How do you write your first code.
what I want to achieve
How did I start writing code? The most important thing I actually kept in mind was what I want to achieve. What do I want to write a mobile app for? What should that app be able to do? And what will that app look like.
analyzed every line of code and added comments
On YouTube I started looking for videos where apps are programmed, which were in line with what I want to achieve with my own app. And then I simply started typing the code into my editor. But I analyzed every line of code and added comments. And since I chose Flutter, I also looked up every widget used in the flutter documentation. If this documentation was not enough, I searched YouTube for all possible videos about this widget. The widget with all its properties.
style and systems
In this way I have also noticed that there are several roads leading to Rome and Paris. And that every programmer has his own style and systems. And that is very confusing at the beginning. Because which programmer is doing the wright thing, or are all these systems good? Which system or style am I going to follow now? Omg this is getting complicated!
simple as possible
There are various options for making that choice. The first is to read a book about structural object related coding. I read such a book 30 years ago and I must say, the spine is still the same as it was then. The other choice I've made is what structure do I understand! And which one can I, understand, and reproduce. Anyone can copy, but reproduction is the goal. You will notice that every programmer maintains a similar structure, but with his own accents. One thing I can definitely recommend is keep it all as simple as possible. You will notice as you proceed it will automatically become more complicated. But then you already will have the basics.
“over information”
A great danger that I have to or cannot omit here is the danger “over information”. Soon you will hop from one video to another and eventually you will no longer see the forest through the trees. And believe me that happens faster than you think. At one point I was no longer programming or designing, but zapping from livestream to another. And the time I had planned to work on my project was lost to “over information“. And you only can spend an hour once!
tasted the possibilities
After coding a few parts of programs and many experiments with widgets. And with Flutter that goes smoothly with the hot reload, you immediately see what you have changed in your code. Have I stopped writing code. I have now tasted the possibilities, and we will see in the future which options I opt for and which do not. Now I started looking at my complete project.
mental health
What have I learned through the internet. You start with an idea. I myself opt for a not too complicated idea. A basis that I can continue to build on. A nice but simple layout that appeals to everyone. Without too many bells and whistles. But an app that will be practical and performant. That is my goal. A goal that is achievable in the short term. That short term is necessary for my mental health. If a goal is too far away or too heavy, there is a danger of demotivation and frustration, and you should avoid that at all times. And that is not a lesson for programmers only, but a life lesson!
community
Since the life of a software designer can be quite lonely, I have chosen a community of people with the same goal. And that does a lot. Being able to think together about problems or sometimes that little push you need when things are not going well. Or sometimes just knowing that there is someone on the other side of the world who can help or lend a hand. A great feeling.
this blog will be real-time
Until now, this blog has been retrospective. A summary of the last 6 months approximately. The following posts in this blog will be real-time, with an occasional flashback. This blog is being written simultaneously with the development of my first mobile application. How I work, which choices I make. Positive and negative moments. But also the moments between writing code. The frustrations, the dark moments. But also the eureka moments.
I hope for the people who will follow me on this road, can relate to these writings and can take the courage to go for it every day. A dream to pursue. You can therefore always give constructive comments. And who knows, we might go 1 on 1 to have a chat.
The next post will be about How I structure my project. Not a test project but the real thing!
Do, believe and be happy,
Stefaan
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