Pseudo Code

-

Yonatan Doron wrote a post on Medium not long ago called "Art of Code — Why you should write more Pseudo Code." Love that title, as a fan of pseudo code myself. That is, writing "code" that describes something you want to do or communicate, but that isn't of any particular language and doesn't use any correct APIs or anything.

Taking this time to write commented pseudo code helps organize our thoughts and our motivation and plan the desired outcome code ahead. By doing so, one moment later when we venture through to start hacking we would always have this map or skeleton of our thoughts that can help us regain focus and increase our productiveness

Jeremy Keith once likened it to writing a script:

When the user submits a form, then show a modal dialogue with an acknowledgment.” I then encouraged them to write a script …but I don’t mean a script in the JavaScript sense; I mean a script in the screenwriting or theatre sense. Line by line, write out each step that you want to accomplish. Once you’ve done that, translate each line of your English (or Portuguese) script into JavaScript.

I've seen educators use this technique time and time again. But it isn't just for teachers to use and students to learn from — it's for anyone's benefit. I find myself doing pseudo code before I write real code, sure, but I also leave it in place sometimes in code comments. Most commonly, I do it in Notion documents or in Slack conversations to get across a point.

Even simple ideas:

if env.dev
  stop email delivery

Anything with logic and branching or step-by-step bits benefits highly from it. Notice that code isn't valid code. It's not valid in any language I can think of. Sometimes, I'll throw in some random parenthesis or a semicolon out of muscle memory. Who cares? It's just about communicating an idea to myself or someone else.

if (grid is supported)
  use grid
else
  lay out things in a basic row with flexbox

It's natural. Chances are, they won't care about the syntax either, they'll just get the idea.

on form submit
  validate
  if errors
     show errors;
  else
     submit to api;
     if api success
        show ui success;
     else
        show ui fail;

(After writing these out, it made me think of uilang. Check out how the plain language code blocks work there.)

Yonatan's article was missing real-world pseudo code examples, so I asked around. Check out all these great examples!

I'm a little surprised at how much of it is on paper! That's pretty cool, really. Just weird for me as I very rarely use paper for anything. I probably should.

The post Pseudo Code appeared first on CSS-Tricks.



from CSS-Tricks https://ift.tt/2JKflmh

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

20 Free Professional Resume Cover Letter Format Templates for Jobs 2020

-
Image
Are you getting ready to apply to jobs and want to make a cover letter? Using a professional cover letter template will save you time and ensure that you've got a professional design. This cover letter template and hundreds more can be found on Envato Elements. Using a premium cover letter template can not only save you time, but you'll have a high-quality template for your letter. All you need to do is add the information you'd like to and customize the template and you're done. In this article, we'll explore some of the best premium and free cover letter templates available online. Find the Best Premium Resume Cover Letter Templates on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)  Envato Elements is an all-you-can-download resources for professionals and creatives, including good cover letter templates . With Elements, you pay a low monthly fee to get access to: resume and CV letter templates stock photos and royalty free music WordPress themes and more ...
Read more

How to Create Gantt Charts in PowerPoint With PPT Templates

-
Image
You might not think of Microsoft PowerPoint as a project management tool. But there's a reason it's used for project updates and by project teams. The ease-of-use and flexibility of PowerPoint work for any project management professional.  It's easy to create a Gantt Chart in PowerPoint (PPT) once you know how. When it comes to managing projects, you need tools to make them manageable. That includes process charts to help your team collaborate efficiently. Project management professionals often turn to  Gantt charts  to visualize the parts of the project. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to create a Gantt chart in PowerPoint . You'll learn how to use an impressive template to build a Gantt chart that ensures that every member of your project team knows how their part in the project fits into the bigger picture. Let's dive in! What's a Gantt Chart? Imagine you're building something that requires collaboration with others. That could be a website, ...
Read more

32+ Professional PowerPoint Templates: For Better Business PPT Presentations

-
Image
Do you have a business presentation PowerPoint to give this week? Is the deadline for your pitch approaching fast? Or, is the clock ticking down to the date of your speaking engagement? If so, your needs are immediate. It's critical that you create a professional presentation that's designed for business results. Professional PowerPoint workflow - from design to presentation. ( Influencer PPT Template ) Designing a PowerPoint presentation from scratch is difficult. It takes time to put together the right slide layouts that work cohesively together. Also, make infographics, icons, fonts, animations. Match all these elements to your message best. It’s a whole lot quicker to grab a  professional PowerPoint template  to work with from the get-go.   The best business presentation PPT templates like The X Note help you craft your content in less time than ever. Are you looking for professional PowerPoint templates ? A high-quality presentation design gives you ...
Read more