Coding Guide for Newbies (CGN), by Eris, Kaylee, Elia, Michaela
Inspiration
Following the beginner's prompt, we decided to create an website that could help guide beginners in coding with topics that we felt we needed when we started out with computer science. It focuses on Python and Java, because it's often the first two languages introduced to new coders and it could be often confused with each other in terms of functionality and structure. We also hope that the site could provide support and clarity as we understand computer science is a large field.
What it does
The website has many topics the user can refer to related to general Python and Java guidelines. Each topic has a 'tab' the user could click on to access its respective information. Some sections cover information on differentiating Python and Java as well as its uses, other sections provide support and resources for the user.
How we built it
We used Figma to design the website prototype. VSCode and Github was used to fine tune and edit the prototype's code using the languages HTML and CSS. The final accessible website is published through Github.
Challenges we ran into
With Figma's free version, we could only have 3 pages total even though we wanted to include multiple tabs (dictionary, debugging, sources etc). We decided to have each tab 'jump' to a section on a page, instead of being linked to an entirely new page. We also wanted the icons below each 'tab' to be able to navigate the user as well, but there were issues as graphics can't be linked between pages. We decided to use invisible text as a layer on top to solve this problem. Outside of Figma, some information isn't complete on the page, but the functions and general formats are layed out. We were not able to find a way to include user input in 'Ask a Question' yet. When publishing the prototype to Github, we also ran into issues with processing the code and duration of the final publication. Some of the prototype's functions in Figma wasn't able to translate onto the final Github website as well.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
With many of us beginners and participating in our first hackathon, we're proud that we were able to learn a lot of unfamiliar softwares and completely remotely build a practicable platform in a short amount of time.
What we learned
We were all either unfamiliar or completely new to the all programs that we used. Some of us haven't heard of some programs before, like Figma, and others knew only some basics, like Github, HTML, and CSS. Through mutual help and self-research, we became familiar with lots of new programs and learned new aspects of computer science.
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