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Practice Basic Variables, Input & Output in JavaScript

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The Solution

3:07 with Dave McFarland

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    How did it go, were you able to complete the program? 0:00
    If not, no worries, you can watch my solutions, 0:03
    compare it to what you wrote and then try to recreate it yourself. 0:05
    Now step one is to link the JavaScript file to the webpage, 0:09
    that's the index.html file. 0:12
    The script tag is how you do it. 0:15
    Just add a source attribute followed by the path to the file. 0:17
    Because the JavaScript file is in the same folder as the index.html file, 0:22
    the path is just practice.js. 0:27
    For step two, I created a new variable using the var keyword. 0:30
    The name of the variable describes what I'm asking for 0:36
    in the prompt dialog box, a firstName. 0:39
    The prompt method is built into browsers. 0:42
    it takes a string as a question and 0:45
    returns a string value that gets stored into the variable. 0:47
    Step three is the same. 0:54
    Just create a new variable and ask a different question. 0:56
    Step four, also requires a new variable and 1:01
    it introduces two skills using the toUpperCase string function to convert 1:04
    a string to all uppercase characters and combining string values together. 1:09
    Combining several strings to create a single value is called concatenation. 1:14
    I start by typing the variable name, adding a dot, and 1:19
    using the toUpperCase method to convert that string to uppercase characters. 1:23
    Remember, JavaScript methods are case sensitive. 1:29
    In addition, don't forget to add the parentheses to call the method. 1:32
    The plus symbol lets you combine two strings into one. 1:36
    In this case, since I'm combining a first name with a last, 1:40
    I'll insert a space character to make sure the results look right. 1:44
    For step five, I'm asking the browser to return the length property 1:49
    of the string value inside the completeName variable. 1:54
    You can use .length to retrieve the total number of characters in the string. 1:58
    Finally, I'll use the alert method to pop open a dialog box. 2:03
    I'll be combining a bunch of strings here, so 2:10
    it can get a little confusing with all the plus symbols. 2:12
    You'll also notice that my final message includes double quotes. 2:17
    So I need to use this forward slash, it's called an escape character and 2:21
    it tells the browser to treat the following character, 2:25
    this double quote here as nothing special. 2:28
    Without the escape character, the browser would think this quote mark 2:31
    is the end of the string and not simply a character inside the string. 2:35
    Basically, the program would spit out an error and wouldn't run. 2:39
    Okay, let's see how it works. 2:42
    I'll save my files and click the preview button. 2:44
    Input Input. 2:49
    And alert. 2:54
    The message is correct. 2:55
    All right, I hope you were able to complete this practice 2:57
    session successfully. 2:59
    If not, why not start over and 3:01
    try to write the program without looking at my version. 3:02
    Have fun with JavaScript and I'll see you again soon. 3:05

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