I-AM-OBODO Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 How do I become a better programmer? I can write codes to an extent and can read/modify codes very well, but I find it difficult to write some code from scratch. I just google and get a code and modify to my taste and I feel its killing my ability. I want to become a better programmer and so what can or should I do? Help pls Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuickOldCar Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 It's hard to answer that question, individuals thought patterns and what they need to do within their code varies. For me i have an idea, make it do the basics or accomplish the main goal, then improve upon it by extra functions, rules, error checking, any filtering. A lot of that I am planning out in my head, or writing it down as an outline for what I need it to do. Try starting off with making some of your own functions. http://php.net/manual/en/language.functions.php Following along many of the tutorials that can find on the internet may help, can see their process for making something from scratch. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1348546 Share on other sites More sharing options...
scootstah Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Learn to read code as well. Pick something that interests you and find existing applications for it. Download them and study them, and then make your own based on the ideas you find. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1348553 Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehippy Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Making use of design patterns in your code. Identifying patterns in existing code will help you learn them quickly or at least I found so. After you've coded for awhile you may get to the point where you think, well I know how lots of this stuff works but how do I put it all together well. That's where and when you should starting researching application analysis and design (OOA/D) principles. Write code, lots and lots of code. Understand that most of what you write you will toss away down the road. Get used to prototyping abstract designs and iterating over and over until you have a working and coherent design. Write and contribute with others, go to your local PUG (PHP User Group) and learn what others are doing, help, contribute and participate it will progress your understanding or at least expose you to more ideas. If you don't have a formal education in computer science or engineering consider things like MIT's OpenCourseWare to help structure an informal education. Learn some other languages. Never stop learning. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1348558 Share on other sites More sharing options...
alvin567 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I am currently working with another programmer who is using cakephp framework,however I was required to modifed the existing code base, I am worried will affect other conditions hence I may need to rewrite everything. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1350066 Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoursurrogategod Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 How do I become a better programmer? I can write codes to an extent and can read/modify codes very well, but I find it difficult to write some code from scratch. I just google and get a code and modify to my taste and I feel its killing my ability. I want to become a better programmer and so what can or should I do? Help pls Practice. But it is preferred (not a requirement) that it's something that you enjoy doing. For me, I re-discovered Lisp and love making little programs in it. I'm also learning more about AI and find that even more fascinating! Also, once you give yourself a direction, having a system to help you out would be awesome. My system is that I want to read at least 2 pages a day of this Lisp book* and I increment this number by 2 more pages per month until I'm done. I can't read 6 pages and have that cover 3 days, but if I miss a day, I want to make it up. That way I'm making progress. Sometimes this progress won't be as elegant as you like or as efficient or even as much fun, but you'll have a system to keep you on track. * Some of you might say "Pfft, just 2 pages a day? That'll take forever!". Yes. It will take a long time. But even if I'm making baby steps, they're still steps in the right direction. This number will increase with days (sometimes I have to be at work later or deal with stuff I _have_ to deal with), but I'm still marching forward. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1350284 Share on other sites More sharing options...
trq Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 One great way to become a better programmer is to get involved with an open source project that maintains a good code base. You will learn a lot by trying to fix bugs in code that you may not necessarily have written. You will also get feedback from the rest of the community. Of course, you don't want to just pick any old project. It has to be something that you are interested in, and something that you yourself will use. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1350289 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManiacDan Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Practice makes perfect. Work your way through Project Euler, it will make you better at math and programming. It won't help you make large scale class systems or anything though, that only comes through trial and error, and observing other people's code. You can check out OSS projects like Symfony to see what a huge class system looks like, though I think they go overboard. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1350307 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefany93 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 I personally do not believe in just copy-and-paste-and-code-I-just-found-in-the-garden. I believe that a programmer must be able to make their own codes without having to user a library every time they have to echo their name. I think this is what is killing the nowadays programmers just this parrot thing that you keep repeating and repeating yourself and the next minute you have to modify your code you have no idea what to do because it is not your that wrote it on the first place. When you want a code you open notepad and you start writing what you need. If you can't do it, find a way. And when a year or two has elapsed you will be a great programmer. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1351588 Share on other sites More sharing options...
alvin567 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 To be able to understand the other programmer thoughts you will have to understand their mental model well. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1351901 Share on other sites More sharing options...
alvin567 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Understand loop and array well. And the rule is to never repeat yourself in coding. Quote Link to comment https://forums.phpfreaks.com/topic/263103-become-a-better-coderprogrammer/#findComment-1351903 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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