Learn programming from scratch
Hello! Welcome
Together we will learn programming fundamentals from scratch.
What is programming?
Programming is the process of creating instructions that a machine can follow to perform tasks.
Learning to program helps you solve problems, automate tasks, and create applications that can make life easier or more fun.
It’s about teaching a machine to do things!
Why learn to program?
In most cases, programming is done by writing text (although not always)-
And for that, you will need a programming language!.
Some of the main ones are C++, C#, JavaScript, or Python. Choose the one you like best to get started!
Programming tools
You will also need “programs to program.” That is, programming tools that help you write, test, and debug your code.
- Text editors,
- Integrated Development Environments (IDE)
- Compilers
You’re doing great!
Now let’s talk about the fundamentals
Variables
Your program will need to handle data. For that, you will use variables, which are memory spaces where you can store data.
You can think of them as boxes where you place information to use later (like numbers or data)
Data types
Types define the kind of values that you can store in a variable.
The most common are numbers, texts, and boolean values (true/false).
Conditionals and loops
Control structures allow you to make decisions and repeat actions. They are the foundation of your program.
They include:
- Conditionals, such as
if,else - loops, such as
fororwhile
Functions and modules
Functions are blocks of code that perform a task. They help to organize and reuse code more easily.
Additionally, they can be organized into libraries or modules. You can even use libraries from other people! ♥️ Open Source ♥️
You’re almost there!
We just need to see how to start programming
Write your first code
Your first program is usually the classic “Hello, World”. It simply displays a message on the screen.
It seems simple, but it’s a great first step to familiarize yourself with a language.
Stages and concepts
Programming is not just about writing code! There are other important stages and concepts
- Design and planning is the preliminary phase where you design the solution, and it’s the most important!
- Debugging is the process of finding and fixing errors.
- Testing are tools to check that the program works well.
- Deploy is distributing your application to users.
Best practices
As your program grows, it will become increasingly easy for things to get out of hand!
That’s why it’s very important to be organized and write clean code. We call this following best practices.
It’s always important, but even more so if you’re working in a team!
Well done!
You now have a basic understanding of programming! Start with small projects to practice!
