Learning to code : part 2
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In last week’s post I outlined what I wanted to learn, why I wanted to learn it and what I will use to learn it. This 'it' is of course HTML and CSS. This week I will cover what I've found challenging, tips and tricks I’ve discovered as I have progressed and the enjoyment I am getting out of learning HTML and CSS
Challenges
Typing: Like every computer language HTML and CSS use characters that aren’t used in everyday typing. Getting used to reaching for <, >, {, }, ;, :, /, etc was a little tricky but soon became second-nature with practice.
Spelling: The biggest challenge was not being lazy. Normally when I type I let Autocorrect capitalize and correct my spelling for me. You can’t do this with programming. You need to be very exact. If you want to use the Garamond font it won’t work. If you spell something in Canadian English - it won't work, you have to use the American spelling. All this took a little getting used to and made me think that this must be even harder for someone who doesn’t even speak english!
Tips and Tricks:
Speak and Spell: I found it very helpful to speak aloud the HTML tags as I typed (in my head of course, so as to not drive my room mate crazy). This helped me to cement the required structure in my brain. For example:
<a href=“http://machine/htbin/imagemap/sample”> (Specifies a link destination). I would say as I typed: "Left-angle bracket, a href equals open quote the url end quote right angle bracket."
Repetition: Don’t cheat. Coding can be very repetitive and sometimes you’ll have the urge to copy and paste your previous code. Until what you are doing becomes second-nature, take the time and type it all out.
Multiple Sources: I found that using the book and an interactive website is a great method of learning. The book covers more content and goes further into detail while the interactive website re-enforces what you’ve read. I’ve found that reading the book at night and letting the information percolate overnight really helped when using Codecademy on my lunch break or later on the next day.
Enjoyment
When I first started out I didn’t think that I would find HTML/CSS so enjoyable. The real pleasure comes from seeing what I've created. Even though right now I can only create pages that look like they are from the 90’s, it is immensely satisfying to write a couple lines of code and see the results instantly.
To my surprise, a good portion of my enjoyment comes from the process of setting up an HTML document and laying out a page. The process is oddly calming. I believe it has to do the the exacting detail that is required: the indenting of code that makes it easier to read, the precise wording that is required etc., Everything has its place and everything has its own function.
Another area where I didn’t expect to get to such enjoyment was with the ritual of sitting down to code. My ritual includes some good coffee (or if its later in the day something a little stronger), a comfortable sweater and some good music. I’ve found music that has minimal lyrics and flows from one song to the next works best. Chilly Gonzales - Solo Piano and Solo Piano 2 have become my go to music.
As mentioned above, currently I can only produce webpages that look like 90's throwbacks or MySpace memorials at best. I am very eager to get deeper into CSS which will allow to style pages to match today's design trends. My end goal is to be able to produce a personal webpage to document my travels in the past/upcoming year. My BHAG (big harry audacious goal) would be to create a Shopify Theme from scratch. I would use this theme in an future e-commerce venture that I have been brainstorming for a little while now.
What tips and tricks do you have? Post them in the comments.
Steve Nicol
Code For Kids
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Twitter: @CodeForKids