Do javascript statements end with a period?

Example

let x, y, z;    // Statement 1
x = 5;          // Statement 2
y = 6;          // Statement 3
z = x + y;      // Statement 4

Try it Yourself »

JavaScript Programs

A computer program is a list of "instructions" to be "executed" by a computer.

In a programming language, these programming instructions are called statements.

A JavaScript program is a list of programming statements.

In HTML, JavaScript programs are executed by the web browser.

JavaScript Statements

JavaScript statements are composed of:

Values, Operators, Expressions, Keywords, and Comments.

This statement tells the browser to write "Hello Dolly." inside an HTML element with id="demo":

Example

document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "Hello Dolly.";

Try it Yourself »

Most JavaScript programs contain many JavaScript statements.

The statements are executed, one by one, in the same order as they are written.

JavaScript programs (and JavaScript statements) are often called JavaScript code.

Semicolons ;

Semicolons separate JavaScript statements.

Add a semicolon at the end of each executable statement:

Examples

let a, b, c;  // Declare 3 variables
a = 5;        // Assign the value 5 to a
b = 6;        // Assign the value 6 to b
c = a + b;    // Assign the sum of a and b to c

Try it Yourself »

When separated by semicolons, multiple statements on one line are allowed:

On the web, you might see examples without semicolons.
Ending statements with semicolon is not required, but highly recommended.

JavaScript White Space

JavaScript ignores multiple spaces. You can add white space to your script to make it more readable.

The following lines are equivalent:

let person = "Hege";
let person="Hege";

A good practice is to put spaces around operators ( = + - * / ):

JavaScript Line Length and Line Breaks

For best readability, programmers often like to avoid code lines longer than 80 characters.

If a JavaScript statement does not fit on one line, the best place to break it is after an operator:

JavaScript Code Blocks

JavaScript statements can be grouped together in code blocks, inside curly brackets {...}.

The purpose of code blocks is to define statements to be executed together.

One place you will find statements grouped together in blocks, is in JavaScript functions:

Example

function myFunction() {
  document.getElementById("demo1").innerHTML = "Hello Dolly!";
  document.getElementById("demo2").innerHTML = "How are you?";
}

Try it Yourself »

In this tutorial we use 2 spaces of indentation for code blocks.
You will learn more about functions later in this tutorial.

JavaScript Keywords

JavaScript statements often start with a keyword to identify the JavaScript action to be performed.

Our Reserved Words Reference lists all JavaScript keywords.

Here is a list of some of the keywords you will learn about in this tutorial:

JavaScript keywords are reserved words. Reserved words cannot be used as names for variables.

Welcome to the Treehouse Community

The Treehouse Community is a meeting place for developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels to get support. Collaborate here on code errors or bugs that you need feedback on, or asking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project. Join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today. (Note: Only Treehouse students can comment or ask questions, but non-students are welcome to browse our conversations.)

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and a supportive community. Start your free trial today.

I thought it was the '>' which was being used to close the tag for Javascript. Could someone please explain the closing tag for Javascript? Thank you, Aaron!

1 Answer

What do JavaScript statements end with?

What character ends a JavaScript statement?

What is period used for in JavaScript?

What is a JavaScript statement give an example?