reading-notes

These are my reading notes for Code Fellows

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Reading Notes Code 201: Day 4

Notes - Chapter 4: Ch.4 “Links” (pp.74-93)

• Link to outside pages using <a href> tag

• You can link to internal pages using <a href = "index.html"> instead of typing the whole address.
  • You can also link to parent folders, child folders, etc.

• mailto: sends the user to their email with the “to” field completed with your choice of email

• target="_blank" opens a link in a new window

• Set an ID tag to an element, then link to that particular part of your site with <a href="[whatever the id tag is]">
  • This is awesome! It would be cool to have the page quickly zoom to this, vs just instantly loading it
  • You can do this to a separate page by first adding that page’s internal link, plus the ID tag

Notes - Chapter 15: “Layout” (pp.358-404)

• Block-level elements all start on separate lines, like h1, p, ol
  • If a block is inside another block, then that is its containing/parent element
  • Can be nested

• Inline elements are things like images and font styles (bold/italics)

• Positioning schemes
  • Normal flow
    • This is the default
    • Every block appears on a separate line, dropping following elements down the page like paragraphs in a Word doc
    • They will not appear next to one another, but rather one after the other
  • Relative positioning
    • Can adjust the positioning of a particular element
  • Absolute positioning
    • Positions an element depending on the box it’s inside (its parent element)
    • Doesn’t care what the text below it is doing, it will cover it up given the opportunity
  • Fixed positioning
    • Version of absolute positioning
    • Positions an element relative to the window, not the box it’s inside
      • For example, allows you to place an element 10% down from the top of the page
  • Floating element
    • You can move the element to the far left or far right of the box it’s inside
    • Text will flow around this
• Z Index
  • Changes what “layer” an element is on (you can bring it forward and back relative to other elements)

Liquid layouts look absolutely awesome, so do fixed-width layouts. Okay, so do grid layouts. They seem the most modern.

Notes - Chapter 3 (first part): “Functions, Methods, and Objects” (pp.86-99 ONLY)

These allow us to organize our code

Functions - Notes

Functions combine statements together so you don’t have to keep reusing individual functions

Helps with code organization

Calling a function means you’re telling a function to do its own task.

…statements are not run until the function is called

• Jon Duckett, JavaScript & Jquery

This will be super useful if you want to refer back to, or reuse, a bit of code.

Functions need info to perform their tasks. These are called parameters

Return values are when a function gives you an answer when you ask for it

Declaring Function Example:

function userName() {
document.write('this is your username');
}
userName();

• All of the above is a code block
• Function keyword is function
• userName is function name
• the username(); at the end is how you call the function

You can use parameters to have code do a task without knowing all the information up front. For example, you can have a function multiply height by width, then decide what numeric values height and width have later on

Local variables vs. Global variables

• Local can only be used within the variable and can’t be accessed outside of it
  • Can reuse names
• Global can be used globally, or across your whole code, as the name implies

Notes - Article: “6 Reasons for Pair Programming”

• 2 devs working on the same computer, working on code together

• Much encouraged by Code Fellows!

• The driver is the one actually entering the info, while the navigator does the talking
  • Navigator doesn’t actually enter any code, they’re more “big picture” oriented

• Great way to talk out, almost wireframe, what your code should be doing

• Takes a bit more time, but produces higher quality code

• More engaging for both parties, less likely to be distracted

• Introduces you to other techniques you might not have considered

• Improves communication! Employers love this

• Preps you for job interviews, and you’ll be turn-key at your new job