Getting Started with Typescript

TypeScript is a robust, portable JavaScript programming language that operates as a superset of JavaScript. As a superset of JavaScript, it is commonly used by programmers who are interested in developing larger applications. With both client-side and server-side functionality, TypeScript makes it easier for developers to work on larger volumes of code. The core of TypeScript is its optional static typing.

What are Typescript Features?

As mentioned, TypeScript is essentially JavaScript. JavaScript programmers should be able to move seamlessly into using TypeScript with little preparation and training, but they are going to need to learn more about TypeScript if they want to truly take advantage of the features that TypeScript adds.

• Object-oriented code for client-side and server-side development. Programmers gain access to interfaces, classes, inheritance, and modules, which allows them to hit the ground running during development.
• Support for JavaScript libraries. Whether implementing TypeScript or other JavaScript libraries, everything can be ported directly into TypeScript without any further modification with a database access tool.
• Like JavaScript, TypeScript is fully portable. Thus, TypeScript has many of the advantages that JavaScript does. It's platform agnostic and can be used in many ways with thorough community support.
• With JavaScript, developers may not know that there are errors in their code because it is not a compiled language. But TypeScript is compiled, which means that any errors will be highlighted before the code is run.
• Strong typing or static typing. And, of course, TypeScript is meant to do primarily one thing, provide for optional static typing or strong typing. This makes it far easier for developers to deploy complex code faster.

Because TypeScript is so robust for larger platforms and development, many JavaScript programmers may prefer to move their systems over to TypeScript. TypeScript can compile JavaScript without any modifications. Of course, there are some downsides, too. TypeScript is heavier weight than JavaScript, so it may not be feasible for lightweight projects or projects that are being completed on-the-fly. While TypeScript never hurts a project, there may be times when it is unnecessary.

What are the Typescript Components?

JavaScript is an interpreted language, so developers seldom need to do anything but produce their files and have a web browser or similar interpret it. TypeScript has more components. The TypeScript components are:

• The language itself. This is JavaScript with some add-ons. Because JavaScript is used, pure JavaScript can be compiled by TypeScript. TypeScript only adds to JavaScript, it does not subtract. This is part of what makes it such an easy to learn and robust language.
• The compiler. The compiler of TypeScript ensures that the script has been programmed correctly. Rather than finding errors upon actually running the code, programmers are able to find errors when the documents are compiled.
• Language services. This service provides some typical editor features such as suggestions and syntax highlighting, which further help developers start programming very quickly.

These TypeScript components are fairly simple and easy to use especially with experienced JavaScript developers. Getting started in TypeScript should not be hard for those who have already programmed in JavaScript before; the only things to learn are the new object-oriented functionality and the static typing.

How to Install Typescript

TypeScript can be installed via NPM by running "NPM install typescript –save-dev." It can also be installed with Visual Studio through Nuget through the Packages Manager Console or through the TypeScript Visual Extension. You can look up a video if you need to know more about how to install TypeScript.

Of course, TypeScript isn't just a client-side language but also a server-side language. This is how to install TypeScript for development, but it will also need to be installed server-side if it is going to compile server-side code. This would need to be installed on the server itself by the server administrator.

What are Typescript Best Practices?

• Determine whether you need TypeScript. For fast, small deployments, you may not need to compile TypeScript code. TypeScript excels at larger programs.
• Always enable strict configuration. As mentioned, TypeScript can be used just like JavaScript. But there's really no advantage to that. Typing is exactly what TypeScript is best at. Enable strict configuration to fully utilize the features that are provided by TypeScript.
• Let the compiler infer typing. Usually, the compiler itself is going to know the best typing for any given declaration. Let the compiler figure out typing for you rather than trying to manually type your objects. The compiler will figure out the most accurate specifications.
• Call functions with objects. Taking a parameter as an object makes more sense when using functions that have a lot of parameters of the same type, and it can produce code that is cleaner and easier to read.
• Don't use bind. Bind is going to return "any" and there is no type check. Use an arrow function rather than using bind when writing in TypeScript.