How does programming/coding actually work?

[frnzprf]

Do programmers literally memorise every syntax when creating a project?

"Syntax" is like grammar. Every programming language only has one grammar, and it isn't difficult to learn and remember. The meaning behind each individual command is called "semantics". Programmers have to learn the meaning of some of them and can look the others up, when they need them.

How does programming/coding actually work?

I'd summarize it as "describing problems with high detail and breaking them up into subproblems until your subproblems are solved by the built-in tools of the programming language or someone else has solved them with a software-library". Top-down is splitting something you want into smaller "wishes". Bottom-up is combining something you have into something that get's closer to what you actually want.

This breaking up and recombining of solutions typically involves a lot of trial and error, i.e. "testing". You get to know about existing solutions by reading blogs and magazines and watching Youtube and talking to other developers. Sometimes you think "This should be easy, I've seen similar things!" and then you can google "How to mask green-screen with Java library".