TypeScript is the first programming language I’ve used that requires a high amount of detail. The programming languages I’ve used in the past, such as Python and C, felt much more basic. Although it requires a lot more coding upfront, the bugs and errors you avoid make it worth using. The use of static typing has made debugging easier and prevents a lot of backtracking when it comes to fixing errors. Compared to JavaScript, it feels stricter and more demanding, but those limits will save me time in the long run.
Before this module, I wasn’t sure how TypeScript would compare to JavaScript. With JavaScript, the formatting reminded me of C. The way you declare variables, functions, if-statements, and loops looked almost the same. TypeScript has a similar formatting to Java but changes the user’s experience by forcing you to use static typing. This means you have to declare each variable in order for your program to use it. From a software engineering perspective, this is very helpful since it allows you to discover bugs before they ruin your code. In one of the intro to TypeScript videos I watched, I saw an interesting quote:
“Would you rather have silly errors during development or insanity-inducing errors in production?”
In the past two weeks, the practice WODs have done a good job of creating a stressful environment. Normally with coding assignments, I take a while to think about the problem. When I have eight minutes or less, the pressure is on and I don’t think as clearly as I normally would. The repeated attempts from these practice WODs have slightly improved my coding habits under pressure. Even after running through them several times, I still feel pressure trying to complete the tasks, so I wouldn’t call them fun. Although it’s stressful, this style of learning is a good form of practice for coding interview questions.
A huge benefit of TypeScript I hadn’t thought of until recently was how it improves collaboration. If you want to share code with other users, the static typing format will make it easier to understand. It’s clear what the program wants the user to enter and what the user will get back. When the time comes to work on a group project, there will be fewer misunderstandings and the chances of encountering bugs will be reduced. The error messages in TypeScript are very clear and descriptive, so group members will be able to identify what went wrong. In a professional environment where multiple software engineers contribute to the same codebase, this clarity will save hours of frustration.
Used ChatGPT for formatting and grammar