I’m Ready To Code. What’s My First Step?

This post will help you skip the research and jump right in! Here’s an overview of the steps needed to begin coding in some of the most popular programming languages!

Terminology Notes:

• File extensions indicate the type of file you are creating and saving - it’s what is after the “.” in a file name. For example, a PDF’s file extension is .pdf. Each programming language has a different file extension and knowing them ensures that you name your files correctly - naming them incorrectly will prevent your code from running.

• IDEs are basically software where you type and run your code. An overview of IDEs is discussed in this post. I linked my recommended IDEs below so that you can download them if you want.

• Install instructions refer to the install command(s) you need to paste into your terminal to install a programming language. Install commands basically help you “activate” a language after you download it.

• Documentation, in regards to programming languages, is basically an online guide to all things related to that language! They’re super helpful if you ever want to find the answer to questions like “How do I do _(coding task)_ in _(programming language)_?”

For some languages, once you download an IDE that supports that language, you can start coding in that language without any additional steps. For others, the language needs to be downloaded and installed on your computer before you can start coding in them.

HTML

• Download link: You don’t need to download or install HTML to use it. Open your favorite IDE, create a new file, and you can simply save it as an HTML file.

• File extension: .html

• Install instructions: None needed.

• Recommended IDE: VS Code

• Documentation: HTML Documentation Link

CSS

• Download link: You don’t need to download or install CSS to use it.

• File extension: .css

• Install instructions: None needed.

• Recommended IDE: VS Code

• Documentation: CSS Documentation Link

Python

• Download link: Python (under the yellow download button you can change the type of computer you have. The default is Mac, so change it if you don’t have a Mac.)

• File extension: .py

• Install instructions: Install the installer as well as python using these instructions

• Recommended IDEs: VS Code

• Documentation: Python Documentation Link

JavaScript (JS)

• Download link: You don’t need to download or install JS to use it.

• File extension: .js

• Install instructions: None needed.

• Recommended IDE: VS Code

• Documentation: JS Documentation Link

Java

• Download link: Java Download

• File extension: .java

• Install instructions: Java Install Instructions

• Recommended IDEs: IntelliJ, VS Code

• Documentation: Java Documentation Link

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, please comment them below! You can also email me directly at techblog@apartfromblonde.com! I’d love to hear from you!

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