Tag Archives: ES6

Are you an experienced software developer? Well, unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard at least once that you should learn more about JavaScript to remain relevant as a developer. You may have even heard the phrase “Modern JavaScript Development” tossed about like knowing what that means is just common knowledge. But is it? I don’t think so.

I am very happy to announce that a new Trailhead module I have been working on called, Modern JavaScript Development was just released. It is part of a new trail called Learn to Work with JavaScript. This trail not only features my module, but one written by the fabulous developer Evangelist, Peter Chittum that was released in September called JavaScript Skills for Salesforce Developers.

My module was written specifically for Trailblazers that only have a basic understanding of the syntax and features of JavaScript ES5. And if you don’t know what I mean by ES5, then it is also for you. Basically, if you have ever copied some JavaScript and maybe not understood everything it does, then this module is for you. Along with the one that Peter wrote.

And here are just some of the things you will learn in this module:

• Describe the current state of JavaScript development.
• Describe the difference between function and block scoping.
• Recognize shorthand ES6+ syntax used to initialize variables.
• Identify the new destructuring syntax used to separate data.
• Identify the backtick character used to create template literals.
• Recognize the fat arrow syntax for functions.
• Explain why defining optional parameters in ES6+ results in cleaner code.
• Describe the different uses for the ‘…’ operator.
• Explain what’s different about how you create and invoke classes in ES6+.
• Recognize the basic syntax and different importing styles used to define modules.
• Demonstrate how asynchronous calls can be chained together using promises.
• Demonstrate how an async function can be used to call a promise.
• Identify the different elements used in a Jasmine testing script.
• Create a simple Jasmine test suite and run it stand-alone.

Sound exciting? I hope so. And I hope you find the module useful. There is an awful lot that can be said about Modern JavaScript Development and ES6 specifically, but I tried to boil it down to just the most important things I thought you should be aware of.

And finally, if you want to learn even more about JavaScript and Salesforce, you should also check out Dan Appleman’s FREE Pluralsight course called Getting Started with JavaScript in Salesforce.