reading-notes

These are my reading notes for Code Fellows

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Table of Contents

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Reading Day 2

Read04

Read05

Read06a

Read06b

Read07

Read08

Reading Notes Day 1

Choosing a Text Editor

• We’ll be writing a lot of code, a good text editor will be invaluable
• Text editor is entirely a personal choice, they’re all pretty similar
  • As long as the text editor you choose can complete a website to your liking
• What is a text editor?
  • A piece of software that lives online, allowing you to write and edit text and build a website
  • Super important for people learning to create websites
• Some important features:
  • Code completion
    • Like predictive text and autocorrect on your phone, but with code
  • Syntax highlighting
    • Important elements are color-coded to make writing code simpler
    • Makes code easier to read, and helps you find what you’re looking for
  • Variety of themes
    • Some themes (darker ones especially) can reduce eye strain
  • Extension choice
    • Adds functionality as you learn more coding techniques
• Always code in plain text. Your text editor shouldn’t allow you to change font sizes, add italics, etc.
• Use proper file extension names
  • .html for HTML files
  • .css for CSS files
• Third party text editors
  • Notepad++
    • Windows only
    • Free
  • TextWrangler/BB Edit
    • Mac only
    • TextWrangler is defunct, BB Edit costs money ($50)
  • Visual Studio Code
    • Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible
    • Free
  • Atom
    • Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible
    • Free
    • Created by GitHub
  • Brackets
    • Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible
    • Free
    • Created by Adobe
  • Sublime Text
    • $70 for full version
• Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
  • Combines features like these:
    • Text editing
    • File Management
    • Compiling
    • Debugging
  • Microsoft Outlook is a good example

Cheat Sheet for Terminal Use

• pwd shows you your current directory
• ls shows you what files are in your current directory
  • ls [options] [location] is how it is usually formatted
• ls -l shows a long listing
• ls /etc shows directory’s contents
• ls -l /etc shows both a command line option and argument
• ~ is a shortcut to your home directory
• . references your current directory
• .. references parent directory
• cd [location] changes your directory
• file [path] shows what type of file something is
• ls -a shows hidden files

Other Notes

The Command Line

• A command is usually the first thing you type
• echo displays a system variable
• You can navigate and edit previous commands using the arrow keys

Basic Navigation

Paths

• A path is a means to get to a particular file or directory on the system
• Absolute paths
  • Show location in relation to root directory
  • Start with a forward slash (/)
• Relative
  • Specify a location relative to where you are in the system
  • Do not begin with a slash
• Tab completion is a form of autocorrect. Can be invoked by pressing tab

About Files

• A computer sees everything as a file
• Case sensitivity matters
• If moving a file into a folder that contains a space (e.g., “Honeymoon Pics”), make sure to put that directory in single quotes
  • Otherwise the space is seen as a separate command
  • An “escape character” () works as well
    • This would appear as “Honeymoon\ Pics”
  • Tab completion does this for you!