A L wrote: > Joseph > ###My background... Well, I had my first encounter with > Perl in the Fall of 2000. It was not pretty. At the > time, my only programming experience was Pascal taken as a > high school student. However, I really wanted to learn > programming better, and was told that Perl is the language > to learn to get things done. But, I hated Perl the first > time because I had a huge issue with debugging when it > won't let me do things because I missed a period or > something important, which I was unaware of.
This is something that you will have to adapt to. Programming is a pretty exact art. Every character must be there for a reason, So is good writing for that matter. Unfortunately, the speed with which we can send messages ahs had its impact on the quality of proofreading. It can be a very healthy discipline to have to meet the demands of the compiler. [clip and save--I've said it before, I'll say it again] I see the compiler as a sort of guru--a stern but fair taskmaster that has no ego, no will or motivation of its ownm and thus is able to reflect only what is offered to it. [/clip] Make the compiler your friend. When it prints an error message, it is because it is unable to understand the code as written. The Perl interpreter is particularly forgiving. If at all possible to make sense of the code, it will. Then its a bit of a detective game to locate the errors cited. Sometimes the errors will not be obvious, since the compiler will read the code until it finds something that just can't be translated. The process of finding those errors is also good for you. > Then, I learned a little bit of Java. I liked Java with > all its structures and class less than I did Perl. That's too bad. Not that you prefer Perl, but to be put off by classes and structures. Structures and classes, and the thinking required to develop them, are the most powerful tools available to support creative programming. > Now, I'm trying to master Perl to an extent where I feel > comfortable enough to create things I want to create > without feeling at a total loss or frustration to call a > computer stupid for not doing what I had written. A computer can only do what it is told. When we see results we don't like, we have to look at what we are telling the compiler. > Also, I'm using Linux. So, to answer your question about > studying the basic concepts of command-line programming > with Perl, I think that I do know a little bit to test my > codes, but I do have my Perl reference manuals beside me > to look up things whenever necessary, as I am always > learning something new and cool. > > Angela It might be worth re-examining your approach to problem-solving. Any problem can be either a burden or a challenge. a lot of the difference comes in how you approach it. If you just get angry at the compiler for sending you error messages, then you miss out on the help it is offering you. For me, it is actually a great convenience. When I am on a roll with the logic, I take only moderate care about the code. I don't intentionally neglect sysntax, but I focus on logic. Then each time I finish a new function body, I: perl -c my_program_name.pl before I try to run. I just accept that I may have to run this command and toggle back to the script to catch my errors. It's just part of the process, and I've learned to enjoy it. By using highly structured code, I can usually keep the complications to a minimum for the process I am working on at any given time. My current project just went beyond 1500 lines. I can't imagine trying to keep track of all that if it was unstructured. As it is, it's no problem. There is not a single function in that file that can't be viewed in whole in a single screen. This makes it very easy to isolate problems. I would recommend at a minimum that you test the DBI and CGI modules each in isolation before trying to do an integrated web-based data access system. Each tool Perl offers has its own purpose characteristics, and quirks. It is easiest to get familiar with them one at a time. The deeper your familiarity with each, the more readily you will be able to make them integrate smoothly. Joseph -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
