another "how do i learn JS" thread

[piston]

I promise I checked the forums and didn't come up with anything alothough I have seen a thread somewhere - I couldn't find any today.

I've been developing sites with limited PHP and JS experience for about 8 years now. When I do need some PHP or JS code, I usually grab someone else's and alter it for my own purposes.

With that being said, I need to learn javascript. I've been through a couple of the text-based tutorials but kinda got lost. I've tried some youtube ones too which seem better for me.

My question: is there a flavor of javascript that I need to learn or would be better to learn so that I can start to use Ext more? I can use it now, but rearranging examples isn't really helping me learn.

I'm open to anyone's favorite tutorials or videos. I'm slowly learnig some things here and there, but I think I need a basics course and was hoping there was a place that would be "better" for the future Ext user.

[Animal]

Best thing is to read Jack's code over and over and over until you understand it. Step through Ext's core in Firebug until you understand what it's doing.

If that sounds like hard work, then compare it to 8 years of fannying around never really getting started.

[piston]

i use firebug a lot - can you walk me through 'stepping through Ext's core"?

[mystix]

check out YUI Theatre -- in particular any video by Douglas Crockford.
make sure to download the matching slides.

[Animal]

Use ext-all-debug.js

Step into any Ext widget and keep going through.

Or you can investigate bits you are interested in by reading the source, find a unique range of characters, copy and paste them into the Script Tab's search box so that it (eventually - it's a little slow) scrolls there. Set a breakpoint at the line you are curious about and run your page.

[mjlecomte]

I've had to do it a little circular. I've read David Flanagan's Definitive Guide, read / watched Crockford, read tutorials here (several by Saki, et al), stepped through code, repeat. Some of it didn't make sense first go around. I pick up a little more on subsequent reads. If you come from a computer background (I didn't) or have a least half a brain (apparently I don't :"> ) , then maybe you'll pick it up first go around. ;)

[djfiii]

Loosely related to this topic, but are there any tutorials floating around here on using firebug? I know it's not EXT's problem but given the heavy javascript use, I'm guessing everyone here is pretty good with it. I use it to see exactly what data is going back and forth via HTTP requests / responses and such, and that's very helpful, but it seems like there is a lot more functionality that I'm not familiar with (breakpoints for one).

[mjlecomte]

Loosely related to this topic, but are there any tutorials floating around here on using firebug? I know it's not EXT's problem but given the heavy javascript use, I'm guessing everyone here is pretty good with it. I use it to see exactly what data is going back and forth via HTTP requests / responses and such, and that's very helpful, but it seems like there is a lot more functionality that I'm not familiar with (breakpoints for one).

http://extjs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31411

You can use Fiddler for watching communication as well.