Vanilla JavaScript Code Snippets

In a new series of posts, we highlight some of the useful tools and techniques for developers and designers. This time around, let’s look at vanilla JavaScript code snippets — resources and lightweight libraries to help you solve a problem without a large overhead or third-party dependencies read more

Tools Every Android Developer Should Be Using

The two most common operating systems that host mobile applications are Android and iOS. Every day, on average, 3,739 new mobile applications are added to the Google Play store. And that’s only counting apps built on Android. The mobile app era is in full effect! So if you weren’t already planning to launch a mobile app for your new business venture, consider this a wake-up call. But before you jump in headfirst, take a moment to explore the following tools that every Android developer should be using.

Like any software development, Android development requires the programmer to use an integrated development environment, or IDE. IDEs streamline Android development by consolidating different tools and aspects of writing the program; each IDE is built differently and specializes in its unique niche. These IDEs typically bring Android SDK and platform tools together while providing the developer with an Android emulator to test the program without running it on an actual device. And while these are incredibly powerful tools, they only scratch the surface of what’s available for Android development.

Android libraries come in handy during app development by harnessing the power of open-source code libraries like the GitHub platform to quickly locate minute pieces of code to be used in your mobile app. Other libraries include Retrofit, which excels at using web services to fetch data from a server used in the mobile app. Google recommends Glide library to maintain image aspect ratio, loading and caching. And MaterialDesignLibrary provides developers with custom user interface components that increase the mobile app’s intuitiveness for the end-user.

It is customary with Android development to first test your mobile app before deploying it. When deploying, Android-based operating systems require an Android Package or APK. Tools like Gradle pull code lines from Java and XML files to generate this APK for the developer in either top-level or module-level builds. Once it’s deployed, it’s likely your end-user will need to store data locally to their phone. Android’s operating system uses a database called SQLite to do so, but it never hurts to explore third-party databases like greenDAO or OrmLite.

Firebase is like an Android Swiss army knife for facilitating authentication, file storage, crash management, analytics, file storage, notifications and server management processes. And finally, every Android developer should build the foundation of their code architecture using software design patterns such MVC, MVP or MVVM.

Read a similar article about learn coding here at this page.

Happy coding!

Terminal Tricks

I spend a very large portion of my day in front of this screen and on this keyboard. I'm also a very lazy person. You put these two together, and I'm always looking for opportunities for efficiency. There are only two ways I can achieve more. The first is to find some sucker to do my job, and we all know how limited that is. The second is to automate what I do. Not everything can be automated, but the more I can do from terminal, the more I can turn that into scripts. And those scripts are my key to enjoying being lazy read more

How Long Does It Take to Become a Developer?

Becoming a full-stack developer can be a great and fulfilling career path, but it takes some time to train and learn the skills. So how long does it take exactly? With the help of a coding bootcamp, you can fast-track your way to becoming a full-stack developer. When you use a coding bootcamp, it can take several months to more than a year, depending on your situation.

How Long Will It Take Me?

There are several factors that will determine how quickly you can complete a coding bootcamp for full-stack development. The two biggest deciding factors are going to be your experience level and the time you have to dedicate to the courses.

What’s Your Experience Level?

The more experienced you are and the more comprehensive your coding background is, the easier it will be to complete a coding bootcamp. In general, you’ll either be a beginner, intermediate or expert level coder.

Beginner: Courses may take you longer if you have no experience. You’ll be learning the concepts from scratch and thus will need to really get them in your head before you’re able to move on to more advanced lessons.

Intermediate: Maybe you’ve never coded professionally but have coded some things as a hobby. If you have some general coding knowledge with languages like HTML and CSS, then the courses should be easier for you.

Advanced: If you’ve coded professionally, a coding bootcamp will probably be best to refresh your skillset or expand it. Courses should be quite a bit easier for you since you’re familiar with coding in general.

What’s Your Time Commitment?

Probably the most important factor is how much time you’re willing to dedicate. Will you be able to learn coding part-time or full-time?

Part-Time: If you already have a job, are in college or have other obligations, then you might only have a set amount of time each day or week when you can learn your coding skills. Depending on how much time you have, a bootcamp could take anywhere from six months to a year.

Full-Time: If you’re able to treat your coding bootcamp like a full-time job, your track will be much faster. Full-time bootcamps can be completed in as little as three months if you stick to your schedule.

Choosing a Coding Bootcamp

Now that you know how long it will take, you need to choose a coding bootcamp that works for you. Make sure to select a camp that gives you every resource you need to reach a professional level and learn the proper skills.

To find a Javascript course online, visit this website.