How should I to follow up a programming tutorial?
Should I recopy the code, understand it, and then just moving on?
1
Best way to follow up a tutorial?
Started by riverreal, Aug 11 2012 04:24 PM
5 replies to this topic
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#2 Moderators - Reputation: 2289
Posted 11 August 2012 - 04:40 PM
No. Read the tutorial and try to internalize the concepts it's conveying. Implement them yourself -- don't just copy the code, even if you think you "understand" it, that's a sure way to disaster. If you do understand the concepts and the code you'll have no trouble reimplementing the thing on your own.
Be aware that many tutorials are downright terrible and shouldn't be trusted on their own.
Be aware that many tutorials are downright terrible and shouldn't be trusted on their own.
Josh Petrie | Lead Tools Engineer, ArenaNet | Microsoft C++ MVP
#3 Members - Reputation: 1031
Posted 11 August 2012 - 04:41 PM
Do something with it to test that you've actually learned from it.
If you're using a tutorial that comes with prebuilt sample code I recommend reengineering from the ground up to make sure you actually understand how it's put together.
I also recommend using it in an actual game project because thing is tutorials are actual often build for simplicity's sake and don't scale well when going from tutorial demos to actual large projects.
If you're using a tutorial that comes with prebuilt sample code I recommend reengineering from the ground up to make sure you actually understand how it's put together.
I also recommend using it in an actual game project because thing is tutorials are actual often build for simplicity's sake and don't scale well when going from tutorial demos to actual large projects.
Learn to make games with my SDL Tutorials.
Transition from OpenGL 2 to modern OpenGL using my OpenGL Tutorial.
Transition from OpenGL 2 to modern OpenGL using my OpenGL Tutorial.
#4 Members - Reputation: 519
Posted 11 August 2012 - 05:05 PM
And What happends if I'm trying to follow up a very large tutorial?
Actually, the tutorial has 46 chapters, and each chapter has a lot of lines of code...
It's very difficult to me to make my own code without looking the sample.
I'm trying to learn DirectX 11 (Direct3d 11, etc).
I should initialize the window with Win32 API, and then the d3d. It's very delicate
I need to copy all the code because I can't memorize all.
Should I hold all the functions, flags, etc?
How could I hold that information?
Josh Petrie, Lazy Foo
Thank you very much
By the way, I used to make small games with SDL, it is simpler than directx, so I could make my own code. I learned SDL with your tutorial (Lazy foo). Also thank you for that.
Actually, the tutorial has 46 chapters, and each chapter has a lot of lines of code...
It's very difficult to me to make my own code without looking the sample.
I'm trying to learn DirectX 11 (Direct3d 11, etc).
I should initialize the window with Win32 API, and then the d3d. It's very delicate
I need to copy all the code because I can't memorize all.
Should I hold all the functions, flags, etc?
How could I hold that information?
Josh Petrie, Lazy Foo
Thank you very much
By the way, I used to make small games with SDL, it is simpler than directx, so I could make my own code. I learned SDL with your tutorial (Lazy foo). Also thank you for that.
#5 Members - Reputation: 1031
Posted 11 August 2012 - 05:48 PM
And What happends if I'm trying to follow up a very large tutorial?
Actually, the tutorial has 46 chapters, and each chapter has a lot of lines of code...
It's very difficult to me to make my own code without looking the sample.
I'm trying to learn DirectX 11 (Direct3d 11, etc).
I should initialize the window with Win32 API, and then the d3d. It's very delicate
I need to copy all the code because I can't memorize all.
Should I hold all the functions, flags, etc?
How could I hold that information?
Josh Petrie, Lazy Foo
Thank you very much
Cut it up into testable pieces. Get one piece working, then get another piece working, then get another piece working, etc.
Also, people have different code and software architecture standards. The way I code my tutorials is probably different from the way you code you programs. One way that's always worked for me is porting a lesson's code to work with my personal framework.
Learn to make games with my SDL Tutorials.
Transition from OpenGL 2 to modern OpenGL using my OpenGL Tutorial.
Transition from OpenGL 2 to modern OpenGL using my OpenGL Tutorial.
#6 Members - Reputation: 328
Posted 11 August 2012 - 11:09 PM
Hey, how's it going? Hope weekend is good! You know what helps alot when I fully understand the material at hand. It soons become understanding so when I look at another's source code; I understand how the puzzle fits together. Recopying code after and after - sure, easy but it's less learning experience. On addition, by understanding the material and experimenting here and there - seeing how the pieces work will help greatly learn! If you're stuck? Look up on MSDN and google because those two are a programmer's great friend!
-Paul
