Posts

Showing posts from February, 2022

Using GitHub on a Pair Programming Project

Image
When my journey to learn software development began I envisioned sitting alone in my mom's basement in the dark. The truth is, I had no idea how much teamwork and pair programming would be involved in my new career. As someone who loves collaborating I love working with teams. I am a  firm believer that two heads are  always  better than one.  Now here comes the "but"....  Work Hug GIF By Kochstrasse™ I knew very little about collaborating on Github as I embarked on my first pair programming project. Here's what I wish I knew: Getting Started  Create your repo a.k.a. repository in Github       1 > Settings      2 > Collaborators      3 > Add People           Get the Github desktop app     You might be thinking "oh jeez, I don't want to install yet another app" but I promise it will make your life easier.  Add your repository to Github desktop Open yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Planning for the Final Journey (even my plans have plans!)

Image
I've likened my experience throughout my Flatiron School Software Engineering bootcamp to being stranded alone on Mars (like astronaut Mark Watney in The Martian) . You solve one problem, and then you are faced with the next.   While that analogy may seem a little grim to some, there is so much beauty as I look out on the horizon here at the end of my journey. The landscape is rich in color and everywhere I look I see possibility. Just like Mark Watney I have worked hard to solve each problem I have been faced with in my attempt to survive alone on Mars (a.k.a. to finish this program). As I approached the finish line and created a plan for my Flatiron School Phase 5 project I realized I wanted to share some tools and tips that have helped me bring everything I have learned in this program into one final project.  My main goals for this project were:  To continue with my analogies of how coding is a lot like solving problems in The Martian...  Adding CSS styling ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Happens When Excel Decides to Prettify Your Data For You When You Import it to Ruby on Rails (and More Reasons to Use .CSV Files and Not .XLSX Files)

Image
You've fetched your data from an Excel sheet (.xlsx) using a rake task. You've added models, views, and controllers in Ruby on Rails to ensure that you can get and show your data in your React frontend.  But uh-oh.... your image links aren't working! Awkward Schitts Creek GIF By CBC You first take a look at your excel file and the links look just like they should.  Let's inspect the imported data through rails console:           1 rails c     2.7.4 :001 > Product.first.image1           Product Load (2.6ms) SELECT "products".* FROM "products" ORDER BY "products".               "id" ASC LIMIT $1 [["LIMIT", 1]]             => " <html><u> https://i.etsystatic.com/23287327/r/il/2bde7a/3700353637/il_full                  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Importing Excel Data into a Ruby on Rails Application

Image
So you've got some Excel data you would like to import into your Ruby on Rails project?  As a software engineer you may not be responsible for data integrity and quality control. You're given a spreadsheet and your job is to import it and render the information into a web application. But what if you are given bad data? A little bit of basic quality control can go a long way in saving you from future bugs in your application. You can save yourself some time and trouble just by taking a quick peak at your data before importing it.  Paw Patrol Puppy GIF By WesternCPE Ok, now that you have ensured your data is valid and well-structured let's get it into our database! First, set up your application and your MVC (models, views, controllers) in your CLI (command line interface).     1 rails new my_app     2 rails generate resource Product product_title description price:integer (insert          the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Using CSS in React: Learn to Style Like a Pro

Image
Heading into my last and final project for my Flatiron School Software Engineering Bootcamp I had one mission.  My goal: to use CSS like a pro!  CSS (or Cascading Style Sheets) is beloved by many, and loathed by many more. For many folks beginning new careers in web development, myself included, there is so much emphasis on delivering functionality. You spend countless hours getting your program or your application to perform the intended use. By the time you get it "working" the styling seems like an afterthought. Am I right?!?  So let's break down some of the myriad of ways a modern, hip, web developer can use CSS to their benefit. Thanks to other developers who have shared their resources through the open source community we can avoid some of the common CSS struggles that have plagued developers in the past.  Here are a few ways you can incorporate CSS into your next React* project:   *I'm currently using  Create React App  version 16.8.0....
Post a Comment
Read more