What are good "real" programming examples for a beginning programmer?

Question

I've been browsing Bjarne Stroustrup's new introductory programming book, Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++. It's meant for first-year university computer science and engineering students.

Early on in the book he works through an interesting extended example of creating a desktop calculator where he ends up implementing an arithmetic expression evaluator (that takes bracketed expressions and operator precedence into account) in a series of co-recursive functions based on a grammar.

This is a very interesting example, although arguably on the complex side for a lot of beginners.

I wonder what others thing of this particular example: would learning programming by seeing how to implement an expression parser excite and motivate you, or would it discourage you because of all the details and complexity?

Are there other good "real" programming examples for beginners?

Answer 1

Start small. Do examples that interest you. Stretch yourself just a little every time. Get comfortable with each step, to the point that you have confidence that you know what you're doing, and then try something a little harder the next time.

Answer 2

I think that any example program would help you learn a new language, but a beginner should try to work with something that is easy to understand in the real world, such as a mortgage calculator or something along those lines.

Answer 3

I think making tiny games like text version of Tetris will be a good way of getting into pragramming world.

Answer 4

I think the answer is that it would depend on the person who is learning how to program.

One nice thing about something like an arithmetic expression evaluator is that it is a project that can start very small (make it work with just the format "X SYMBOL Y" where X and Y are single-digit numbers and SYMBOL must be a plus sign) and then you are slowly expanding the functionality to the point of a complicated system.

However, it might not be a great starter project for someone who doesn't really understand the concept of computers (hard disk, memory, etc.)

Try to think of something that you do on a computer that is repetitive, and could be easily automated. Then try to come up with how to make a program that automates that task for you. It can be anything, whether it's popping up a reminder every 15 minutes to stretch your legs or cleans up your temp directory on a regular basis.

Answer 5

The problem with this task is that it's conplex and not real life related. I don't need another calculator.

But once I had a CD with scratched surface near its center and lots of valuable JPEG files inside. I dumped the data from the unscratched part of the disk but all the filesystem was surely lost. So I wrote a program which analysed the dump and separated it into files. It was not very simple but was a nice and exciting file IO programming exercise.

Answer 6

Examples can be more complex than something you try to write yourself. It's easier to follow someone else doing something than it is to do it yourself. A real-world example like this calculator may be a fine way to introduce someone to a language. For instance, Practical Common Lisp starts with an example of an in-memory database (for CDs I think) and uses that as the springboard to explore parts of the language.

I prefer seeing a real example built up over time than just a lot of simple "Hello World" programs.

Answer 7

Board games are fun to design and code since they come in many shapes and difficulties

from tic-tac-toe to checkers to monopoly, its reinventing the wheel for educational purposes!

the best advice i can think of is to pick something from a field of interest you have because coding for the sake of coding might dim your resolve

Answer 8

When I was first learning to program, the best example I ever worked with was building a text adventure game from scratch. The basics just required knowing how to display text on the screen, receive input from the keyboard, and rudimentary flow control. But since text adventures always have room to add more features/puzzles/whatever, they can be easily adapted to explore aspects of whichever language you're learning.

Of course, not everyone finds games more interesting than calculators. It really depends on the programmer.

Answer 9

I've always found that implementing a game of some sort is sufficient incentive to learn various features of a language. Card games, especially, because they generally have simple rule sets to implement, but are sufficiently complex from an abstract point of view.

I would agree, though, with everyone else: find examples of things that interest you. Not everyone is a game fan, but something like a mortgage calculator would be far more interesting.

Answer 10

First, let me say that cognitive psychologists have proven in numerous studies that the most important factor in learning is desire to know.

If you want to learn about programming, you need to find a domain that stokes your desire to understand. Find a challenge that can be solved with programming.

I agree with the other folks when they suggest something that you are interested in. And games seem to be a common thread. As I reflect on my experience learning to program (too many years ago), math problems and a simple game was involved.

However, I don't think I really understood the power of software until I created a useful small program that helped a business person solve a real problem. There was a tremendous amount of motivation for me because I had a "client". I wasn't getting paid, but the client needed this program. There was sincere pain (gotta get my job done quicker) related to this situation.

So my advice is to talk to people you know and ask what small annoyance or computer-related obstacle to they have. Then try to fix it. It may be a simple web widget that reduces repetitive, manual tasks for an office worker.

One of my best early works was helping a little printing shop (no software, circa 1985) that struggled with estimating jobs to produce proposals that weren't money-losers. I asked alot of questions of the sales lady and of the operations manager. There was obviously an intersection of a common pain point with a really easy calculation that I could automate. It took me a couple of days to learn Lotus 1-2-3 (spreadsheet for you young-uns) enough to write a few macros. I was motivated. I had passion. I saw where I could make a difference. And that, more than anything else, drove me to learn some simple programming.

Having real people, real problems, and really simple solutions could be the inspiration you need as a beginning programmer. Don't try to write an accounting system. Just take one discreet piece of someone's frustration away. You can build on that success.

So, I wouldn't focus on the technique (yet). Don't worry about, "Am I doing this the most efficient way?" The main objective for a beginner is to have success, no matter how small, and build confidence.

BTW, that Lotus 1-2-3 set of macros grew into a full job tracking system. Very archaic, limited features, but made that little print shop much more profitable.

Create your motivation, fuel your desire, and develop your passion for programming like an artist unveils the masterpiece in a blob of clay. And be persistent. Don't give up when challenged with a roadblock. We all get stumped sometimes. Those are some of the best learning moments because humans learn more from failure than success.

Good luck.