Coders Quest

I'm Back

2008-01-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

After a long needed holiday that went for 20 days i am finally back home to where I belong.

Well it must be kind of obvious that i did not reach my goal.
I will discuss this in another post after i have a brief look at my previous post so i know what went wrong and right.

I would love to hear from everyone and hear what they got for Christmas and what they got up to over the holidays (for those of you that were lucky enough to get one).

Keeping in Contact

2007-12-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend i went to a party and stayed up all night.
While there my friend offered to sell me this gadget of his which plugs into your router giving wi-fi access for your DS.

I said yes and am gonna get it off him tomorrow.
I am doing this so while on camp during the holidays i can go on the net and keep in touch with you guys.
To do this as well i need to buy or download a browser onto my DS.

I also saw some stuff on coding for the DS I'm gonna have a look into this.

Where have all the Desktop programmers gone?

2007-12-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

I'm still looking for a community to join.
The problem isn't because there are a lack of coding communities on the web (Seriously every 5th stumble i come across is a community of php/mysql coders), it's that their aren't enough for desktop programmers.

Some do have little sections on there sites for desktop programmers to get together but generally you never get a reply or ya get one from a person that codes in another language.
It almost makes me want to learn PHP (oh no don't go there jordan then you will have to start all over again).

Well that was my out burst for the week, if you have a view on the subject just leave a comment.

Making the world a colorful place

2007-12-04T19:10:00.002-08:00

I was getting board of just displaying white text so i decided to learn a bit about adding colors to programs.

I found a small basic tutorial on the web and had a play around then made a small program that just displays some simple text in COLOR!!!
If you wish to download it you just need to click here.

Now when ever i do a program i will try and put into color and make the world a less boring place.
Also i would like to thank XPD259 who has brought the first top site and you can find his blog here.

are you in MY topsites?

2007-12-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

I've seen it around and even submitted a link on one of them.
It's the new craze "ScratchBack" that is still in beta version which allows people to buy a link back to their site.

I know it may not seem like a new idea but it's the idea put into a simple to use format.
Fascinated by it, i have decided to try it out.
As you can see it's on the right hand side with all the other links but will know doubt be the first thing a reader sees.
Because i will only use the money for the growth of the site i have decided to only charge a dollar for each link which stays up for a whole month.

Right now i'm trying to decide whether to use it or not.
Please leave a comment on what you think of it and if your really like it you could even buy a link. :)

Breaking a 1-inch board

2007-12-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Last night i went to tae-kwon-do where I had to show my parents what i had learnt during the year.

I got there and had to do my three patterns then did some self defense.
After that our teacher got out some 1 inch boards and said without any notice at all that we had to break them.
My teacher called me third and i walked up to him.
I aimed up the board then WHAMM!! It broke.
I felt so proud of myself as i had never done it before.
Now i know for some of you 1 inch might not seem that much but it really felt to me like i had achieve something big.

Next time i plan on breaking a 2 inch board.
Tonight i have some free time so plan on coding some programs.

Interesting read

2007-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:00

While at the library i got a book called The Art of intrusion which talks about people that hacked into stuff. While i don't like hackers (the bad ones) i still find it real interesting to read. I would seriously suggest getting this book to read.

Seen as i already know about the basics i was able to speed through the first 2 chapters and the first half of the third chapter.
I can't spend that much time coding tonight as i have a tae-kwon-do show where we show our parents how much we have learnt over the year and i have to study for that science test tomorrow.

And to end on a good note I'm really grateful for the people that have zoomed any posts of mine.

Thanks again.

A better learning tool

2007-12-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

Today was the date my books were due back at the library so as I didn't wish to get a bill I returned them.
The last two C++ books I got out were way to hard to understand or follow along with but having said that reading a bit of them was not a huge loss.

I got what looks like will be a better read, Sams teach yourself C++ in 21 days.
If I can stick to the schedule in the book I should be able to finish it before the end of the month.

Tomorrow i have an english exam, tuesday i have a science exam and wednesday i have a social studies exam. I hope to do well in all, wish me luck.

End of the first Month

2007-11-30T18:10:00.000-08:00

First off i realize that sum of you have wondered where I've gotten to so i will explain.
Well its nearly the end of the school year and I have been having test after test so i have had to spend a lot of time studying.

I have been thinking about how my coding skills have been going lately mainly cause i was reminded of the $200 bet.
With only a month to go i will have to work so hard to reach my goals.

I think the second half of the month was a bit of a let down but i will still strive along with coding.

A day to think

2007-11-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

I have got half of today off college and am gonna be thinking about a lot of things including a contest. Thats right a contest!!

I am still looking for a forum to join and show off my work.
I have also a article in the making that I think some people might be interested in.
I'm now half way through the first month and am not sure if I can make it to my goal.

Well I'm off to do some more coding and finish up on other things so I have more time to code.

c-ya

Programs, programs and more programs

2007-11-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

I will be trying to put out as many programs as i possibly can in the next few weeks as the more I do the more (hopefully) the code will stick in my memory.

To start it all off in about five minutes I made this addition program using functions.
It is very simple but I hope to add to it so you can multiply/divide/minus the the two numbers.
You can download it here.

I should be making at least one new program every day. Although if I get the chance two or three.

The $200 Bet

2007-11-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my friend and he said if I can become a moderately good coder with C++ in the 2 months he would give me $200.
And it goes both ways so if i don't make it to my goal i will have to give him $200.

Now i don't normally bet but i think this will encourage me as I don't wish to lose that $200.
Right now I'm so busy and I have to try so hard to get some time to code.

Lets hope I win the $200.

A program to teach me to program

2007-11-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

While I was reading through chapter 2 it was talking about the different Data types that you can store your variables as. Although it said a newbie should not worry about the different data types as much I will because of my goal.

While I was thinking about the best way to remember them I was also trying to think of a new program I could make.
Then it came to me why not make a program that would help me learn about the different variables.
I would just get the program to ask a question and i would have to reply to it.

This would give me the opportunity to use functions and see how I am coming along.

Chapter 1

2007-11-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

I got reading the 1st chapter of the book C++ Primer.
Its good cause it gets strait into it and covers most subjects and then in later chapters goes into more details.

I had my first look at classes and I can see how they would be a huge part of coding programs with C++.
Apparently the more than 450,000 people have learnt C++ from their previous books, lets hope that I'm one more that they can add to the list.
I'm also looking at joining a forum which I can get help from and show off my work.
So if you know any good ones please tell me.

Now I'm gonna get started on chapter 2 which focuses on variables and Basic Types.

Books Of knowledge

2007-11-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

I have finally made it to the library where I got two C++ books.

The first one is called Sams Teach yourself C++ in 10 minutes.
Each chapter can be read in ten minutes and I sort of think of it as a quick and light read which I can take with me.
The Second one is called C++ Primer 4th edition and is quite a bit heavier than the first.
That one will probably my main one I read s it will give a more in depth look at various things.

What a great start to the next ten days. I hope to start reading them later on today.

First 10 Days of the Journey

2007-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

I just want to take a look back on the first 10 days of my journey.
I started of on the 1st of November.

Day:

1. Read some tutorials off www.cprogramming.com

2. Created my first program which just displayed a simple message.

3. Thought about the site and read a bit more into variables.

4. Got to grips with if....else statements then decided to create a simple program on my own called "The Age" program.

5. Ran into my first problem with "The Age" program. Had a try at fixing it to no success.

6. Learnt about loops and read an article about getting into coding.

7. Could still not get things going on my program so felt a bit down. Also brought the new domain name for the site.

8. Made a program that displays 2 random numbers then minuses the smaller number from the bigger number.

9.Finished "The Age" program. It felt so good to have finished it.

10. Found a good tutorial site called www.cplusplus.com

Overall it has been an interesting first 10 days learning about the basics of C++.
Now onto the next 10!!

Error Alert!!

2007-11-09T22:10:00.000-08:00

When i finished my random program it was late and i did not check it fully for errors.
Oops!??!

Whats the problem? Well it brings up random numbers but the problem is it brings up the same one all the time.
I had a quick look at it and had a attempt to fix it but no luck.

I don't think I'm really gonna try and find out why it's bugged up but if i ever have some spare time or all of the answer comes to me I will go fix it.

The Age program: Complete?

2007-11-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

I figured out what the problem was and have fixed it.
It was because i was storing the name that the person using the program would enter as a int instead of a string.

After that i added some if...else statements and then just tided the code up bit.
And you know what it works, I'm so proud of my program.
Now it my not seem like much to sum of you but you of course whould have never felt the satisfaction of making, debugging and having a working program at the end of it.
You can download it here.

Does this mean that The Age program is complete, well i don't think so as i learn more things I can alter the code and add to it.

Random Number Program

2007-11-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Most simple programs i have thought about making in C++ need a random number in them.
I googled up random number generator in C++ and it came up with some tutorials and i read the one from daniweb.

With that knowledge i made my own program which displays two random numbers then minuses the smaller one from the bigger one.
If you wish to have a look at it you can download it here.

I hope to learn a bit more about this skill and then use it to create other programs.

New Domain!!!

2007-11-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

I told you there were going to be some changes and heres a first pretty big one.
I brought www.codersquest.com and renamed the site to Coders Quest.

The great thing about it is if anyone clicks on link to the old site they will be automatically redirected to the new domain name.
I spent $10 USD on the domain name and that gives it to me for a year.

This was the first of the changes that are happening here.
I will update you as they happen.

Some humour in these dark times

2007-11-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

I still can't get my program to work even though i have tried countless times at it.
I also have 1 and a half more days before i can get to the library.

However this funny joke I found cheered me up.
It's called the supercoder 2000 and can be found at http://www.evula.org/dragoon/pics/supercoder.jpg
Don't think it will sell much.

Because of this i think i will be able to continue to try i get my program working and will read more on the internet until i go to the library to get some C++ books.

Advise from a wise man

2007-11-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

I was looking through digg like i always do and found an article about getting into coding. You can find it at: http://bluesuncorp.co.uk/2007/11/06/getting-into-coding

So far i have only got number 1 done and am working on number 2.
If I am to complete my goal of becoming an average coder by the end of two months i will have to be up to number 3 by the end of the first month.

I will try to code a little something every time i get the chance and read a much about C++.

First brick wall

2007-11-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

I hit my first problem yesterday.
I was making "the age" program and I compiled then ran it.
It came up how it should of and it told you to enter your name.

Now once you entered your name and pressed enter the program would flash through and close. But it should ask for your age after that.
I tried altering the code or getting it to slow down but I still can't figure out why it zips through the program.

I will continue to look for a solution and I will also read a few more tutorials as I may find one in them.

An age old question

2007-11-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

Now that i'm getting to grips with the basics like in/output, variables and if...else statements I thought i might try making a program on my own.

To start off I will get it to ask for you name and age the display the two.
After that depending on your age it will say something like "Your old" or "Your young".
When I learn more I might decided to come back to this program and make it more advanced.

Can I make it? I sure hope so.
I will post "The age" program up once I am finished.

First Program

2007-11-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

Seen as I haven't been able to get to the library I had to find a site to learn from.
I came across a great site which specializes in C and C++. You can find it at http://www.cprogramming.com

From this I wrote my first program which simply displayed on the screen the following:

"Hello

My name is jordan widel.
I wrote this program."

If you want to download it you can get it here.
I'm very proud of my first creation.

Changes in the wind

2007-11-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

Last night i was giving a bit of thought towards the sites future.
It was mainly about the domain name, is it to long?

If i came up with a better name i would no doubt buy my own domain name.
But what to call the site that is simple and easy to remember?
I'm not sure.
I also, if anyone has noticed changed the design as i thought the other one was way to simple.

Other changes will be occurring but i do not wish to state them all, some might be little and others could be huge.

No excuses

2007-11-03T18:18:00.001-07:00

I hate bloggers that say "oh I've been real busy thats why i haven't been posting"
There's no excuse but I am sorry for not posting that much in the last days.

I have been learning a bit about C++ but not as much as i should have if i want to reach my goal in 2 months.
I have really gotta pull down and work more harder at this than i am.

I made my first program the other day and will post it up soon.

It Starts!!

2007-10-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

So today is the first of November and it STARTS!!!
I was doing a little stumbling last night and came across great site www.hotscripts.com I might use it as a reference guide later on.
I also heard about a thing called blogrolling, i thought i might get it.
I'm going to start learning about C++.

Bye Bye

Why C++

2007-10-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

So i thought i might tell you why i chose C++ to learn to code with.

Well before i chose C++ i did some research on the web about different coding languages. I got it down to two finalists, PHP and of course C++.
PHP interested me because of the ability to make dynamic websites.
And C++ because I've always wanted to write programs that could help me and other people.
Then I read an article on the web about making games and apparently C++ is the main coding language people use to develop commercial games.
And so who doesn't want to make games?

So i decided to learn how to code with C++

A bit of both

2007-10-30T11:39:00.001-07:00

I have decided after yesterdays problem that I'm going to mainly use books and will learn most of what i should know about coding from them. However every so often I will go online and read through some tutorial and I also thought i might join a online coding community.

So my next tasks are to find some books on C++ and join an online community which i can get help form and see examples.

Internet or Books?

2007-10-29T20:32:00.001-07:00

I have already come to my first dilemma(if thats how you spell it).
I don't know how i should learn to code, the internet or books?

I mean with the internet its just quick and i can see what I'm coding on the screen with the tutorials but I also get really distracted while on the net.
Where as with a book i can read it anywhere i go and it would give a more in depth look at some of the code.
I think the main solution to the problem would be to ask some C++ experts what they think is the best way for me to learn.

The Beginning

2007-10-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

The reason i made this blog is more of a diary to keep track of my coding achievements . You see I've always wanted to code and know the basic of some like HTML and VB, so I have set myself the goal of learning C++ with in 2 months and i must be a moderate user of it. I have also labeled myself a coding pawn in hopes of encouraging myself towards this goal.

While i go towards this goal i will keep you up to date with how I'm going and what I'am achieving. I will try and get on here daily but if not that once every two days.
Well thats all i have to say for now until next time bye