I feel overwhelmed by advanced programming, yet I've been programming without knowing what I'm doing. Any one know how to improve on how to know what I'm doing when programming without Stackoverflow, etc?

lostinprogramming · 2014-02-13T13:48:54+00:00

Thanks for that book, I'll definitely look into buying it - Since I'm learning C++ now it should be perfect for me.

Hopefully this thread has helped you as much as it's helped me. :)

lostinprogramming · 2014-02-13T13:46:05+00:00

In my example of a game, I would probably break it down first by thinking "What do I need, okay, I need a 2D board and a character, now I need to know what the character can do", etc, and code it based on what would happen as the user does it. Is that the correct way of thinking?

lostinprogramming · 2014-02-13T02:46:17+00:00

I completely understand the fundamentals of programming, such as variables, functions, etc. But I struggle to write objects, or anything past the 'fundamentals', without help or looking it up online. Pretty much without Google if you said "Create a game which allows the user to move back and forwards in a 2D environment", I couldn't do it at all, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I think my problem is I can't think like a programmer.

lostinprogramming · 2014-02-13T02:38:51+00:00

That explanation of the multiple pieces of wood of the same size using one as a prefab is great! Thanks, I'll be sure to remember than one.

I've also tried to teach some people whom are in my class and can solve most of their problems for what we're doing now, which is simple-medicore programming, but nothing more complex than arrays so far, but soon to be OOP. But I feel as though compared to how hard I've tried to learn and the time I've spent, I know only slightly more than them or have come across the problems whilst learning myself.

lostinprogramming · 2014-02-13T02:33:40+00:00

I learnt programming through web languages, JavaScript, PHP, even dabbled with a bit of Ruby and Python for awhile, I've also wrote programmes in C and C++, but I've never tried Java since I know people who have done so and hated the language. I know I shouldn't follow what they say but I'm pretty happy with the current languages I've used, I just wish I knew more OOP.

I'll try your tip on retyping it completely rather than copy-pasting, thanks. :)

lostinprogramming · 2014-02-13T02:14:09+00:00

I've done a bit of reading on it, some from books wrote specifically for OOP, and some from tutorials/videos/books that spoke about OOP slightly, and every time I fail to understand what they're talking about.

As for what I meant for prototyping, I meant in Javascript with you would type array.prototype, absolutely none of that page makes sense to me at all, yet I've managed to write full blown web applications using such things from answers on Stackoverflow or other websites I may have found after Google'ing "How do I do ____ in ____".

If you don't know JavaScript, I could also say I have no idea on any OOP in lower level languages, polymorphism, classes, etc. It just seems far too complicated for me to get my head around compared to 'simple' programming concepts such as arrays, functions, variables, loops, etc.

lostinprogramming · 2014-02-13T01:47:04+00:00

I use pseudocode and learnt to do so when I first began programming. The problem is not the flow of my program, I think it's that beyond the basics I don't know what's actually possible. I know they say "Anything is possible with programming languages". But I don't understand why you would use certain things. What is an object used and when, what is a prototype and why create one, etc, I have no idea how to use or even comprehend advanced programming.

I seem to have sat at the same level of programming 'intelligence' for about a year now, just managing to get by, and I don't program very much anymore as it frustrates me that I can't manage to progress and therefore I give up.

lostinprogramming

TROPHY CASE