Rembering codes...[SOLVED]

[Drycodez]

I have learnt alot about (X)HTML and CSS, but right now, am begining to forget some of the codes. Please guys, i need you all to help me answer this questions:(1) how can i remenber codes? am i suppose to browse through sites like w3school.com and print/write-down all their css, html, xhtml refrence? (2) which software/editor am i suppose to use? Is it adviceable to use notepad (plain text editor)?(3) is it wright/proffesional for one to go to another website, learn some of their web-design tricks (codes) and use it in his/her own website?

[Ingolme]

I usually use references. I have internet access while I'm coding so I don't print out anything. It would be too much to print.You can use notepad, though there are nicer editors. Here's a thread with discussion about HTML editors: http://w3schools.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=760 My preference is Notepad++ (which isn't on the list)It's fine to learn techniques from other websites. Don't just copy and paste their code, though; understand how it works and implement it yourself.

[boen_robot]

1) The only difference between a newbie developer and an advanced developer is that the advanced one knows where to look in the reference and how to read it. So... yeah. Sort of what you said.2) Any editor. I typically use NetBeans, though I'd occasionally switch to Dreamwaver or Expression Web. I use plain ol' Notepad only for minor changes for which I'm aware what to do before I've opened the file.3) What Ingolme said...

[Drycodez]

Am a little bit good in web design, but do you guys think i should learn programing? My head is full and i dont think i can read more codes!

[jeffman]

Learn programming because you want to or need to. If it doesn't excite you and you have no real purpose in learning it, why bother? When you have a project that requires a programming solution, you will know it.OTOH, if you plan on doing this for money, you already know you will need it, so plan on learning it. And be aware that as a job candidate you will be competing with other applicants who do know how to program. More than that, employers want somebody who is CURIOUS, who wants to learn things and try things independently, because they usually do the best work.

[Drycodez]

Ok! so, how am i going to remenber all the codes if i include programing? I want to learn it, but its some how hard for me to handle.

[Ingolme]

Just keep working with the language and use the reference and you end up memorizing the most important parts.

[boen_robot]

You don't. That's what references are for. You just need to remember the basic syntax, flow, and basic abilities of your language(s) of choice. Everything else is up for the reference. That, and some basic coding discipline which you'll learn along the way (e.g. making it a habbit to indent your lines).

[thescientist]

time and experience are the only way. You just have to do it enough so that it becomes second nature. And for the stuff you can't remember at the time, there are references. The best thing you can do is to just read a lot and practice.

[Drycodez]

Hmmmmm, That's nice!

[jeffman]

You will remember objects and methods when you use them. The most common ones (like document.getElementById) will stick. In some cases, you will remember (or almost remember) the name of something without exactly remembering the correct usage. So look it up. Most manuals group objects and methods in related sections. For example, all string-related items will be indexed together. When you see the index over and over again from frequent usage, you will notice what is available. Next time you need to do something with a string, you'll think, "Oh, yeah, I saw something that sounds like it does what I want." So you'll go back to the index and look at it.One of the nice things about the online PHP manual is that EVERY page has an index on the left with links to related items. This makes it very easy to get familiar with the names of items you don't know, and also to examine things that look useful when you discover that the thing you are reading about isn't quite what you need.As someone wrote, the most useful skills are (1) knowing what kinds of things exist or probably exist and (2) knowing where to find information about them.For example, there is a JavaScript method called encodeURIComponent. It's useful during AJAX operations. Every AJAX app I have uses it. But it only gets used a few times in one app, and all my apps are not AJAX. And for some reason I can never exactly remember if the name is encodeURIComponent or maybe uriEncodeComponent. (I know the first one makes more sense, but there are different naming conventions that make the second one seem likely also.) So I end up looking it up almost every time I use it.Another example. A lot of similar-sounding PHP functions use similar parameters, but in a different sequence. I find myself asking, "Does the string come first or second?" So I end up looking in the reference a lot.In both cases, I have learned what to look for and where to find it. I am not a walking manual because I do not need to be.

[ShadowMage]

Another example. A lot of similar-sounding PHP functions use similar parameters, but in a different sequence

PHP is good for that. There's no consistency to what order the parameters come in.For example, strpos and in_array. Both take two required parameters: needle and haystack. needle is the thing you're searching for, and haystack is the thing you're searching in. In strpos, the haystack comes first, but in in_array, the needle comes first.I almost always have to look up parameter sequence for nearly every PHP function I use that requires more than one parameter. And when I don't look it up, I usually have the parameters out of sequence....

[Drycodez]

Thanks guys, i really appreciate your contributions. I think, am begining to like programing. I think i ll learn js and move to php. Now, where do i get a beginer tutorials (a-z) of js and php? I have tried w3school.com, but it seems theirs is not easy enough.

[jeffman]

Are you looking at the tutorial or the reference? Tutorials don't get more basic. The "Try it yourself" feature is especially helpful.I suggest you work your way through it and come here with specific questions when you don't understand something. Be sure to link us to the page that gives you problems, or post specific code you don't understand.

[Drycodez]

I'm still strugling with javascript at w3schools.com!

[boen_robot]

If that's your first programming language, I'd suggest you try another one first... perhaps PHP. JavaScript is good in that you don't need to install anything to try it, but debugging it isn't easy when you aren't sure what you're doing yet. PHP is the other way around - it's great in that it's easy to debug and get the hang on, but you need to have an environment that can run it, whether it's a free host with PHP support or if you install your own web server on your own computer.

[Drycodez]

I tought i am suppose to learn js, before php or is it the other way round?

[thescientist]

I tought i am suppose to learn js, before php or is it the other way round?

it's one half dozen to other when you're just learning the basics of control structures, arrays, conditional, etc. They have a lot in common (and just as much not in common) but what they share is common amongst most programming languages anyway.edit: it's also worth mentioning that they operate into completely seperate environments from one another, and that their intentions are distinct as to what they do, when, and why. As long as you are aware of what each one is capable of from a high level/theoretical perspective, it doesn't really matter which one you learn first, as long as you know what you can get out of learning which ever one you decide to invest your time in first.

[jeffman]

Start with the one that has the most usefulness for you today.1. Do you want to change the appearance of content of a document while your user is looking at it or interacting with it? That requires a JavaScript solution.2. Do you want deliver dynamic content based on information returned by a form or changing conditions in a database or even on other servers? That requires a PHP solution.I personally find it easier and more interesting to learn something when I have a practical application for it NOW. Sometimes, that means creating "hypothetical" projects for myself. Like, there was a time when I wanted to learn how to make a slideshow. I wasn't being paid to make a slideshow, but I figured somebody would want one in the future, and in the meantime maybe a friend or family member could use my creation. So I chose that as my project and learned how to do it. In the process, I learned a lot of other skills also. That's the big payoff.