published: 28 Jun 2022
10 min read
The first thing you need is IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Which just a fancy way of saying "code editor". We recommend VS Code. Why? Because it is FREE and available on multiple Operating Systems eg WIndows, Mac and Linux.
So do the following:
1. Start your internet browser eg Chrome or Firefox or Safari
2. Go to https://google.com
3. Type "VS Code" without the double quotes
4. Click on the link which says "Download Visual Studio Code - Mac, Linux, Windows"
5. The link should be https://code.visualstudio.com/download
6. Download the appropriate version for your OS (Operating System)
7. Install the application.
Next, install NodeJS.
1. Start your internet browser eg Chrome or Firefox or Safari
2. Go to https://google.com
3. Type "NodeJS" without the double quotes
4. Click on the link which says "Node.js"
5. The link should be https://nodejs.org/en/
6. Download the appropriate version for your OS (Operating System)
7. Install the application.
Next, create a folder where you will put all your files for your project. For example, on Windows that could be c:\development or c:\projects or even a folder on your desktop.
We will be using Windows and creating a project called tutorial01.
1. Use the Windows keyboard shortcut "Windows Key + r"
2. Type "cmd" (this will give you a Windows Command Prompt)
3. Type "cd \"
4. Type "mkdir projects"
5. Type "cd projects"
6. Type "mkdir tutorial01"
7. Type "cd tutorial01"
8. Type "code ." (This will start VS Code in that folder)
9. You may have to select the checkbox to trust the c:\projects folder and click the button which says "Yes, I trust the authors, Trust folder and enable all features"
Time to create your first program
1. Click the File -> New Text File
2. Type
console.log("Hello world");
3. Use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + S" to save the file, naming the file hello.js
4. Start a new terminal window by Clicking the menu "Terminal -> New Terminal"
5. Type "node hello.js"
6. It should display "hello world"
Congratulations, you have just created your first Javascript program.
Are we missing something? Help us improve this article. Reach out to us.
Are you looking for other code tips?
JS Nooby
Javascript connoisseur