This weekend I took the deep dive into PHP. I so appreciate you, PHP for being similar to HTML. I understood how to do each of the exercises–how to add in words using echo and such. However, I don’t exactly understand why PHP and HTML would be used. I assume we’ll get more into that? I understand it on a basic level–like, you wouldn’t necessarily use PHP to specify text color or something, and PHP runs on the server. Not the client. But, this is probably, to me, the most difficult aspect of coding thus far: the idea of “best practice”. I am not yet familiar enough with the general languages and their formats to decide what is most best in a given situation.

I’m really looking forward to diving into my project. I know if will be difficult and my vision is rather grand, but I think that–as you’ve said–the practical application and the self-taught nature of coding can oftentimes be the most effective. I’m quite excited to both apply what I’ve learned to something I’m actually interested in (no offense, Codecademy–I did appreciate the Harry Potter themed exercise), and to learn more based on researching new methods to accomplish what I want to do.

PHP will help me click into JavaScript more readily. There’s something about it that’s more simplified and logical, whereas JavaScript is moving in all sorts of directions and does not seem logical to me at all as of yet. But, in completing the activities I’ve learned that each of the languages requires immersion. It’s the all of them working together bit that seems to be giving me trouble.

The sections regarding loops were pretty helpful. I’d actually like to go back and do them again so that I can get more practice. I think the more I run that concept through my head the more it will start to make sense. It helped to have Codecademy spell it out and explain it at a more practical level because I think I’ve got a grasp on the basic theory from class.

Overall, I appreciated this week’s assignments. It was a moment to come up for air!