Setting Up the Development Environment for JavaScript

In this chapter, we will learn how to set up the tools needed to write and run JavaScript code. We will cover:

• Installing a Code Editor
• Setting Up a Web Browser
• Using Browser Developer Tools

Installing a Code Editor

A code editor is a tool where you write your JavaScript code. For this tutorial, we recommend using Visual Studio Code (VS Code) because it is free, powerful, and widely used by developers.

Installing Visual Studio Code

1. Download VS Code:

   • Go to https://code.visualstudio.com/.
   • Click on the "Download" button for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).

2. Install VS Code:

   • Run the downloaded installer file.
   • Follow the installation instructions. For most users, the default settings are fine.

3. Open VS Code:

   • After installation, open Visual Studio Code.

Setting Up a Web Browser

To run JavaScript code, you need a web browser. We recommend using Google Chrome because it has excellent developer tools.

Installing Google Chrome

1. Download Google Chrome:

   • Go to https://www.google.com/chrome/.
   • Click on the "Download Chrome" button.

2. Install Google Chrome:

   • Run the downloaded installer file.
   • Follow the installation instructions.

3. Open Google Chrome:

   • After installation, open Google Chrome.

Using Browser Developer Tools

Developer tools help you debug and test your JavaScript code directly in the browser. Google Chrome has powerful developer tools.

Opening Developer Tools in Google Chrome

1. Open Developer Tools:

   • Open Google Chrome.
   • Press Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + I (macOS) to open Developer Tools.

2. Using the Console:

   • Go to the "Console" tab to run JavaScript code and see output.

Conclusion

Now you have set up your development environment with Visual Studio Code and Google Chrome. In the next chapter, we will write our first JavaScript program and see how it works.