New to programming

[Iron Chef Pontiff]

Im just learning C++ with visual studio 6. Dont laugh but I am hating life. I am having a rough time going from idea to code. Is this something you get after many attempts and lots of practice or show I pack it up and do something else because I dont have the knack for it? Any feedback would be appreciated.

[Nukey Shay]

Programming is pretty much the same as any other talent. Nobody has "a knack" of playing the guitar, for example...it just takes a lot of trial-and-error to find what works well and what doesn't. Just as any other skill, you could take classes and study manuals to help get the basics down, but improvational skills only come through practice.

It really all depends on what you really desire. If your heart is not in your work, it's much more difficult to get a grip on it.

[eric_ruck]

If you stick with it you will certainly get better. Especially when you're just learning, you have the general programming concepts to become comfortable with as well as the language, and all the libraries, and all the stuff you need to make Windows work. It's a lot to take in at once.

 

In a way I think it's hard to learn programming today on a modern environment. Much easier when you only have 64k of memory, an 8 bit processor and a screen that only shows text.

 

I guess there are a couple of things to think about:

 

1) You might be frustrated, but in general do you like doing it? Do you at least like it when you get things working? If you don't like it you won't be happy and you may very well never be great at it.

 

2) Are you going into it for the money? If so you might as well go to med school. There are signs of life in the job market, but salaries/rates are down and people without lots of experience are going to suffer for the forseeable future. If you have a passion for it and get some experience, you'll do ok.

 

3) I haven't looked at the instructional materials that come with Visual C++ in a long, long time, but they used to have this tutorial where you built a program called "Scribble" step by step. It's excellent, and if it's still around I recommend that you go through it. It's based on older technology (MFC) but I think that's easier to get started with than the C#/.NET crap.

 

Eric

[Bad Panda Bear]

Programming can be an extremely difficult and frustrating task, so don't be surprised if it takes a while to get good at it.

 

A mistake I made when I was first learning was to try to write a program all at once. I would write a whole bunch of code, and then it would take forever to get it to compile and even longer to get it to work.

 

Instead I think it's better to start with a small piece of the functionality and slowly build it up into a complete program. I like to evolve my programs slowly as I start to understand the inherent difficulties and problems in whatever I'm working on.

 

Good luck, and don't forget to swear at the computer a lot. Good programming requires lots of profanity

[EricBall]

Some other advice

 

- Although C++ is a popular programming language, IMHO, it's not the easiest one to start learning with. You might be better starting with straight C, Pascal or even Basic until you are comfortable with procedural language concepts. (Non-procedural languages are a different breed entirely.) Once you have that done you can work on adding OOP.

 

- Programming is breaking ideas down into very simple tasks, then linking those tasks into routines and then integrating those routines into applications.

 

- Don't start programming with the things which happen first in time, concentrate on the most basic functions of the program and build out from there.

 

- Don't re-invent the wheel! Most HLLs have function libraries which can speed up development considerably.

 

- Don't just learn from your mistakes, anticipate where you might make an error.

[Nukey Shay]

Jesus Christ j/k

[Iron Chef Pontiff]

Well unfortunately my teacher is going quick. (In my eyes at least.) Im on the quarter system and that gives me 3 mos to figure alot of it out. We are already on arrays and working on putting functions in arrays. We havent even looked at the libraries yet. I guess that is for us to figure out. This is supposed to be C++ for engineers but it seems like C++ on speed.

 

I love it when it works. I hate it when the compiler says there are no errors but when I run the program it doesnt work. Aint that a bitch.

 

Ill keep at it. Its fun when Im on a role but unfortunatly its easily frustrating because of the short period of time I have to do assignments.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

I cuss like a grisled old master chief when I attempt to program and things get thrown alot.

[EricBall]

Well unfortunately my teacher is going quick.

(In my eyes at least.)  Im on the quarter system and that gives me 3 mos to figure alot of it out.  We are already on arrays and working on putting functions in arrays.  We havent even looked at the libraries yet.  I guess that is for us to figure out.  This is supposed to be C++ for engineers but it seems like C++ on speed.

 

Ill keep at it.  Its fun when Im on a role but unfortunatly its easily frustrating because of the short period of time I have to do assignments.

 

Find yourself a partner that already knows C++. That's the only way you are going to survive that kind of course. Besides, real C programmers use pointers.

 

I love it when it works.  I hate it when the compiler says there are no errors but when I run the program it doesnt work.  Aint that a bitch.

 

All the compiler is doing is checking that your program is legal C++ syntax. It's kinda like a spell checker - it doesn't care whether your sentances make sense, or that the plot doesn't have holes in it.