Getting it right from the start - new programmers
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2009-08-17 07:02:08 - Graham EllisFrom yesterday's "Learning to Program in Python" - an example of splitting your program into manageable chunks, which is SO IMPORTANT with regard to testing and ongoing maintenance that we introduce the subject even on that first day, with some of the early elements of the language.
from utilz import *
# Modular programming!
celc1 = gettemper()
celc2 = gettemper()
current = celc1
while current < celc2:
faren = ctof(current)
reporton(faren)
current = current + 10.0Our programming course customers have two distinct backgrounds:
• There are those who know a bit about programming and are looking to convert their skills from C to Perl, from VB to PHP or from Shell Scripts to Python - and for them, courses such as Perl Programming, PHP Programming or Python Programming are correct and appropriate.
• There are those who have not programmed before / rusty / never had any programming training, for whom topics such as "what is a variable", "how does a conditional work" and "why should I structure my code / how should I plan to do so" are vitally important. For such delegates, typically coming on the courses to make a major change / advance in what they do, an extra lead-in day to help get them established with the subject, comfortable with some of the basics more gently covered, is a great advantage. And they're often happy to come down a day ahead of the normal week's course to get that extra advantage. Certainly, yesterday with two delegates on learning to program in Python was a great success - 'rave reviews' of what we are doing and how we did it from both students, on what is typically a group of a handful of people, in our quiet location, with the ability to learn anew without disturbance.
See here for a table of courses - the languages we teach, and the "programming in ..." and "learning to program in ..." courses for each.