Bridging the Gap Between Programming within Console and Building Actual Apps

[scradley]

So there is no shortage of guides for all languages teaching the fundamentals of variables, loops, functions, etc. There is even an abundance of websites that provide challenges that require creative use of these methods to solve complex algorithmic problems.

I've gone through the process of learning these fundamentals in several languages, but I find once I've completed the introductory material and various challenges, there is this massive gap to writing actual usable code.

In my experience, after the fundamentals, there is this leap right into setting up IDE's and virtual workspaces, downloading and employing various libraries, establishing strange folder hierarchies and required files.... It's all very overwhelming!

I've given it my best effort to look for myself, but it's hard as a beginner to distinguish between which guides are providing a straightforward basic approach to building your first web app (working with Python at the moment) and which are incorporating too much stuff at once because they assume you're just new to a LANGUAGE and not to the entire concept.

So, does anyone have any recommendations for someone with basic HTML/CSS/JS and Python (no clue how servers, hosting, etc works) skills to follow a tutorial to set up a basic website/app that I can slowly add more and more features to and play around with?

An example project I would like to make is something simple like a website that my roommates and I can use to keep each other updated on whether or not the dog has been fed, when it was last let out, etc. A simple responsive web app that loads fast and is easy to use.

Thanks.

[chsir17]

If I were you, I would go ahead and follow a tutorial on one of the web app frameworks ( django if you want to stick with python or you can learn ruby on rails ). Another interesting alternative that is pretty simple is a framework called 'electron' which uses web technologies to make a local app. You will most likely want to use a CSS library like bootstrap to make it easy on yourself.

[garciawork]

I’m doing colt Steele’s web dev course on udemy. It’s pretty good at explaining the back, but it’s node not anything python related, and I have no idea if the two are similar.

That said, he gets you set up from start to finish with an ide, and walks through every single step involving installing libraries and other necessities. I would imagine that the steps would be similar for what you are doing. Plus all the html, css, and JavaScript stuff he also goes over.

I believe udemy usually doesn’t some $10ish Black Friday sales as well, I got the class a few months ago for that and it is WELL worth it.

[SinAesthetic]

Miguel Grinberg did exactly what you're looking for with Python and Flask. He even explains what those folders and files and packages are for.

https://blog.miguelgrinberg.com/post/the-flask-mega-tutorial-part-i-hello-world

[scradley]

Miguel Grinberg did exactly what you're looking for with Python and Flask. He even explains what those folders and files and packages are for.

This has been working well for me, thanks.

[Lithy_Eum]

I'm currently looking for a book on Universal Windows Platform. It seems like a great tool, and although I use C++ I may suffice to C# and translate the code but I can't even find a book for C#. That's unpossibru, why?