What’s the best way to learn from programming books and documentation?
Asked by
MellowCedar42
I'm currently learning C++ with LearnCpp, and I like how thoroughly it explains concepts and demonstrates them with examples. At the same time, I sometimes get overwhelmed by the number of ways to solve the same problem, including different syntax and programming approaches.
I'm trying to figure out an effective study process. Should I read a topic, make sure I understand the general idea, close the reference, and then try to write the code from memory? Is it better to take notes on important details, or focus mostly on understanding and practicing? I'm also wondering whether it's useful to keep my notes, exercises, small programs, and projects in a public GitHub repository.
I'd appreciate hearing how other programmers study technical books and documentation, and how they tell the difference between genuinely learning something and merely recognizing it while reading.
Answers
Try to write the code yourself, but don’t treat looking at the reference as cheating. Keep the documentation open and consult it when necessary. In real programming, knowing how to find and interpret the relevant documentation is just as important as memorizing syntax.
For C++, there are often several valid ways to express an idea. You usually don’t need to learn every option immediately. For a particular project, choose a sensible approach and use it consistently, including consistent naming and style. The alternatives will become clearer as you gain experience.
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A structured chapter routine can work well: skim the introduction and summary, write down the main ideas, then work through the examples yourself instead of only reading them. After that, complete the exercises without immediately looking at the solution. Keeping notes in a separate document can make it easy to review foundational concepts later.
You don’t need to record every detail. Notes are most useful for ideas you repeatedly forget, explanations that clarify a difficult concept, and mistakes you want to avoid.
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The biggest factor is practice. If something doesn’t make sense, jot down the question and keep going until you’ve seen the rest of the lesson. Having the full context often makes the confusing part easier to understand. Then come back to that specific issue and investigate it directly.
When practicing, try to observe what your variables and program state are doing as the code runs. If you get stuck, spend a focused amount of time working through it yourself, then take a break and return to the documentation or your notes before trying again. The cycle of studying, experimenting, and debugging is where most of the learning happens.
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MellowCedar42: That makes sense. I’ll keep my exercises in a repository so I can track my progress, but I’ll focus on practicing and understanding rather than trying to document every single detail.