with Dave were structured much better, Dave encouraged thinking for ourselves through the use of challenges that required you to put the knowledge you've just learnt to the test.

Also, the quiz questions of Dave's courses were also a lot better, giving code snippets and having you choose the right outcome etc made you use your brain a little to find the answer, whereas in this course there's very few quizes and the answers require no thinking at all, i.e "What jQuery method is used for mouse up events?" and then you'd just see mouseup() as an answer, seemed like it was put there for the sake of it and not really built to test you.

That being said most of what is in the course I have absorbed by going back a few weeks later and trying to do the sections myself before watching the vids, then seeing where I'm going wrong etc and finding the answers throughout the following videos. This does require you to think for yourself and if you do get stuck you'll see what the solution is, that's all I can recommend, though the drawing application using the canvas I feel needs more time to grasp the canvas itself and capturing events etc.

Braden Boaglio
Braden Boaglio
9,375 Points
Braden Boaglio
Braden Boaglio
9,375 Points

I'm definitely right there with you. I've been able to add some plugins to my own site and figure out how those work, but I still feel a little lost when trying to create something from scratch myself. I think it will come with time and practice. (I hope.)