This episode continues our discussion on the Basics of Digitizing Data. Let’s talk about a numbering system that represents state, i.e. on or off and one or zero. It’s an introduction to binary. Your key takeaways are: 0 and 1 are the simplest digits 1 represents a value, e.g. on, go, present, all clear, etc. 0 represents no value, e.g. off, stop, absence, not clear, etc. Digital signal is 0 or 1 Combine 1s and 0s to represent counts (numbers) Study Noties What is the simplest way to communicate in a numbering system? Think about this: What are the simplest […]
Labs
Labs are hands-on coding projects that you build along with Tonya as she explains the code, concepts, and thought processes behind it. You can use the labs to further your code knowledge or to use right in your projects. Each lab ties into the Docx to ensure you have the information you need.
Each lab is designed to further your understanding and mastery of code. You learn more about how to think about its construction, quality, maintainability, programmatic and logical thought, and problem-solving. While you may be building a specific thing, Tonya presents the why of it to make it adaptable far beyond that specific implementation, thereby giving you the means to make it your own, in any context.
Symbol to Represent Quantity
This episode continues our discussion on the Basics of Digitizing Data. In order to understand how computers work, first, you need to go back to your basic math. Let’s talk about the symbols we use to represent quantities. This episode is a quick overview of our counting system and Base-10 numbering system. Your key takeaways are: Numbers and digits are the symbols used to represent a quantity Digits are the numbers 0 to 9 The Decimal Number System is based on the quantities of 10 Base-10 is expressed as 10 to the power of a factor of X Study Notes […]
Electronics “on” and “off” States
This episode continues our discussion on the Basics of Digitizing Data. In this episode, you will learn about the electronic circuitry of a computer. At the most basic element within your computer is the switch. It’s on or off, just like the light switch on your wall. On is 1 and off is 0. Your key takeaways are: Computers handle digital signals Signals are electrical voltages Digital allows us to best represent the real world within a finite machine A digital “off” state is represented as 0 A digital “on” state is represented as 1 You can combine circuits to […]
The Why of 1s and 0s
This episode explains why computers only understand 1s and 0s. You will walk through a thought experiment to help you understand. Your key takeaways are: Computers work on voltage Computers cannot accurately, precisely, and consistently process analog signals Computers require the smallest amount of variability to be accurate 1s and 0s—or on and off—are the smallest degree Binary is the representation of complex numbers but in a 1 and 0 format Study Notes Problem 1: Feeding decimal numbers directly into the computer According to this picture, what happens when processing decimal numbers instead of 1s and 0s? If we wanted […]
Code to Circuits
This episode introduces you to the process of converting code into the digital circuits of 1s and 0s that a computer needs. Your key takeaways are: Instructions and code are software Software is converted from the human readable format to the 1s and 0s the computer circuits need Definition and types of “computers” Key attributes of a computer A big picture view of the computer anatomy Study Notes The picture above shows how software moves through a system. The basic flow is as follows: A web page request is made to the web server Web server goes to the hard […]
Introduction to Programming
The common way to start in WordPress is to take a theme, modify some styles, and then copy some piece of code to customize a feature. Far too many people skip the elementary fundamentals which are the critical foundations of programming. In this hands on lab, you will be introduced to programming including learning about the intent of code, syntax, differences in languages, and more. Prerequisites You will need to have your local development machine setup and ready to go. See the series prerequisites for more details. In addition, you will to complete the first installment in the series: Introduction […]
Introduction to WordPress Web Development – Absolute Beginners
In the first part of Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Web Development series, you will be introduced to websites, browsers, and programming. Let’s talk about the roles of the various technologies and programming languages. You’ll also learn about the role of plugins and themes in relationship to a WordPress website.
Intent of Each Language – PHP & SQL
This is the second part of the Intent of Each Language. In this episode, you will learn about PHP and SQL. PHP runs on the web server to handle the web request, business logic, interacting with the database, making decisions, building web pages, and then sending HTML and resources out to the browser. SQL is the language of the database. The database holds and retains your site’s content, users, settings, etc. It holds the information and data that is necessary for a website. You use PHP to interact with it to run queries to fetch or save information (records) or […]
Intent of Each Language – HTML, CSS, JS
Let’s talk about the different languages of a WordPress website which includes: PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL. Let’s talk about the intent of each of these languages. This is a big picture overview of the languages. HTML is the markup and structure of a web page. It runs in the browser. Its markup provides the meaning and intent of the content for other software, such as screen readers and web crawlers. It is not dependent upon CSS or JavaScript, as it can standalone. CSS is the styling language that adds all of the personality to your site for sighted […]
Intent of Themes vs. Plugins
I use the word “intent” a lot, as I want you to think about and select what you are doing based upon the intent. In this episode, you will learn about the intent of a theme and plugin. Their intent is very different. Both of them are used to customize WordPress, which means in all websites that you build, you will build and configure solutions using both themes and plugins. A theme is a skin. It is used for presentational purposes. Its intent is to provide the HTML structural markup and styling. Themes give a website its personality and uniqueness. […]
