I guess I'm writing this just because I want to hear what the communities opinion is (but then again, that's the reason people write topics in the first place...)

 

I was reading this article the other day about writing your own javascript or using a library. After studying and using JQuery, I guess you can say I have this stubborn attitude about how the code technically isn't 100% mine (if I'm making any sense at all). I understand that libraries such as JQuery are basically built for convenience and as a result, provide means for efficiently creating javascript quickly, but dunno....

 

Yes, I like JQuery and how it can simplify javascript to some extent, but I guess I'm wondering: 1) Which of you people in WDF use libraries and which of you have a stubborn attitude like me, 2) Would you recommend learning a library (which I already have) or would you recommend typing code the hardcore way?

 

By the way, here's the link to the article I was reading.

 

(http://javascript.about.com/od/hintsandtips/a/liborself.htm)

I far prefer writing in vanilla JavaScript. It gives me a far better understanding of how JavaScript works and I feel like I'm a much better coder for it. It also keeps me from being the kind of person I truly hate: the type of coder who responds to someone asking a basic JavaScript question using an answer that relies on a library (usually jQuery).

 

Having said that, professionally I tend to use jQuery as it's far more bug tested and bulletproofed than anything I can write. I also like a few of the things it can do.

 

Glad there's someone else out there who prefers library-free code

Like most things in coding it's a trade-off. Whilst 'rolling your own' javascript gives a more satifying experience for the writer and results in much leaner and efficient code in terms of both execution and loading time (every milli second counts for some folk). On the downside it's time consuming process and often a complete pig to write if the desired effect or result is complex.

 

This is why time and time again you find code being re-used either 'as is' or with a the occasional minor tweek. For example if your client has seen a fancy jQuery slideshow and wants it on their site does it make sense to spend a week reverse engineering the entire jq script or just use it? Bearing in mind the sooner a client gets the finished site the sooner you get paid tends to sway the desicion for many a designer.

Edited August 27, 201115 yr by Sogo7