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Accessible guide to writing good, clear, correct code without stress, aimed at students on early programming courses.
List of contents
1. Introduction; 2. What Are Good Programs?; 3. How to Get Started; 4. How to Understand Your Language; 5. How to Use the Best Tools; 6. How to Make Sure You Don't Lose Your Program; 7. How to Test Your Program; 8. How to Make Your Program Clear; 9. How to Debug Your Program; 10. How to Improve Your Program; 11. How to Get Help (without Cheating); 12. How to Score Well in Coursework; 13. How to Score Well in a Programming Exam; 14. How to Choose a Programming Language; 15. How to Go Beyond This Book; References; Index.
About the author
Perdita Stevens is a professor at the University of Edinburgh and has taught programming and software engineering in many languages to students ranging from first-year undergraduates to established professional software developers. She previously co-authored Using UML: Software Engineering with Objects and Components (1998) and received a 10-year Most Influential Paper award and a Best Paper award at the MODELS conference in 2017 for her work on bidirectional transformations.
Summary
This accessible, visually engaging book is mainly for students in Higher or Further Education taking early programming courses (computer science students and others). It teaches the fundamental skills that apply to any programming language, yet are usually not explicitly covered in programming courses.
Additional text
'Perdita Stevens' book How to Write Good Programs provides a wealth of excellent advice tailored to beginning students of programming. It is language-agnostic, well structured, and delivered in an accessible manner. It might as well have the words 'Don't Panic' in large, friendly letters on the cover.' Jeremy Gibbons, University of Oxford
