How to Learn Programming in Faster Way?

Learning to program isn't something you can do in an afternoon, but it doesn't have to be a life's work, either. There are lots of things you can do to make it easier on yourself when you are learning to program. You already know about The 5 Most Common Problems New Programmers Face--And How You Can Solve Them. Now, discover how to get the most out of your learning.

One common theme across many of these tips is:

don't go too fast; get it right before moving on.

When I was teaching C, there were always a few students who came into the class knowing a bit about programming. Inevitably, some of these students did great in the first few weeks only to fall further and further behind as the course went on. Why? They went too fast through the introductory part of the course, thinking they knew it all--but they rarely did. They knew some of the material, but not enough to have a strong grasp of the fundamentals.

At the same time, you must not stop making progress--you can go too slow as well as too fast. Don't avoid a topic after you've mastered everything leading up to it. By facing more challenging ideas, you'll help cement your grasp of the basics.

1. Look at the Example Code

Reading is usually about the words on the page, but learning to program is about code. When you're first learning to program, you should make sure to look at, and try to understand, every example. When I first learned to program, I would sometimes read the code examples before the text, and try to figure out what they did. It doesn't always work, but it did force me to look at the example very carefully, and it often helped make the write ups clearer.

If you want to see what sample code looks like, you can read this site's introductory programming tutorial. This tutorial spends a great deal of time talking about the sample code to help you work through exactly what the code does.

2. Don't Just Read Example Code-Run It

But when you're reading a programming tutorial (or book), it's easy to look at the sample code and say "I get it, I get it, that makes sense". Of course, you might get it, but you might not get it, and you just don't know it. There's only one way to find out--do something with that code.

If you haven't already, get a compiler like Code::Blocks set up.

Then type the sample code into a compiler--if you type it, instead of copying and pasting it, you will really force yourself to go through everything that is there. Typing the code will force you to pay attention to the details of the syntax of the language--things like those funny semicolons that seem to go after every line.

Then compile it and run it. Make sure it does what you think it does.

Then change it. Software is the most easily changed machinery on the planet. You can experiment easily, try new things, see what happens; the changes will happen almost immediately, and there is no risk of death or mayhem. The easiest way to learn new language features is to take some code that works one way, and change it.

3. Write your Own Code as Soon as Possible

Once you understand something about the language--or even if you're still getting your head around it--start writing sample programs that use it. Sometimes it's hard to find good ideas for what programs to write. That's OK, you don't have to come up with every idea at the beginning.

You can find some programming challenges on this site.

You can also re-implement the examples from the book or tutorial you are reading. Try to do so without looking back at the sample code; it won't be as easy as it seems. This technique can work especially well if you tweak the sample code.

If you can't think of a small program to write, but you have in mind a larger program you want to implement, like a game, you could start building small pieces that you can later use for a game. Whether you use them later or not, you will get the same useful experience.

4. Learn to Use a Debugger

I already talked about the importance of debugging in The 5 Most Common Problems New Programmers Face--And How You Can Solve Them. But it bears repeating; the sooner you learn good debugging techniques, easier it will be to learn to program.

The first step in doing so is to learn how to use a tool called a debugger, which allows you to step through your code.

A debugger will allow you to step line by line through a piece of code. It will let you see the values of variables, and whether the code inside an if statement is executed.

A debugger can help you quickly answer questions about what your code is doing.

int main()
{
        int x;
        int y;
        if( x > 4 )  // <-- what is the value of x here?
        {
                y = 5;   // <-- did this line of code execute?
        }
}

A final word about debuggers: the first time you learn about a debugger, it will take you longer to fix the problems with your code. After the tenth or so bug, it will really start to pay off. And believe me, you will have way more than ten bugs in your programming career.

I often saw students unwilling to use a debugger. These students really made life hard on themselves, taking ages to find very simple bugs. The sooner you learn to use a debugger, the sooner it will pay off.

5. Seek out More Sources

If you don't understand something, there's a good possibility the way it was explained just didn't click.

First, look for alternative explanations. The internet is filled with information about programming, and some explanations work better for different people; you might need pictures, someone else might not. There are also lots of good books with detailed explanations.

But if that doesn't work, the easiest way to figure out where your misunderstanding lies is to ask someone else. But try to go beyond saying, "I don't understand. Please explain." You're likely to get a link back to the same text you didn't understand. Instead, rephrase your understanding of the text in your words. The more your question reveals about what you are thinking, the easier it will be for a knowledgeable expert to answer it. Programmers sometimes have a reputation for being grumpy about answering questions, but I think the reason is that they want to make progress in a conversation, and that requires both sides to put in effort. If you ask a smart, detailed question that shows you are thinking, you will generally get good results.

There are plenty of places you can go to ask questions. You can always email me, or post on our message board, or ask an expert.

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How to Create Your own Header Files and Use it to your Program?

Header files are the containers which contains function declarations and definitions. Each header file contains some functions and for using that function we have to include the header file. As for example: for using scanf() and printf() function into our program, we have to include stdio.h header file.

Note: If you have written a function into a program and its header file is missing, then it will show you an error message: "Function should have a prototype". That means you have declared the function, but is definition is missing.

Now let us discuss about creating a header file. As I have told that each header file contains some function definition, so for using that function we have to include the header file first.

CREATING HEADER FILE <soumya.h>

STEP 1: Open any Text Editor such as Notepad(for windows), gedit or featherpad(for linux).

STEP 2: Write down the function definition into it.

STEP 3: Save the file with .h extention. Here I am going to save the file named as Soumya.h.

STEP 4: Copy the header file default location for your C/C++ compiler. In Turbo C/C++ compiler, the default location is: C:\TC\INCLUDE. "Include" folder contains all the header files. You can also view any header file code by opening the header file through the text editor(Notepad/Featherpad/gedit).

ADDING THE HEADER FILE INTO THE PROGRAM

Now as we need to include stdio.h as #include in order to use printf() function. We will also need to include the above header file Soumya.h as #include ”Soumya.h”. The ” ” here are used to instructs the preprocessor to look into the present folder and into the standard folder of all header files if not found in present folder. So, if you wish to use angular brackets instead of ” ” to include your header file you can save it in the standard folder of header files otherwise. If you are using ” ” you need to ensure that the header file you created is saved in the same folder in which you will save the C file using this header file.

Program:

#include <stdio.h>

#include "Soumya.h"

int main()

{

add(12, 10);

/*This calls add function written in Soumya.h

and therefore no compilation error.*/

multiply(5, 6);

// Same for the multiply function in Soumya.h

printf("Thanks for using the App");

return 0;

}

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Twisted Prime Number - Summary, Program and Check

A number is said to be a Twisted Prime Number if its reverse is also a prime number. As for Example: 2, 11, 101, 107, 113, 149, 151 etc are Twisted Prime Numbers.
As for example let us consider about number 107. 107 is a Prime Number and its reverse 701 too is also a prime number.

CHECK FOR TWISTED PRIME NUMBER:
Now let us consider to check whether a given number is Twisted prime or Not. For this we have to do the following steps of algorithm.

FUNCTIONS USED:
check_prime(number) : Check whether "number" is prime or not. This function returns 1, if "number" is prime.
reverse(number): for reversing "number". This function returns the reverse of "number".
 
ALGORITHMS:
main( )
{
   input: number1, number2;
   number2 = reverse(number1);
   if(check_prime(number1))
   {
        if(check_prime(number2))
        {
             Print: "Twisted Prime Number";
        }
       else
        {
             Print: "Not a Twisted Prime Number";
        }
   }
   else
   {
       Print: "Not a Prime Number";
   }
}

PROGRAM:
#include<stdio.h>
int check_prime(int);
int reverse(int);
void main()
{
  int number1, number2;
  //printf("Enter a Number");
  scanf("%d", &number1);
  number2=reverse(number1);
  if(check_prime(number1))
   {
     if(check_prime(number2))
      {
        printf("\n%d is a Twisted Prime Number", number1);
      }
     else
      {
        printf("\n%d is a Twisted Prime Number", number1);
      }
   }
  else
   {
     printf("\n%d is not a Prime Number", number1);
   }
}

int reverse(int K)
{
  int i, s=0;
  while(K!=0)
   {
    i=K%10;
    s=s*10+i;
    K=K/10;
   }
  return s;
}

int check_prime(int Q)
{
  int x=1, c=0;
  while(x<=Q)
  {
    if(Q%x==0)
    {
      c=c+1;
    }
    x=x+1;
  }
  if(c==2)
  {
    return 1;
  }
  else
  {
    return 0;
  }
}

RUN PROGRAM 

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Twisted Prime Number upto a Given Range Program and Algorithm

A number is said to be a Twisted Prime Number if its reverse is also a prime number. As for Example: 2, 11, 101, 107, 113, 149, 151 etc are Twisted Prime Numbers.
As for example let us consider about number 107. 107 is a Prime Number and its reverse 701 too is also a prime number. 
For printing Twisted Prime numbers, we have to check whether each number and its reverse from 1 to RANGE (as assigned by the user) as Prime. If it is a prime number and its reverse is too, then it will be printed. For this we have taken two functions as follows:

FUNCTIONS USED:
check_prime(number) : Check whether "number" is prime or not. This function returns 1, if "number" is prime.
reverse(number): for reversing "number". This function returns the reverse of "number".

ALGORITHMS:
main( )
{
   input: RANGE;
   set: number1=1, number2;   
while(number1<=RANGE)
{
   number2 = reverse(number1);
   if(check_prime(number1))
   {
        if(check_prime(number2))
        {
             Print: number1;
        }
   }
   number1=number1+1; }

PROGRAM:
#include<stdio.h>
int check_prime(int);
int reverse(int);
void main()
{
  int RANGE, number1=1, number2;
  //printf("Enter Range:");
  scanf("%d", &RANGE);
  while(number1<=RANGE)
  {
    number2=reverse(number1);
    if(check_prime(number1))
    {
     if(check_prime(number2))
      {
        printf("\n%d", number1);
      }
    }
    number1=number1+1;
  }
}
int reverse(int K)
{
  int i, s=0;
  while(K!=0)
   {
    i=K%10;
    s=s*10+i;
    K=K/10;
   }
  return s;
}

int check_prime(int Q)
{
  int x=1, c=0;
  while(x<=Q)
  {
    if(Q%x==0)
    {
      c=c+1;
    }
    x=x+1;
  }
  if(c==2)
  {
    return 1;
  }
  else
  {
    return 0;
  }
}

RUN PROGRAM

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