Chapter 4. Preparation

A good preparation phase is a crucial step in creating simple, efficient scripts. Before writing a single line of code, you must make many decisions, most importantly about the cooperation between the HTML and CSS on the one hand and the JavaScript on the other. You also must know how to insert scripts in your HTML pages, and how to make sure they run at the right time.

The purpose of the preparation phase is to fix the basic outline of your scripts in your head (or on paper, or in a document, whatever works best for you). If you already know the rough shape your script is going to take, your actual coding hours can be spent on detail decisions and problems. Conversely, if you don't prepare, you might find after a few days of frantic coding that your fundamental approach is wrong or too complicated, and that you have to start all over again.

Don't skimp on the preparation phase! Even on a tight deadline in a chaotic project when using a few hours without coding a single line seems a waste of time, a good preparation will save you a lot of extra work a few days down the line.