In our last course, we learned about loops to repeat actions. But what if we want to reuse entire chunks of code across different parts of our program?
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Have you ever wished you could copy-paste code but make it smarter?
That's where functions come in! A function is a named block of code that you can write once and then "call" (or run) whenever you need it. Think of it like creating a custom shortcut for a series of steps.
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What would you name a function that prints a welcome message?
Functions help us avoid writing the same code over and over again. This is a core programming principle called DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself). It makes our code cleaner, more organized, and easier to update.
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Can you think of any repetitive tasks in your daily life?
Here's how you define a function in JavaScript. You use the function keyword, followed by a name you choose, parentheses (), and a block of code inside curly braces {}.
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Notice how the curly braces group the function's code?
Let's create our first function! This one will print a simple greeting:
