Shortest Path Academy

Step-by-step: Getting set up with vscode, Python, Node.js, C#, Java, C++, SQLite browser, git and Linux.

Programming Tools Exercises

• Typing and keyboard shortcuts in vscode
• Editor preferences
• Practicing regular expressions in the editor
• Using Windows PowerShell
• Using WSL for Linux on Windows
• Using the Linux command line
• Setting up a repository and practicing git operations
• Setting up DB Browser for SQLite

Computer Memory and Computer Languages

• 2⁸ = 256: Building bytes and accessing bits as values
• 2¹⁰ = 1024: Getting a grip on memory sizes
• Data types built from bytes
• Variables are boxes holding values built from bytes
• Strings: ASCII, Unicode, UTF-8, and escaping
• Arrays
• Records / objects / maps / dictionaries
• Programming languages: Python, JavaScript/nodejs, C/C++, C#, Java
• Writing and debugging code in the vscode IDE
• Understanding values vs. pointers/references to values
• Programming with and without pointers
• Type strictness
• Memory management options
• Machine language, compilers, and interpreters
• Computer and language speeds
• What "comes with" a computer language?

Exercises in Python, Node.js, Java, and C++

• Declaring variables in different languages
• Writing and debugging lines of code in different languages
• Indentation is your friend
• Comparing the syntax of different languages (basically just two styles)
• Choosing datatypes (numbers, strings, arrays, objects) for a program
• Arrays of objects, arrays as object members
• Examining how strings are stored
• Exploring values vs. pointers/references to values
• Comparing type strictness across languages
• Comparing how memory allocation and release happen across and within languages: manual, scope-based, garbage collected
• Checking the speed of string and record manipulation in different languages

Function Exercises

• Tracing and counting function calls
• Watching the call stack
• Scope-based memory allocation in functions
• Objects vs. pointers to objects, revisited
• Refactoring code into functions
• Loops vs. recursion
• Infinite recursion
• Speed of function calls with large parameters

Exercises: Writing short programs in Python, JavaScript, and Java

• Greet the user (variables, if/else)
• Playing with the scope of variables and parameters
• Trivia quiz game (variables, if/else)
• Terminal star-art exercises (variables, loops, if/else)
• Convert a string to a number (loops, if/else)
• Transactions on a back account (records, lambdas, closures)
• Number guessing game (variables, if/else, loops)
• Create an input form and save data in directories (variables, files, directories)
• Make a simple calculator (variables, if/else/switch)
• Determine if a number is prime (variables, loops, if/else)
• Regular expressions to scrape phone numbers and URLs
• Making random art in the browser
• Graphing simple math functions in the browser

Project: Text-based adventure game

Practices variables, string manipulation, if/else/switch, functions, arrays, records.

Project: Word-processing spell checker and text analyzer

Practices file I/O, if/else/switch, loops, variables, string manipulation, regular expressions.

Package Manager Exercises

• Installing npm
• Installing and using npm packages
• Installing vcpkg
• Installing and using vcpkg libraries

Trees Exercises

• Representing and accessing data in XML
• Representing and accessing data in JSON
• Searching XML recursively
• Searching JSON recursively
• Searching directories recursively
• Creating and searching trees of objects
• Comparing linear vs. tree search
• Making a trie for spell-checking
• Drawing trees on the browser canvas

Exercises

• Data first: Doing (almost) everything with arrays
• Breaking it down, and iterative improvement
• How pseudocode looks in your head and in the editor
• Rename these variables
• Rename these functions and parameters
• Deep and shallow copies of data structures
• Converting between exceptions and return values
• How classes work, and understanding when they work best
• Why caching is (almost) always the answer to speed issues, and when to invalidate caches
• Shopping for libraries, or not
• Shopping for frameworks, or not
• If you don't like the way the language is making you think, make the language think like you

DSA Exercises

• Doing (almost) everything with arrays and maps
• Building linked lists from objects and references
• Building graph structures from objects and references
• Breadth-first and depth-first search of trees
• The shortest path algorithm
• Space vs. speed tradeoffs
• Identifying order of growth: O(1), O(log₂n), O(n), O(n•log₂n), O(n²), O(n³)
• Hash tables and hash functions
• What does O(1) actually mean for hashing?

Exercises: Easier Leetcode-style problems

Exercises: Harder Leetcode-style problems

Project: Writing a Connect 4 AI with minimax breadth-first search

Exercises

• Looking at and modifying websites in DevTools
• Comparing DevTools across browser brands
• Tabs: Elements, Console, Network, Sources, Application

HTML and CSS Exercises

• Viewing HTML elements and CSS rules in DevTools
• HTML and CSS layout practice and challenges
• More CSS challenges, including animation
• More CSS challenges, responsive layouts
• Making a resume page

JavaScript Exercises

• Relationship between JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
• Thinking in terms of event handlers
• Modifying the DOM and CSS rules dynamically
• What JavaScript errors look like
• Debugging in DevTools and vscode
• Minifying and obfuscating

Async JavaScript Exercises

• Understanding async and promises
• Practice with async and promises

Small Front-End Projects

• Quiz app
• To-do list
• Input form with validation
• Calculator app
• Bouncing screen saver
• Weather app with Ajax calls
• Calendar app with Ajax calls

Project: Wordle game

Make a complete Wordle game including layout, word checking, animations, and saving player stats. Exlore the MVC concept in the context of a game.

Project: Code pretty-printer

Make a code pretty printer than transforms a block of JavaScript text into a colorful display as seen in an editor like vscode.

Project: E-commerce front-end

Make the front-end for a shopping app, including search, pagination, listing and detail pages, cart, and check-out page.

Project: Kanban board front-end

Make the front-end of a kanban board for project management, including a drag-and-drop interface for creating, deleting and moving tasks around. Sort tasks by priority, date, and other criteria.

Database Exercises

• SQLite and DB Browser for SQLite
• Using SQL to populate database tables
• Using SQL to select records/fields from database tables
• SQL JOINs
• SQL nested SELECTs
• SQL UPSERT
• Measuring database speeds

Simple Back-End Exercises

• Running a server locally in Python, Node, and Java
• Making a simple back-end for the earlier front-end exercises
  • Quiz app
  • To-do list
  • Input form with validation
  • Calculator app
  • Calendar app with Ajax calls

Project: Wordle game

Make a back-end for our earlier World game. Explore the MVC concept in the context of a game.

Project: E-commerce back-end

Make a back-end for our earlier e-commerce site.

Project: Kanban board back-end

Make a back-end for our earlier kanban board site.

Threads Exercises

• Threads vs. processes
• Sharing data among HTTP handler threads
• Creating and avoiding deadlock
• Comparing thread speed for memory operations
• Comparing thread speed for database operations

Project: VPS

Step-by-step guide to setting up a VPS as a server to host https://shortestkanban.xyz

Scaling the kanban server

• Avoiding premature optimization
• Validating user input
• Considerations for a large number of users
• Adding image data
• Considerations for a large amount of data
  • Data structures
  • Caching
• Keeping users up-to-date with board changes in real time
• Adding logging
• Adding monitoring
• Using an inexpensive email provider for low-volume emails
• Using an email provider for high-volume transactional and marketing emails

Ideas for structuring the kanban server