5 Ways You can Learn Programming Faster
转自Learning to program isn't something you can do in an afternoon, but it doesn't
have to be a life's work, either. There are
lots of things you can do to make it easier on yourself when you are learning
to program. You already know about The 5 Most Common Problems New Programmers Face--And How You Can Solve
Them. Now, discover how to get the most out of your learning.
One common theme across many of these tips is:
don't go too
fast; get it right before moving on.
When I was teaching C, there were always a few students who came into the class
knowing a bit about programming. Inevitably, some of these students did great
in the first few weeks only to fall further and further behind as the course
went on. Why? They went too fast through the introductory part of the course,
thinking they knew it all--but they rarely did. They knew some of the
material, but not enough to have a strong grasp of the fundamentals.
At the same time, you must not stop making progress--you can go too slow as
well as too fast. Don't avoid a topic after you've mastered everything leading
up to it. By facing more challenging ideas, you'll help cement your grasp of
the basics.
1. Look at the Example Code
Reading is usually about the words on the page, but learning to program is
about code. When you're first learning to program, you should make sure to
look at, and try to understand, every example. When I first learned to
program, I would sometimes read the code examples before the text, and try to
figure out what they did. It doesn't always work, but it did force me to look
at the example very carefully, and it often helped make the writeups clearer.
If you want to see what sample code looks like, you can read this site's introductory
programming tutorial. This tutorial spends a great deal of time
talking about the sample code to help you work through exactly what the code
does.
2. Don't Just Read Example Code--Run It
But when you're reading a programming tutorial (or book), it's easy to look at the
sample code and say "I get it, I get it, that makes sense". Of course, you
might get it, but you might not get it, and you just don't know it. There's
only one way to find out--do something with that code.
If you haven't already, get a compiler like Code::Blocks set up.
Then
type the sample code into a compiler--if you type it, instead of
copying and pasting it, you will really force yourself to go through everything
that is there. Typing the code will force you to pay attention to the details
of the syntax of the language--things like those funny semicolons that seem to go after every line.
Then compile it and run it. Make sure it does what you think it does.
Then change it. Software is the most easily
changed machinery on the planet. You can experiment easily, try new things,
see what happens; the changes will happen almost immediately, and there is no
risk of death or mayhem. The easiest way to learn new language features is to
take some code that works one way, and change it.
3. Write your Own Code as Soon as Possible
Once you understand something about the language--or even if you're
still
getting your head around it--start writing sample programs that use it.
Sometimes it's hard to find good ideas for what programs to write.
That's OK, you don't have to come up with every idea at the beginning.
You
can find some programming
challenges on this site.
You can also reimplement the examples from the book or tutorial you are
reading. Try to do so without looking back at the sample code; it won't be as
easy as it seems. This technique can work especially well if you tweak the sample code.
If you can't think of a small program to write, but you have in mind a larger
program you want to implement, like a game, you could start building small
pieces that you can later use for a game. Whether you use them later or not,
you will get the same useful experience.
4. Learn to Use a Debugger
I already talked about the importance of debugging in The 5 Most
Common Problems New Programmers Face--And How You Can Solve Them. But it
bears repeating; the sooner you learn good debugging techniques, easier it will
be to learn to program.
The first step in doing so is to learn how to use a
tool called a debugger,
which allows you to step through your code.
A debugger will allow you
to step line by line through a piece of code. It will let you see the values
of variables, and whether the code inside an if statement is executed.
A debugger can help you quickly answer questions about what your code is doing.
int main()
{
int x;
int y;
if( x > 4 ) // <-- what is the value of x here?
{
y = 5; // <-- did this line of code execute?
}
}
A final word about debuggers: the first time you learn about a debugger, it
will take you longer to fix the problems with your code. After the tenth or so
bug, it will really start to pay off. And believe me, you will have way more
than ten bugs in your programming career.
I often saw students unwilling to use a debugger. These students really made
life hard on themselves, taking ages to find very simple bugs. The sooner you
learn to use a debugger, the sooner it will pay off.
5. Seek out More Sources
If you don't understand something, there's a good possibility the way it was
explained just didn't click.
First, look for alternative explanations. The internet is filled with
information about programming, and some explanations work better for different
people; you might need pictures, someone else might not. There are also lots
of good books with detailed explanations.
But if that doesn't work, the easiest way to figure out where your
misunderstanding lies is to ask someone else. But try to go beyond saying, "I
don't understand. Please explain." You're likely to get a link back to the
same text you didn't understand. Instead, rephrase your understanding of the
text in your words. The more your question reveals about what you are
thinking, the easier it will be for a knowledgeable expert to answer it.
Programmers sometimes have a reputation for being grumpy about answering
questions, but I think the reason is that they want to
make progress in
a conversation, and that requires both sides to put in effort. If you ask a
smart, detailed question that shows you are thinking, you will generally get
good results.
There are plenty of places you can go to ask questions. You can always email me, or post on our message board, or ask an expert.
In the coming days, I'll be writing more about how to learn to program
effectively. Stay tuned, by subscribing to our RSS
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signing up for email
notifications, or following @alexallain on twitter.
