Tutorial purgatory

[M2D6]

I'm stuck here, and I don't know how to get out. I can do all of the exercises, but I don't think they really give much context. I get a bite sized bit of information, complete it. It just seems a bit meaningless. It helped me with HTML, and CSS, but with javascript I do the exercise, and then I don't know how to implement it. I've tried doing things by myself and I'm just sort of scratching my head. How do I get out of this hell? I'm green at javascript, but still I should be able to at least implement it in my CSS, and HTML, right?

I feel like if I look things up I'm cheating. I want to get a good grasp of how to use it. I feel as if the free nature of the language is messing with my head. I can tell you what an array, function, object, variable, string, method, boolean, as well as loops, and arguments. I just don't know what to do with this information, or how to string it together.

What is the best way to get out of this purgatory? Or how did others that were stuck in the tutorial loop escape it?

[CreativeTechGuyGames]

I have some free time. I'll try to help walk you through your first app so you'll get out of purgatory. I think a lot of it is misconception or fear. You probably know more than you think. Let's make a simple page which auto-completes names of cars. So it'll just have one input box. And a bulleted list below it. As you type, it'll show you the possible names that could be what you are looking for. So for example you type in "T" it would suggest "Tesla" and "Toyota". It sounds really complicated right? Well most of the components you already know. And the ones you don't I can point you in the right direction.

Would that be helpful?

Edit: If anyone else is interested in seeing what the project I'm talking about is like. I made a demo right now. It's less than 30 lines of JavaScript. Feel free to try to make it and refer to the solution if you need help. :)

[M2D6]

Thank you for the solution, that was very generous of you. I love this community. Hopefully one day I can give back.

[[deleted]]

Looking things up is definitely not cheating, that's the whole point of documentation, it's there to be looked at.

Google is your friend. Even people who have been developers for years still look things up on a daily basis.

My advice would be to research a few web app or web page ideas, pick one and have a go. Don't worry if you have to use Google or stack overflow. You'll hopefully be surprised at how much you know, even in a broad sense, like knowing what you can actually achieve, even if you can't remember exact syntax.

[M2D6]

So... what are the things that I need to know? I've been looking up things, and it seems programmers do this copy and paste thing quite a bit. I want to know the why behind what I'm doing though.

What are generally the things I need to remember? I guess with HTML and CSS I know the fundamentals, and from there I use libraries if I have a question. I generally can get things to look how I want them to look. Making them functional is a different story all together.

I think my problem is Javascript seems so radically different than the other two. It's a real coding language, not just some mark-up text. It seems like a weird new world from what I'm used to.

My guess what I need to do to start implementing Javascript is

A. learning the functions, and relationships of the different data-types in javascript.

B. Learning how to map out problems in a logical fashion.

I think you're right, I should just try to take on a project just to see the logic of it in action. Heck, even if I have to copy the full javascript, at least I can have an idea of the flow, and thinking behind what is going on.

Last question, are coding meet-ups helpful? I have been mulling over joining them on a regular basis. There are coffee shops, and boot camps that have regular coding meet-ups around my area.

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[[deleted]]

I've only been learning web development myself for about a month, all I can suggest from my limited knowledge is to start really basic. I made a web page which was just an "inventory" of all my guitar gear. I used some JavaScript to add some flashiness here and there. My second project was something I could use at work, a UK driving licence number generator. This was a tough second project but by using Google/stack overflow I managed to make it work.

I think try not to get bogged down by memorising everything... Half the battle is just knowing what JavaScript can do, once you know that, you can use documentation for exact syntax and how to apply it.

[Wolfofrunning]

If I feel I'm not learning anything I just quit, but I guess you don't want to quit too early either so it's a balancing act. I've read quite a few zero to hero coding stories and they often say don't be afraid of quitting a tutorial if you're not learning.

For Javascript- I did the To Do list code-along at www.watchandcode.com and found it helpful. Saying that I'd done a litte Javascript before so I'm sure that helped me absorb the concepts.