Final Thoughts
10 May 2024
Introduction
After going through this class and facing various challenges, this time in my life has become one I will look back on with fond memories. The workload wasn’t overly difficult, but it was certainly challenging. I believe this is mainly because each module built upon the previous one. In other classes, we may find ourselves learning a tool or function and then never using it again for the rest of the semester. However, in this class, all the experiences and modules were integrated with one another, from the front end (HTML, CSS) to the backend (React, MongoDB), culminating in one final functional piece: our application ClupUP. Learning all the various tools and going through the different experience modules was often monotonous and time-consuming, but I understood that the tools and topics I was learning were crucial. One day, I may need to revisit this knowledge when working on a future project, such as coding standards and development environments.
Development Environments
Before taking ICS 314, the previous IDEs I encountered were Eclipse and the command line interface (CLI). While the CLI may not be an IDE, it encompasses all my experience. Being introduced to IntelliJ allowed me to explore other IDEs such as visual studio code, CLion and PyCharm. Eclipse was a good starting point, but IntelliJ provided a more comprehensive software development experience. The integration of GitHub, the ability to change branches, pull repositories, and the built-in CLI all enhanced the experience. Out of all the tools I learned and worked with, I’m glad to have added IntelliJ to my toolbox.
Coding Standards
Another aspect that I’m grateful to have learned more comprehensively about is coding standards. In previous ICS courses, we were taught the bare minimum regarding coding standards, such as camelCase, comments, and indentations. When I first encountered ESLint and its procedures, I was intimidated by the numerous red highlights on my screen. However, as we continued to work with it and I read the error messages, my confidence grew. I realized it wasn’t as daunting as I initially thought. ESLint was essentially a spell checker that provided solutions on what to fix. It was as simple as addressing the errors and making the recommended changes. In future development projects, I am confident that I will continue to implement coding standards to maintain consistency and readability throughout my work.