COMPUTER ARTS AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLEGE, INC.

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DATA
STRUCTURES &
ALGORITHM
IN JAVASCRIPT

Jayson N. Reales
Instructor

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What is JavaScript
JavaScript was initially created to “make web pages alive”.

The programs in this language are called scripts. They can be written right in a web page’s
HTML and run automatically as the page loads.

Scripts are provided and executed as plain text. They don’t need special preparation or
compilation to run.

In this aspect, JavaScript is very different from another language called Java.

Why called JavaScript?

When JavaScript was created, it initially had another name: “LiveScript”. But Java was very
popular at that time, so it was decided that positioning a new language as a “younger
brother” of Java would help.

But as it evolved, JavaScript became a fully independent language with its own specification
called ECMAScript, and now it has no relation to Java at all.

Today, JavaScript can execute not only in the browser, but also on the server, or actually
on any device that has a special program called the JavaScript engine.

The browser has an embedded engine sometimes called a “JavaScript virtual machine”.

Different engines have different “codenames”. For example:

⮚ V8 – in Chrome, Opera and Edge.

⮚ SpiderMonkey – in Firefox.

⮚ …There are other codenames like “Chakra” for IE, “JavaScriptCore”, “Nitro” and

“SquirrelFish” for Safari, etc.

The terms above are good to remember because they are used in developer articles on the
internet. We’ll use them too. For instance, if “a feature X is supported by V8”, then it probably
works in Chrome, Opera and Edge.

How do engines work?

Engines are complicated. But the basics are easy.

1. The engine (embedded if it’s a browser) reads (“parses”) the script.

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2. Then it converts (“compiles”) the script to machine code.

3. And then the machine code runs, pretty fast.

The engine applies optimizations at each step of the process. It even watches the compiled
script as it runs, analyzes the data that flows through it, and further optimizes the machine
code based on that knowledge.

What can in-browser JavaScript do?

Modern JavaScript is a “safe” programming language. It does not provide low-level access
to memory or the CPU, because it was initially created for browsers which do not require it.

JavaScript’s capabilities greatly depend on the environment it’s running in. For instance,
Node.js supports functions that allow JavaScript to read/write arbitrary files, perform network
requests, etc.

In-browser JavaScript can do everything related to webpage manipulation, interaction with

the user, and the webserver.

For instance, in-browser JavaScript is able to:

⮚ Add new HTML to the page, change the existing content, modify styles.

⮚ React to user actions, run on mouse clicks, pointer movements, key presses.

⮚ Send requests over the network to remote servers, download and upload files

(so-called AJAX and COMET technologies).

⮚ Get and set cookies, ask questions to the visitor, show messages.

⮚ Remember the data on the client-side (“local storage”).

What CAN’T in-browser JavaScript do?

JavaScript’s abilities in the browser are limited to protect the user’s safety. The aim is to
prevent an evil webpage from accessing private information or harming the user’s data.

Examples of such restrictions include:

⮚ JavaScript on a webpage may not read/write arbitrary files on the hard disk, copy

them or execute programs. It has no direct access to OS functions.

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⮚ Modern browsers allow it to work with files, but the access is limited and only

provided if the user does certain actions, like “dropping” a file into a browser window
or selecting it via an <input> tag.

⮚ There are ways to interact with the camera/microphone and other devices, but they

require a user’s explicit permission. So a JavaScript-enabled page may not sneakily

enable a web-camera, observe the surroundings and send the information to the
NSA.

⮚ Different tabs/windows generally do not know about each other. Sometimes they do,

for example when one window uses JavaScript to open the other one. But even in
this case, JavaScript from one page may not access the other page if they come
from different sites (from a different domain, protocol or port).

⮚ This is called the “Same Origin Policy”. To work around that, both pages must agree

for data exchange and must contain special JavaScript code that handles it. We’ll
cover that in the tutorial.

⮚ This limitation is, again, for the user’s safety. A page from http://anysite.com which a

user has opened must not be able to access another browser tab with the URL
http://gmail.com, for example, and steal information from there.

⮚ JavaScript can easily communicate over the net to the server where the current page

came from. But its ability to receive data from other sites/domains is crippled. Though
possible, it requires explicit agreement (expressed in HTTP headers) from the remote
side. Once again, that’s a safety limitation.

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Such limitations do not exist if JavaScript is used outside of the browser, for example on a
server. Modern browsers also allow plugins/extensions which may ask for extended
permissions.

What makes JavaScript unique?

There are at least three great things about JavaScript:

⮚ Full integration with HTML/CSS.

⮚ Simple things are done simply.

⮚ Supported by all major browsers and enabled by default.

JavaScript is the only browser technology that combines these three things.

That’s what makes JavaScript unique. That’s why it’s the most widespread tool for creating
browser interfaces.

That said, JavaScript can be used to create servers, mobile applications, etc.

Languages “over” JavaScript

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The syntax of JavaScript does not suit everyone’s needs. Different people want different
features.

That’s to be expected, because projects and requirements are different for everyone.

So, recently a plethora of new languages appeared, which are transpiled (converted) to
JavaScript before they run in the browser.

Modern tools make the transpilation very fast and transparent, actually allowing developers
to code in another language and auto-converting it “under the hood”.

Examples of such languages:

⮚ CoffeeScript is “syntactic sugar” for JavaScript. It introduces shorter syntax, allowing

us to write clearer and more precise code. Usually, Ruby devs like it.

⮚ TypeScript is concentrated on adding “strict data typing” to simplify the development

and support of complex systems. It is developed by Microsoft.

⮚ Flow also adds data typing, but in a different way. Developed by Facebook.

⮚ Dart is a standalone language that has its own engine that runs in non-browser

environments (like mobile apps), but also can be transpiled to JavaScript. Developed
by Google.

⮚ Brython is a Python transpiler to JavaScript that enables the writing of applications

in pure Python without JavaScript.

⮚ Kotlin is a modern, concise and safe programming language that can target the

browser or Node.

There are more. Of course, even if we use one of these transpiled languages, we should
also know JavaScript to really understand what we’re doing.

Language Syntax

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Language syntax refers to the set of rules that dictate how programs written in a
particular programming language must be structured. This can include rules for how to
declare variables, how to call functions, how to structure control flow statements, and
so on. Syntax varies significantly between different programming languages, so it is critical
to grasp the specific syntax of the language you are using. It’s similar to grammar in human
languages - putting words in the wrong order or including extraneous punctuation can make
a sentence hard to understand, and the same applies to programming. Incorrect syntax
leads to syntax errors which prevent your code from executing.

JavaScript Syntax

JavaScript syntax comprises a set of rules that define how to construct a JavaScript code.
JavaScript can be implemented using JavaScript statements that are placed within the
<script> ... </script> HTML tags in a web page. You can place the <script> tags, containing
your JavaScript, anywhere within your web page, but it is normally recommended that you
should keep it within the <head> tags. The <script> tag alerts the browser program to start
interpreting all the text between these tags as a script. A simple syntax of your JavaScript
will appear as follows.

<script>

// This is the part where you put your JavaScript code

</script>

JavaScript Values

In JavaScript, you can have two types of values.

● Fixed values (Literals)

● Variables (Dynamic values)

JavaScript Literals

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In the below code, 10 is a Number literal and ‘Hello’ is a string literal.

<script>
document.write(10); // Number literal
document.write("<br />"); // To add line-break
document.write("Hello"); //String literal
</script>
Output ???

JavaScript Variables

In JavaScript, variables are used to store the dynamic data.

You can use the below keyword to define variables in JavaScript.

⮚ var

⮚ let

⮚ const

You can use the assignment operator (equal sign) to assign values to the variable.
In the below code, variable a contains the numeric value, and variable b contains the text
(string).
<script>
let a = 5; // Variable Declaration
document.write(a); // Using variable
document.write("<br>");
let b = "One";
document.write(b);
</script>
Output???

Whitespace and Line Breaks

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JavaScript ignores spaces, tabs, and newlines that appear in JavaScript programs. You can
use spaces, tabs, and newlines freely in your program and you are free to format and indent
your programs in a neat and consistent way that makes the code easy to read and
understand.

Semicolons are Optional

Simple statements in JavaScript are generally followed by a semicolon character, just as

they are in C, C++, and Java. JavaScript, however, allows you to omit this semicolon if each
of your statements are placed on a separate line. For example, the following code could be
written without semicolons.

Case Sensitivity

JavaScript is a case-sensitive language. This means that the language keywords, variables,
function names, and any other identifiers must always be typed with a consistent
capitalization of letters.

So the identifiers Time and TIME will convey different meanings in JavaScript.

JavaScript and Camel Case

● Pascal Case − We can create variables like SmartWatch, MobileDevice, WebDrive,

etc. It represents the upper camel case string.
● Lower Camel Case − JavaScript allows developers to use variable names and
expression names like smartwatch, mobileDevice, webDriver, etc. Here the first
character is in lowercase.
● Underscore − We can use underscore while declaring variables like smart_watch,
mobile_device, web_driver, etc.

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Comments in JavaScript

JavaScript supports both C-style and C++-style comments, Thus –

● Any text between a // and the end of a line is treated as a comment and is ignored by
JavaScript.
● Any text between the characters /* and */ is treated as a comment. This may span
multiple lines.
● JavaScript also recognizes the HTML comment opening sequence <!--. JavaScript
treats this as a single-line comment, just as it does the // comment.
● The HTML comment closing sequence --> is not recognized by JavaScript so it
should be written as //-->.

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JAVASCRIPT
OPERATORS

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Operators in JavaScript

JavaScript contains various arithmetic, logical, bitwise, etc. operators. We can use any
operator in JavaScript.

1. Arithmetic Operators
1. +
2. –
3. /
4. *
5. %
2. Logical Operator
1. AND Operator or &&
2. OR Operator or ||
3. NOT Operator or !

Example

In this example, we have defined var1 and va2 and initialized them with number values. After
that, we use the ‘*’ operator to get the multiplication result of var1 and var2.

<script>

var1 = 10

var2 = 20

var3 = var1 * var2;

var4 = 10 + 20;

console.log(var3, " " ,var4);

</script>

Output???

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JAVASCRIPT
CONTROL
STRUCTURES

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Control Structures

Control structures are fundamental elements in most programming languages that

facilitate the flow of control through a program. There are three main types of control
structures: Sequential, Selection and Iteration. Sequential control structures are the default
mode where instructions happen one after another. Selection control structures (often called
“conditional” or “decision” structures) allow one set of instructions to be executed if a
condition is true and another if it’s false. These typically include if...else statements. Iteration
control structures (also known as “loops”) allow a block of code to be repeated multiple
times. Common loop structures include for, while, and do...while loops. All these control
structures play a vital role in shaping the program logic.

JavaScript Control Structures

⮚ If Statement

⮚ Using If-Else Statement

⮚ Using Switch Statement

⮚ Using the Ternary Operator (Conditional Operator)

⮚ Using For loop

Approach 1: If Statement

In this approach, we are using an if statement to check a specific condition, the code block
gets executed when the given condition is satisfied.

Syntax:

if ( condition_is_given_here ) {

// If the condition is met, the code will get executed.

Approach 2: If-Else Statement

The if-else statement will perform some action for a specific condition. If the condition met,
then a particular code of action will be executed otherwise it will execute another code of
action that satisfies that particular condition.

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Syntax:

if (condition1) {

// Executes when condition1 is true

} else {

// Executes when condition1 is false

Approach 3: Switch Statement

The switch case statement in JavaScript is also used for decision-making purposes. In some
cases, using the switch case statement is seen to be more convenient than if-else
statements.

switch (expression) {

case value1:

statement1;

break;

case value2:

statement2;

break;

case valueN:

statementN;

break;

default:

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statementDefault;

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Approach 4: Using the Ternary Operator (Conditional Operator)

The conditional operator, also referred to as the ternary operator (?:), is a shortcut for
expressing conditional statements in JavaScript.

Syntax:

condition ? value if true : value if false

Approach 5: Using For Loop

In this approach, we are using for loop in which the execution of a set of instructions
repeatedly until some condition evaluates and becomes false

Syntax:

for (statement 1; statement 2; statement 3) {

// Code here . . .

Programming Fundamentals

Programming Fundamentals are the basic concepts and principles that form the foundation
of any computer programming language. These include understanding variables, which store
data for processing, control structures such as loops and conditional statements that direct
the flow of a program, data structures which organize and store data efficiently, and
algorithms which step by step instructions to solve specific problems or perform specific
tasks.

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JAVASCRIPT

FUNCTIONS

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Functions

Functions in programming are named sections of a program that perform a specific task.
They allow us to write a piece of code once and reuse it in different places throughout the
program, making our code more modular and easier to maintain. Functions often take in
input, do something with it, and return output. Functions can be categorized into four main
types: built-in functions (like print(), provided by the programming language), user-defined
functions (written by the user for a specific use case), anonymous functions (also known as
lambda functions, which are not declared using the standard def keyword), and higher-order
functions (functions that take other functions as arguments or return a function).

JavaScript Function

A JavaScript function is a block of code designed to perform a particular task. It

encapsulates a set of instructions that can be reused throughout a program. Functions can
take parameters, execute statements, and return values, enabling code organization,
modularity, and reusability in JavaScript programming. A JavaScript function is executed
when “something” invokes it (calls it).

Example: A basic JavaScript function, here we create a function that divides the 1st element
by the second element.

Output: 4
Syntax:

To create a function in JavaScript, we have to first use the keyword function, separated by
the name of the function and parameters within parenthesis. The part of the function inside

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the curly braces {} is the body of the function. In JavaScript, functions can be used in the
same way as variables for assignments, or calculations.

Function Invocation:

⮚ Triggered by an event (e.g., a button click by a user).

⮚ When explicitly called from JavaScript code.

⮚ Automatically executed, such as in self-invoking functions.

Function Definition:
Before, using a user-defined function in JavaScript we have to create one. We can use the
above syntax to create a function in JavaScript. A function definition is sometimes also
termed a function declaration or function statement. Below are the rules for creating a
function in JavaScript:

⮚ Every function should begin with the keyword function followed by,

⮚ A user-defined function name that should be unique,

⮚ A list of parameters enclosed within parentheses and separated by commas,

⮚ A list of statements composing the body of the function enclosed within curly braces

{}.

Example Declaration

Output: 15

1. This function accepts two numbers as parameters and returns the addition of these
two numbers.

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2. Accessing the function with just the function name without () will return the function
object instead of the function result.

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