Front-end
The 'doctype' declaration is an instruction to the web browser about what version of HTML the page is written in. It stands for "Document Type Declaration" and is actually a prerequisite for HTML documents that tells the browser how to interpret the content. While it doesn't specify a version per se (such as HTML 4.01 or XHTML), in modern HTML (HTML5), the declaration is simplified to just <!DOCTYPE html>, asserting that the document should be processed as HTML5, the current standard.
To create a hyperlink in HTML, you indeed use the anchor (<a>) element, combined with an href (hypertext reference) attribute that specifies the destination URL.
For example:
<a href="https://www.example.com">Click here to visit Example.com</a>
This markup creates a clickable text that says "Click here to visit Example.com". When a user clicks on this link, they will be directed to the specified URL (https://www.example.com).
You've probably noticed a declaration before the tag in an HTML page. The element in HTML is used to tell the browser what version of HTML is being used in the page. This document type declaration is called (DTD).
The doctype declaration varies depending on the HTML version.
Either getElementById or querySelector may be used to obtain a DOM node. Then, by calling .childNodes you may receive all of its children (note: childNodes does not return an Array, but a NodeList). To traverse the DOM, you can iterate through the childNodes by calling childNodes on each one of them. You may retrace your steps by looking at the parentNode of any node.
Some significant disadvantages of using CSS preprocessors are:
Synchronous methods: Synchronous functions prevent the application from running until the file operation is completed. Blocking functions is another name for these functions. The last argument in synchronous methods is File Descriptor. A file descriptor is a reference to files that have been opened. It's a number or a file reference id returned after using the fs module's fs.open() function to open the file. By putting "Sync" to the function name, all asynchronous methods may be made to run synchronously.
Asynchronous functions do not stall the program's execution, and each instruction is performed after the one before it, even if the prior command hasn't computed the result. The preceding command keeps running in the background until it is complete and then loads the result. As a result, these functions are referred to as non-blocking functions. The last parameter expected is a callback function. Asynchronous functions are often favored over synchronous functions because they do not prevent the program from running until it has completed processing, whereas synchronous functions do.
Load balancing is a way of allocating and processing requests across several devices rather than a single device. This guarantees that the load is distributed efficiently and does not rely on a single location.
Round Robin is the most often utilized load balancing technique. The requests are dispersed over a collection of servers in this approach. The algorithm distributes requests to the servers and then returns to the top to restart the process.
The right use of HTML to reinforce the meaning of material on a web page, rather than only specify its look, is known as semantic HTML.
Search engines, screen readers, and other user devices can employ semantically valid HTML to assess the importance and context of web content. Appropriate HTML components are chosen based on their intrinsic meaning rather than how they seem aesthetically on a produced web page in order to reflect the essence of information effectively.
When one element's layout, window size, or other properties are altered, the position of all subsequent elements changes as well. This, in turn, impacts the page's flow, which is referred to as reflow.
You may avoid reflow by using the following methods:
No, window.onload and document.onload are not fired simultaneously. When the DOM is ready, Document.onload is called. This can happen before or after the pictures, scripts, and other information have been loaded.
Window.onload, on the other hand, is only invoked after the DOM is fully loaded and ready with all content, including images, scripts, and CSS.
In HTML, both the 'id' and 'class' attributes are used to identify HTML elements for styling with CSS, manipulation with JavaScript, or for general organization of the document structure. Here are the key differences:
The 'id' attribute is used to provide a unique identifier to an HTML element. It must be unique within the whole document, meaning that no two elements should have the same 'id' value. In contrast, the 'class' attribute can be shared across multiple elements. Multiple elements can have the same 'class' value, allowing for group styling and selection.
Because 'id' is unique, when it is used with JavaScript methods like getElementById(), it will only return one element. On the contrary, when 'class' names are used with methods like getElementsByClassName(), it returns a collection of elements and additional steps may be necessary to work with individual elements.
Moreover, the 'id' is also used as a fragment identifier in URLs. For instance, appending #uniqueElement to the URL would scroll the page to the element with that 'id'.
The box model in CSS defines how elements are structured with content, padding, borders, and margins. It consists of four parts: content, padding, border, and margin. The total width or height of an element is calculated by adding these components together. The CSS box model is a fundamental concept in web design and layout that describes how every element on a web page is modeled as a rectangular box.
Horizontal centering of an element in CSS can be achieved in several ways, depending on the layout and structure of the HTML elements. One of the most classic techniques, as mentioned, is to use auto margins with a defined width for block-level elements.
Here is an example:
.center-element {
margin-left: auto;
margin-right: auto;
width: 50%; /* or any fixed width */
}
This technique works well with block-level elements that have a width less than their container's width.
let, const, and var are all used to declare variables in JavaScript, but they have different scopes and behaviors:
var: It is the oldest keyword for declaring variables, introduced in ES5 (older JavaScript standard). It can be either function-scoped or globally scoped if declared outside of a function. Variables declared with var are hoisted to the top of their scope, meaning the variable can be used before its declaration. This behavior can lead to unexpected outcomes, which is why var is often avoided in modern JavaScript.
Example:
function example() {
if (true) {
var x = 5;
}
console.log(x); // Output: 5, x is accessible here due to function scoping
}
let: Introduced in ES6 (ECMAScript 2015), it provides block-level scoping, which means a variable declared with let can only be accessed within the block it was defined in. let also allows the variable to be reassigned.
Example:
function example() {
if (true) {
var x = 5;
}
console.log(x); // Output: 5, x is accessible here due to function scoping
}
const: Also introduced in ES6, const is similar to let in terms of block scoping, but it is used to create constants — values that cannot be reassigned once set. It's important to note that objects and arrays declared with const can still have their properties or items modified; it's only the reassignment of the variable itself that's disallowed.
Examples:
function example() {
const pi = 3.14;
pi = 1; // Uncaught TypeError: Assignment to constant variable.
}
In JavaScript, comments are used to annotate the code, adding descriptions or explanations that are not executed by the browser. There are two types of comments in JavaScript:
Single-Line Comments: You can create a single-line comment by using two forward slash characters (//). Everything following // on the same line will be treated as a comment and ignored during execution.
Example:
// This is a single-line comment.
let x = 5; // This is another single-line comment.
Multi-Line Comments: For longer comments that span multiple lines, you use the /* to begin the comment and / to end it. Everything between / and */ will be treated as a comment.
Example:
/* This is a
multi-line comment.
*/
It's important to note that single-line comments can't be nested, and multi-line comments should be used carefully to avoid accidentally commenting out essential parts of the code or unbalancing comment delimiters.
In JavaScript, data types broadly categorize the kind of data values that can be stored and manipulated within the language. They are classified into two main categories: primitive types and reference (or complex) types.
In JavaScript, the Array.isArray() method is the most reliable way to determine whether a variable is an array. This is because arrays in JavaScript are a specialized kind of object, and using other methods, such as checking the variable's type with typeof, will simply return 'object' rather than 'array'. Here's an example of using Array.isArray():
let myVariable = [1, 2, 3];
if (Array.isArray(myVariable)) {
console.log('myVariable is an Array!');
} else {
console.log('myVariable is not an Array.');
}
'NaN', standing for "Not-a-Number", is a special value in JavaScript that is part of the Number data type. It arises as a result of an operation that doesn't result in a well-defined numerical outcome. This could be because of an invalid mathematical operation or a failed attempt to convert a non-numeric value to a number.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the foundational protocol used for transmitting data on the web—specifically, it governs the communication between web browsers and servers. It is a stateless protocol, meaning it doesn't retain any information about previous web sessions. HTTP's major drawback is that the data is not encrypted, making it vulnerable to eavesdropping, interception, and man-in-the-middle attacks. When data is sent or received via HTTP, it's in plaintext, which could potentially expose sensitive information to unauthorized parties.
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), on the other hand, includes a layer of security through the use of SSL/TLS (Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security) encryption. This cryptographic protocol creates an encrypted link between the user's browser and the server, ensuring that all data transmitted is unreadable to anyone except for the recipient. HTTPS is critical for maintaining data integrity and protecting the privacy and security of user information—especially in transactions involving sensitive data such as login credentials, payment information, and personal data.
While HTTP and HTTPS perform the same basic function—transmitting data over the web—HTTPS provides a secure transport layer through encryption that protects the data from eavesdroppers, making it the preferred choice for nearly all web communication today.
The 'meta' tag in HTML is used to provide metadata about the document such as character encoding ('charset'), viewport settings for responsive design, authorship information, and more. It's not displayed on the web page but provides important information to browsers and search engines.
Responsive design is an approach to web design aimed at creating web pages that provide an optimal viewing and interaction experience across a wide range of devices. It involves ensuring that a website is easily navigable and readable on different screen sizes, from large desktop monitors to the smallest mobile phones.
Users can clear their browser cache through the browser's settings or preferences. As a developer, you can't directly clear a user's cache, but you can use techniques like cache busting to ensure users receive updated assets.
DNS, or Domain Name System, is often referred to as the "phone book of the internet." It plays a pivotal role in web development by translating human-readable domain names (such as www.example.com) into machine-readable IP addresses (like 192.0.2.1). This process, known as DNS resolution, allows users to access websites using easy-to-remember names rather than numeric IP addresses. When a user enters a web address in their browser, the DNS system is queried to find the corresponding IP address for that domain name.
Media queries are a feature of CSS that became a cornerstone of responsive design with the introduction of CSS3. They allow developers to conditionally apply CSS styles based on the media type (such as screen or print) and specific characteristics of the user's device, primarily the viewport size.
Media queries consist of a media type and can include one or more expressions, which can evaluate to either true or false. When the expressions evaluate as true, the corresponding block of CSS rules are applied to the document. Commonly used expressions are related to viewport dimensions (width, height), device orientation (orientation), and resolution (resolution).
The float property in CSS originates from the intent to allow elements to behave like inline blocks around which text could wrap, similar to images in a magazine layout. For example, float: left; would cause an element to shift to the left side of its containing element, allowing text and inline elements to flow around its right side.
While the primary use of float was to wrap text around images, it was also widely repurposed by web developers to create entire web layouts. However, this sometimes led to complex and fragile CSS code, as floats weren't initially meant for structured layout purposes.
The inline and inline-block display properties in CSS dictate how elements are formatted within a document.
inline:
inline-block:
In practice, inline-block elements are block-level elements that flow just like inline elements, which gives them the utility of both layout forms. Before flexbox and grid became widely used, inline-block was a popular choice for creating complex, horizontally-aligned layouts that required fine-grained control over the size and spacing of individual elements.
You can vertically align an element by using the 'display: flex;' property on its parent and setting 'align-items: center;' to vertically center the child elements. Alternatively, you can use the 'vertical-align' property for inline or inline-block elements within their container.
Flexbox makes vertical centering straightforward. To vertically align an element within a flex container, you would indeed set display: flex; on the parent and use align-items: center; for the children elements.
While the vertical-align property is specifically used for inline or inline-block elements, and it aligns the content inside a line box or a cell in a table. Note that vertical-align does not apply to block-level elements and shouldn't be used to vertically center block-level elements in a container.
CSS preprocessors like SASS and LESS are powerful tools that introduce programming constructs into CSS, which is a stylesheet language that was originally designed to be simple and straightforward but lacks some of the nuanced capabilities found in programming languages. Preprocessors process code written in the preprocessor's language and compile it into standard CSS code so that browsers can render it.
Front-end development is an ever-evolving field that challenges both seasoned professionals and fresh faces in the industry to stay current with the latest technologies, best practices, and emerging trends. The questions and answers provided in this blog aim to give you a taste of the depth of knowledge required to excel as a front-end developer in 2024.
For the developers, these insights are a way to gauge your learning curve, discover areas that need focus, and prepare for interviews with confidence. For the hiring managers, these questions help in identifying candidates who not only have the technical skills but also the critical thinking and problem-solving abilities necessary for creating cutting-edge web solutions.
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