supportDocs

Getting Started: Essential Skills for Live-Coding Success

TL;DR

Imitation: Use the Checkin meetings to imitate the best students in the room. The purpose of the meetings is to learn the EASY WAY.

Master these fundamentals before diving into Spring Boot! Focus on:

• Migrating to IntelliJ
• Sharpening your Full-Stack CRUD skills
• Boosting keyboard efficiency
• Learning GitHub workflows
• Understanding processes that happen outside meetings (#hardcore)
• Testing your tickets like a pro

Welcome to live-coding! To help you hit the ground running, here are some key areas to focus on during Assignments 6-8. Mastering these fundamental skills will set you up for success and help you contribute effectively during live-coding sessions. Remember that IMITATION is your best friend. Use the Checkin meetings to imitate the best students in the room. The purpose of the meetings is to learn the EASY WAY.

1. Migrating to IntelliJ

Switching to IntelliJ IDEA is a critical step in your development journey. IntelliJ offers powerful features and tools that streamline coding, debugging, and testing.

• Install IntelliJ: Download the Community edition for free.
• Set Up Your Environment: Familiarize yourself with IntelliJ’s interface, keyboard shortcuts, and basic configurations.
• Practice Project Importing: Learn how to open, import, and work with your projects.

2. Master the Full Stack CRUD Self-Test

Full Stack CRUD Self-Test

Understanding CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) is essential for full-stack development.

• Frontend & Backend: Practice building a simple application that performs CRUD operations using both the frontend and backend and builds upon your experience with Dinosaur Wilbur and the OOP Test from Foundations.

3. Pick Up Faster Keyboarding Skills and File Handling Best Practices

Efficiency is key in live-coding. Improve your speed and accuracy with these tips:

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Learn and use IntelliJ’s keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation and editing.

• Imitation: Use the Checkin meetings to imitate the best students in the room. The purpose of the meetings is to learn the EASY WAY. By watching others it is much easier to pick up tricks that might take years on your own.

• Keyboard commands IntelliJ

• All-Pro Keyboarding

• File Management: Organize your files and directories logically and keep your codebase clean.

4. GitHub Ticket Flow: From Start to Finish

GitHub is an integral part of team collaboration. Mastering the ticket workflow will help you manage tasks effectively.

• Understand GitHub Tickets: Learn how tickets are created, assigned, and tracked.
• Branching: Create and work on feature branches to isolate changes.
• Pull Requests: Submit and review pull requests for collaborative coding.
• Code Reviews: Engage in meaningful code reviews to ensure quality and learn from peers.

5. Understanding the Process Outside Meetings (#hardcore)

Live-coding meetings are just one part of your learning experience. Taking initiative outside of meetings will amplify your growth.

6. Learn How to Test a Ticket

Testing is a critical skill for ensuring your code works as expected.

• Understand the Requirements: Fully grasp what the ticket is asking for.
• Write Tests: Create unit and integration tests to verify functionality.
• Run Debugging Sessions: Identify and fix issues in the code.
• Validate Against Acceptance Criteria: Ensure your work meets the defined success criteria.

---

By focusing on these areas, you’ll build a stronger understanding of Full Stack principles and be ready to tackle Spring Boot in Assignment 9 with more confidence.