[Jgrubb]

> I just assumed the person I was replying to was complaining about document.getElementById('whatever') (etc.) vs $('#whatever')

Actually that is what I was referring to. I must not have given TypeScript enough of a shake. I couldn't find the section in the early tutorial that showed me that sugar, and I also couldn't figure out how the typing stuff would help me working with a bunch of network-y type apps. Obviously this is my own failing. Inspired now to give it another shot, so thanks.

[smt88]

It's entirely my own fault, but this has been a really muddled conversation.

When I mentioned TypeScript, I only meant that it (and other languages that compile to JavaScript, like Go) is a better syntax overall. I didn't actually mean that it helps with DOM selection/manipulation.

So if you want short DOM syntax, I'd suggest using vanilla ES6[1] with polyfills, and then figure out what's really wasting your time. Then, you can write your own sugar for it.

In my opinion, document.getElementById is something that you end up writing a lot and is really long, but with autocomplete in a good IDE, it's not a big deal. Plus, any JS developer who sees it will know exactly what it does and what it returns.

1. https://babeljs.io