Re^4: spliting a table into individual columns

[C_elegance]

Thank you again for bothering with me, i don't know anyone, who knows Perl and i have an assignment to do. i don't know what are the rules of what's acceptable with asking questions on the fora... but I'm getting stuck on small things and can't move forward with bigger ones. I've managed to move pass this problem, but not much further than that.. as i was trying to organise other bits of my assignment. therefore i have a question, when you were a beginner, how did you cope, saved/organised your files? i've just realised that i have tones of files to go through at different stags of development and what worst, i've actually lost some bits, that were working... i find it so demoralising and would appreciate any helpful tips. thanks for now - will be back when next problem arises ... i.e. 5 min :)

[graff]

Don't be so hard on yourself, and don't panic. And don't get so wrapped up in self-pity that you ignore the suggestions being given. Programming is an intrinsically detail-oriented activity, so "getting stuck on little things" is a never-ending aspect of the job. Get used to it, and work on your skills for diagnosing, experimenting, and "reading the f***ing manual".

(Yes, it is okay, and in fact highly recommended, to take an experimental approach to the questions and problems that come up when trying to write a program. It's the best way to learn, especially in areas where the documentation seems confusing or incomplete to you. Try things out and see what happens.)

Don't just complain in general terms about how you aren't getting anywhere, because you can't get anywhere that way. Address the specific details that get in your way, and if you can't get past a particular problem, back up and look for another approach for accomplishing the overall task.