Practical Skills

What are Programming Projects?

Hands-on activities where you apply coding skills to create programs or solve problems.

 

Types of Projects:

  • Simple Games: Create games like tic-tac-toe, hangman, or a simple platformer.
  • Utility Tools: Build tools like a calculator, to-do list, or a weather app.
  • Animations: Design animations using code to bring characters or objects to life.

Benefits of Projects:

  • Apply Knowledge: Reinforce coding concepts learned in tutorials.
  • Creativity: Express creativity by building something unique.
  • Problem-Solving: Develop problem-solving skills by tackling challenges in your projects.

Web Development Basics

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language):

  • A markup language used to create the structure and content of web pages.
  • Basic Elements: Tags like <p> for paragraphs, <h1> for headings and <img> for images.
  • Example:
    <html> <head> <title>My Website</title> </head>
    <body> <h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
    <p>This is a paragraph.</p> <img src="image.jpg" alt="An image">
    </body> </html>

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets):

  • A style sheet language used to add style and layout to HTML documents.
  • Basic Styling: Define styles for elements like color, font, size and layout.
  • Example:
    body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-color: #f0f0f0; } h1 { color: blue; }

 

    Using Software Tools

    Text Editors:

    • Software for writing and editing code.
    • Examples: Notepad++, Sublime Text, Visual Studio Code.
    • Features: Syntax highlighting, code completion and customisation options.

    Integrated Development Environments (IDEs):

    • Software that combines code editing, debugging and project management tools.
    • Examples: PyCharm, Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA.
    • Benefits: Streamlines development workflow, offers project-specific tools and features.

    Version Control Systems:

    • Software for tracking changes to code and coordinating work among multiple developers.
    • Examples: Git, SVN (Subversion).
    • Features: Branching, merging and version history tracking.

    Online Coding Platforms:

    • Web-based platforms for coding and collaborating on projects.
    • Examples: GitHub, CodePen, JSFiddle.
    • Benefits: Accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, allows for easy sharing and collaboration.

    Debugging Tools:

    • Software tools for identifying and fixing errors in code.
    • Examples: Chrome Developer Tools, Firebug.
    • Features: Console for viewing error messages, breakpoints for pausing code execution.

    Using these tools effectively enhances your coding experience and helps solve problems more efficiently!