Hello everyone! I’ve been working with web design tools like Figma and Framer lately. Framer is this visual website builder that doesn’t require any coding knowledge - you can create entire sites just by dragging and dropping elements.
The thing is, when I want to add more complex interactions or custom functionality, I run into limitations. Framer has this thing called Code Overrides where you can write JavaScript to handle advanced features that the visual editor can’t do.
This got me thinking - would it be okay to learn JavaScript first and start using it in Framer right away? Or should I go through HTML and CSS fundamentals before attempting to learn JavaScript? I’m curious about what approach would work best for someone in my situation.
You can definitely learn JavaScript independently, especially given your specific use case with Framer. Since you’re already familiar with visual design tools and understand how web elements work conceptually, jumping straight into JavaScript for Code Overrides makes practical sense.
I started learning JavaScript for a similar reason - needed to add custom functionality to a no-code platform. While I eventually learned HTML and CSS later, having that immediate practical application kept me motivated and helped concepts stick better.
The main thing you’ll miss initially is understanding how JavaScript interacts with DOM elements, but Framer abstracts most of that away anyway. You’ll pick up the fundamentals of variables, functions, and logic which are universal programming concepts.
Once you get comfortable with JavaScript basics in Framer, you can always circle back to HTML and CSS if you want to expand into traditional web development. Starting with what you need right now is perfectly valid.
honestly yeah you can totaly skip html/css for now. javascript is just a programming language at its core - variables, loops, functions etc.
since your already using framer and understand the visual side, diving into JS for code overrides makes sense. you’ll learn faster when you can see immediate results in your projects rather than doing boring tutorials.
just focus on the basics first - how to manipulate data and handle events. thats probably 80% of what you’ll need for framer anyway.
Yes, it’s absolutely possible to study JavaScript independently from HTML and CSS, particularly in your situation. I took a similar path when I needed to add custom animations to a drag-and-drop builder about two years ago.
The key advantage is that you already understand the visual aspects through Figma and Framer, so you’re not starting completely blind. JavaScript as a programming language has its own logic and syntax that exists separately from web markup. You’ll learn variables, functions, conditionals, and loops - all concepts that apply whether you’re working in Framer’s Code Overrides or any other JavaScript environment.
What helped me was focusing on the specific JavaScript features I needed for my immediate goals rather than trying to learn everything at once. In your case, you’ll probably be working with event handlers, data manipulation, and maybe some API calls for Framer’s functionality.
The only downside is you might occasionally encounter references to DOM manipulation in tutorials, but most modern JavaScript learning resources cover the language fundamentals separately from browser-specific features anyway.