DEV Community

Cover image for Building a Simple Unit Converter with JavaScript
Peggy Ou
Peggy Ou

Posted on • Edited on

Building a Simple Unit Converter with JavaScript

Hey guys! I want to share a fun coding project I worked on: a simple unit converter using JavaScript. It's a handy tool that allows users to convert various units like length, fuel economy, and digital storage.

To begin, we define conversion functions for each category. For example, to convert length units, we have functions like kmToMilesEl and milesToKmEl. These functions handle the actual calculations behind the conversions. Similarly, we have conversion functions for fuel economy and digital storage.

the declared functions for each category

Next, we create a JavaScript object called conversions to store these functions, categorized by their respective units. This object serves as our "conversion dictionary". When a user selects a category, we retrieve the appropriate conversion functions from the conversions object.

JavaScript objects with the stored functions

Now, let's talk about the user interface (aka UI). We use HTML and CSS to create an intuitive interface with dropdown menus, input fields, and result displays. The JavaScript code handles the interaction between the interface and the conversion logic. When a user selects a category or modifies the input values, the code updates the UI accordingly with the converted result.

HTML/CSS code for styling the converter

To make it even more user-friendly, we've added features like pressing the Enter key to trigger the conversion and dynamically updating the conversion units based on the selected category.

With just a few lines of code, we've created a functional unit converter. Feel free to customize it, add more categories or units, and tailor it to your specific needs.

Happy coding!

GitHub Repo

Top comments (2)

Collapse
 
mpfdev profile image
Matheus πŸ‡§πŸ‡·

Great post with a clear and concise explanation of how to build a unit converter.

Thanks for sharing!

Collapse
 
ant_f_dev profile image
Anthony Fung

Hi Peggy.

Nice overview - thanks for sharing. Looks like a cool project!