newbie - need early guidance

HI all

I am very new to coding and although I know how things work and what you can do with code and visual design I don't really have experience!

I would like some very basic advise on what coding front end to look into i.e. c++, VB, Web etc.

I am interested in learning to develop a basic system for my cafe that would enable a customer to go through a graphical experience in building their coffee order. I would ideally like to create something that would work well IN the cafe via a touchscreen or on the Internet from their desktop.

Now this is only basic stuff I'm not looking to build a go to market system but just something that applies to my daily life while giving me something new and challenging to look into.

Any guidance would be much appreciated!

Alfo,

I'm glad to hear that you would like to educate yourself in designing / programming / implementing a website.
In my opinion it is this very early stage that is the most important.
It is in this stage that you decide exactly what it is that your site will do and how it will do it.

My advice is to sit down with a pencil and paper and decide on some of the following options:
Will users be required to:
1) Login / Register - if yes
a) before they begin the process of placing an order
b) if they try to place an order
2) How will you accept payment? Cash, credit cards, e-checks, paypal...
3) What are all of the other high level functionalities that you'd like your site to offer?

Regarding what language to use, I much prefer C# (no particular reason, VB.Net is also a great and simple language to use).
It will have no impact on how your site looks to your customers. This is something that is purely up to you.
I do however recommend 2 books (possibly 3 or 4) that will help you greatly in reducing your learning curve and aid you in applying new concepts / ideas in real life situations:
1) Beginning ASP.Net e-commerce in c#. I have the 2005 edition. I'm not sure if there is a newer version or not.
2) Beginning asp.Net in C#.
3) Any beginners SQL book.
4) Any book for HTML / CSS.

If you have any questions or would like any advice let me know.
I used the first 2 books to help me build my first .Net website (https://www.theproductpad.com) and am very greatful for the help that these books gave me.

Good luck,
Michael

thanks

i remember the days when I wrote basic code for ZX Spectrum but now im a little lost!!

I will look into the books.

Aflo

Newbie needs guidance on reading material

Hi All,

Thank God someone told me about www.asp.net! It's been the answer to my prayers in getting a number of niggling questions answered, the main one being its about time I took the plunge and upgraded my knowledge from good old ASP and VBScript, to ASP.Net.

I would consider myself a novice to intermediate coder and in order to help wean myself off ASP, I've ordered a couple of books that have been recommended :- ASP.Net Unleashed by Stephen Walther and Sams Teach Yourself ASP.Net in 24 hours by Scott Mitchell.

Can any kind souls out there give me their advice on how best to pick this topic up? Any other book suggestions? I need something which can explain the basic principles but also go into some reasonable depth to enable me to 'get going' with some ASP conversions that I've got to attempt (not very big apps though).

Help appreciated.I started out with general books that cover all aspects of ASP.NET like the ones you ordered and then I dove into specialized books that concentrate on one main area.

eg... Beginning ASP.NET Databases w/C# Building Custom Controls w/C# C# Reference Guide ((All WROX))...

I think my first book was ASP.NET Step By Step by Andrew Duthie.
I suggest that you try to get certified in ASP.NET. By doing that you will cover learn many important topics that otherwise you will never touch and also you will get certified.

I tipically use a certification book to learn and a lot of online material or the MSDN documentation, that most of the time is plenty of information.

Also, try to re-write one of your old applications in ASP.NET from scratch, that'll help you to understand the core diferences and make you a good candidate to work on a conversion project :-)