Here are the pros & cons of the three options in the way you can write javascript these days.
- Hand code everything:
- Write all javascript code from scratch.
- Deal directly with browser compatibility issues.
- Very flexible (upto the point, you can decide on the name of your temporary variable ;) ).
- Use Generic Utilities:
You get/download the generic javascript utilities written by others (friends, fellow developers), & with little customization use them in your applications.
- Saves some time to get things working.
- Browser compatibility issues may be taken care by the generic utilities
- You should deal with the customization errors
- Flexible, until you are faced with a bug/error which was not faced by the person who created the utility. (Could be because your application required slightly different behavior)
- Use Javascript Toolkits/Frameworks:
Use the popular javascript toolkits available on internet (for free). Some of the widely used toolkits are jQuery, prototype, YUI, dojo, etc.,
- Download & use directly in your applications. As simple as including a js file & start using all the wide range of features provided.
- Little/No javascript experience required.
- Provides ready to use UI widgets. (like Plug & Play)
- Provides AJAX facilities
- Browser compatibility is no more an issue. All toolkits takes care of these internally.
- Flexibility is less: If you want to change anything for your taste, understanding & changing the core code is time consuming.
- Most of these toolkits provide a way for developer to extend & create your own widgets
As we can see, using javascript toolkits is the best option.
In my next article, we'll look into each of these toolkits & compare them.
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