Hey everyone! I'm feeling a bit lost and was hoping someone could help me out. I'm currently using Excel and have done some basic coding with VBA, but I've hit its limits and I'm looking to move away from it. My goal is to learn programming so I can create my own desktop or web-based applications. I'm not really a programmer, and I'm not sure where to write new code. Do I need a special app to create my own programs? I've heard of Java, but is it just a programming language or does it involve specific software? For someone who knows a tiny bit of VBA and has some past experience with MySpace, where do I even begin? Any guidance would be hugely appreciated!
4 Answers
Most people code in an IDE. For Python, I recommend PyCharm, and for C/C++, Visual Studio is a solid choice. Just type 'best IDEs for (your programming language)' into Google, and you'll find plenty of options!
You'll want to check out an IDE like VSCode or IntelliJ. Java is indeed a programming language, and it works well in these environments. If you're just starting out, Python is another excellent choice because it’s user-friendly and versatile. Try to figure out which one excites you the most!
Right on, thank you!
You definitely need an IDE! Something like Microsoft Visual Studio is great for beginners since it streamlines a lot of the setup work for you. Remember that before IDEs, coding was done in simple text editors like Notepad, which is pretty cumbersome. But now, you can write and debug code all in one place, which makes it way easier.
Thank you! I think I was overwhelmed thinking I had to go back to those old methods.
You can start coding in simple text files! For example, you could open Notepad and write Python code there. But to actually run it, you'd need to use an interpreter like Python itself. For most languages, you’ll eventually want to use an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) like PyCharm for Python or Visual Studio for C/C++. IDEs are super helpful because they provide tools to compile and run your code easily, plus features like syntax highlighting and auto-complete.
Dang, thank you for such a thorough response!
It's true! I used to work with .txt files back in the day, and it is still a valid method even though it sounds ancient.
Thank you! That gives me some places to start, which is so much more than I had before.