JavaScript validation and troubleshooting

- We can't talk about JavaScript without addressing the enormous woolly mammoth in the room. When you write JavaScript, you will make errors, and when you do, it's not always easy to figure out what exactly is amiss. In this chapter, we'll address two tools that will help you write better JavaScript and figure out what's wrong when something inevitably does go wrong. First up, we'll look at validation tools and delinters. These tools go through your code key by key and line by line to make sure you're following the rules and are not making mistakes that come back to bite you in the leg later.

They're great, they're useful, and they are unnecessarily opinionated. So no matter how meticulous you are in your code, it will tell you to throw everything away and go build a log cabin in the forest instead. Not to worry. I'll walk you through the process and show you what matters and what can be ignored. Next, we'll take a tour of the bug testing tools in the browser console. Knowing how to use these tools to debug your code will make your life a lot easier anytime something goes left when it's supposed to go right.

Finally, to wrap things up, I'll give you some quick and dirty tips on how to troubleshoot your own code and keep track of what you're doing as you're doing it so you can catch errors before they become huge problems. Knowing how to sort out JavaScript issues in the key to mastering this language, so let's make sure you have all the tools you need.