Take Up Code

Object-oriented programming, or OOP, is a powerful way of designing software by creating your own types that encapsulate behavior and data. Your types can make use of other types through relationships. When I am teaching programming, I do not start out with this topic right away but I do recommend that you learn it as soon as possible because you will need to get used to a new way of thinking about your software designs.

Scope is another concept that is amazingly similar to your everyday experience. Imagine you are at home and ask your mom, Where are my slippers? You mom says, Upstairs. That is scope. And you need to understand it to program. Let me explain.

So far, our game does not do much and we are going to fix that. The most important thing for you to realize is that when you are programming, you are not going to write your final code at the very beginning. I know, I have said this before, but I cannot say this enough. Programming is a journey.

In the last live weekend programming class, I created a variable called scrambledWord and then later created a method called scrambleWord. What do you do in this situation? Is this okay?

Follow along as I explain how to program a word guessing game in C++. This episode builds on a free 5-day email course that shows you step-by-step how to design and build WordGuess.

Follow along as I explain how to program a word guessing game in C++. This episode builds on a free 5-day email course that shows you step-by-step how to design and build WordGuess.

References behave a lot like pointers and are what many language designers use when trying to claim that their language is simpler because it avoids pointers. Do not fall for it. Take the time to learn pointers and references properly and you will build a foundation that will serve you well in all your future projects. This episode has a bias towards C++.

We talk about methods in this episode. There are many kinds of methods and we will need to split this topic into multiple episodes. I will explain how methods are called and how they return when they are done. And a bit about how viruses can sneak in and gain control.

The question this week comes from Mark L. and Scott S. who have both noticed some companies hire programmers who all speak the same language. Spanish is a common example. And they want to know why. What are the benefits of a software development team that all speak a language other than English?

A double pointer is nothing more than a pointer to another pointer. It is possible to continue this pattern indefinitely having pointers to pointers to pointers, and so on. But you will rarely need more than a double pointer.

Now that you know how a pointer can be used to separate groups of items, I am going to explain another use of pointers that helps you work with the individual items in the group through a special concept called pointer arithmetic.

If there is one thing that scares people more than void, it has got to be pointers. And rightfully so if they are misused or you get somebody trying to explain them who is already uncomfortable with them. This episode is going to rip the bandage off quick so we can move past this topic and soon you will wonder what all the fuss was about. I mean, really, we point to things all the time. Computers are just copying what we have been doing since childhood.

Understanding types is super critical to being able to program. Without this knowledge it would be like trying to go through life where everything you see and feel is unknown to you.

The question this week comes from Scott S. who wants to know what are all the files that get created when building an application.

Many languages are adopting a model of just-in-time compiling. Do you know how this affects you? This episode will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of just-in-time compiling.

Some languages are interpreted and some are compiled. Knowing how your code behaves will allow you to select the best tool for the job.

You have probably heard that computers only understand zeros and ones. So how does a computer go from zeros and ones to colorful graphical interfaces with buttons and web browsers?

You have probably heard that computers only understand zeros and ones. So how does a computer go from zeros and ones to colorful graphical interfaces with buttons and web browsers?

This episode will explain different types of programming in terms that you will be familiar with and then relate everything to computer programming concepts.

Getting started is hard. This episode goes into some psychological aspects that will help you start programming and then some specific steps to get your software development environment setup on your computer.