Programming for Non-Programmers Workshop for Columbia Entrepreneurship Club

Instructor: Chris Castiglione
Date: January 21st to January 25th
Time: 12:00pm to 5:00pm

Day I: Programming for Non-Programmers: Fundamentals
@ General Assembly (10 E 21st Street, 4th Floor)

In this workshop we'll tackle some development principles to get you on the right path. We'll look at questions like, "Front-end vs. Back-end?", "Is UX necessary for my project?", "What is this Javascript function thingy, and why am I passing it strange math equations to it?". We'll spend about half of the class looking at actual code and writing some basic Javascript, HTML & CSS ourselves.

• What coding languages should I use for my next project?
• Which CMS is right for the job?
• What are the stages of web development?
• What deliverables do I need to provide my developer? (FYI - This is important and often neglected or done poorly)
• Reading code & basic developing principles to get us started
• 9 concepts of programming that are the found in every programming language
• Understanding Javascript Variables & Functions

Day II: Programming for Non-Programmers: Front-End Web Development Part I
@Columbia

In this workshop we’re diving head first into front-end web development! In my work, I’ve discovered that I could be a better programmer by focusing on the good parts of a language, and avoiding the bad parts. After all, can you really build something with bad parts?  

Developing a Web Template: HTML/CSS getting started & best-practices, using classes and IDs

• HTML/CSS getting started & best-practices
• Using classes, IDs and understanding CSS specificity
• Developing an "about.me" type portfolio site
• Margin, padding and all things Box Model

Day III: Programming for Non-Programmers: Front-End Web Development Part II
@Columbia

Layout: Classes, floats, SEO best-practices: Page Structure: New HTML5 elements, 3 column layouts, developing headers, footers, sidebars

• New HTML5 elements and CSS3 properties
• Understanding Inline vs. block elements
• Setting up site navigation
• Floats and Clear
• 2 column layouts and sidebars

Day IV - Programming for Non-Programmers: Backend-end Development & SQL Databases  
@Columbia

In this workshop each student will install a LAMP stack (ie. Linux, Apache, PHP, MySQL). We’ll learn how to navigate around a SQL database, and work through a live project where we can practice coding some basic HTML/PHP/SQL.

• Setting up FTP, hosting, domains, DNS & sub domains
• Basic page layout, divs and IDs
• HTML/CSS best-practices

Day V - Programming for Non-Programmers: : APIs
@ General Assembly (10 E 21st Street, 4th Floor)

Catered lunch at General Assembly

There is a world of API data on the web that you can start integrating into your product right now. It's tempting to want to do it all and keep everything on your own site, but in many situations using third-party API data can save development time and money.

• What is an API?
• As a non-developer how do I know which APIs are right for my project?
• How can I integrate data from services like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare into my project?
• How do I read through and parse some basic XML and JSON?  

Optional programming Friday evening at General Assembly

5:30pm - Introduction to the New York Startup Community

6:30pm General Assembly Happy Hour