25 Game Changing Java Script Tools

UNLOCK THE POWER OF YOUR DESIGN

Code Quality

1 TypeScript

typescriptlang.org

A common issue for new JavaScript developers is its dynamic typing system. A variable type can be inferred at runtime but will have no restriction as to what type it can be in the future.

Dynamic typing can be useful in creating patterns, but how useful that is depends on the project. TypeScript aims to bring a declarative style of programming by typing variables where developers feel it makes sense.

Type annotations appear where a variable is defined. With objects, interfaces define the structure of an object and the type becomes a reference to that interface. These can be extended to create easily customised objects.

TypeScript uses experimental JavaScript syntax as part of its system. Decorators, for example, are functions that apply themselves to a class, method or property that provide repeatable functionality. These can save duplication in a project.

It also compiles existing syntax such as classes, modules and arrow functions into valid ES3 or ES5. This can be customised to the browsers targeted within each project. When browsers can natively support these features, TypeScript can be instructed to keep them, making the resulting code perform better.

TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, so provides benefits to the language without changing its structure. As a result, any JavaScript is valid TypeScript and any of its features used are completely optional.

2 ESLint

eslint.org

Linting is a type of static code analysis that can be performed on a project to check for any script that is likely to break or does not match the preferred style for the project. ESLint can check JavaScript for common mistakes, in addition to following popular pre-defined sets of rules from companies such as Google and Airbnb.

3 Prettier

prettier.io