I am a java-programmer and a few months ago I discover frontend programming with javascript and html, and it is absolutely cool. So here is a js newbie’s question.
Is there any IDE, default workflow or maybe best practices for javascript libs development? I didn’t mean coverage and unit testing or something like this. I mean is there any tools or techniques which should I use while developing html control with some js-logic, for example? Should I write small test page in text editor and open it in dozen of browsers pressing F5 each minute and watching at browser’s console or maybe there is some magic IDE which will on button press reload all browser instances and collect reports from browsers?
JavaScript Fundamentals
Be sure that you know the language. JavaScript is a bit tricky in this regard: you can easily think that you understand the language, but there are weird things that can sneak up on you. I highly recommend JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford. He also has some talks on Youtube with the same name that are definitively worth watching.
JSLint
Integrate JSLint or a similar tool in your workflow. It is a style checker and static analysis tool for Javascript and helps catching subtle bugs.
Avoiding F5
Check out live.js:
Browser Developer Tools
Get familiar with them. I personally strongly prefer Chrome’s developer tools over Firefox/Firebug, but regardless which one you choose, learn how to use the debugger.
Node.js
You should also be aware that you don’t have to test Javascript logic in your browser: you can use it as any other scripting language using node.js.