Re: Tips for beginning programmers: try bottoms-up

[gregw]

Sometimes though, the problem with splitting a problem into many smaller parts is that A) you've created a lot more problems, and B) this is not a good feeling if you can't seem to solve any of them.

Thankfully there is a way out.

Then I try starting with the very first task I have to achieve in order to make any further progress. (In your case, this would be reading in the .dat file and sticking it into some variable(s).) This helps A) make the problem more manageable, since the task you have to solve is much smaller than the problem as a whole, B) greatly simplifies the process of chosing what to work on, and C) provides a foundation for future work to build on top of. Try it!

Once you've solved the very first sliver of the problem, you can test that you've gotten that right, and when you have, hey, you've accomplished something! Progress! Now just tackle the next small piece. This is called the "iterate and test" approach to software development.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!"