DEV Community: Ibtesum Reza Aninda

Design Pattern Resources for the noobs

Ibtesum Reza Aninda — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 11:08:40 +0000

For the last couple of days, design patterns have occupied most of my free time. I did what I always do whenever I start learning new topics. I try to find all the possible resources for learning that topic. Especially the resources that suit my naive brain.

So, I have gathered around some beginner-friendly resources for learning Design Patterns. Here are some of those:

Website: Reafactoring Guru : This website is perfect. Their way of organizing the topics completely aligns with my thought process.

There is also a book available by Alexander Shvets on the website. You can buy it for further deep diving.

Book: Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide by Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Robson, Bert Bates, Kathy Sierra.

This is a very well-written book. By well-written I mean it's good for noobs like me.

Course: The Ultimate Design Pattern Series by Mosh Hamedani.

I think Mosh Hamedani doesn't need any introduction to the software developers. I have never been more grateful to anyone than this guy. I haven't started his course yet, but I can vouch for him. HE IS THE BEST INSTRUCTOR in the software field.

The OG one: You might be wondering why I haven't yet mentioned the book by the Gang of Four. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software. Honestly, I don't know C++. Yes, I know it doesn't matter. But as a noob developer, I like to grasp the stuff in an easy way that suits my brain. That's why I kept this book in number four.

That's it for today. Please let me know if have any better suggestions. Let's help each other. Let's learn together.

"this" in JavaScript and "self" in Python; Any Difference?

Ibtesum Reza Aninda — Sun, 21 May 2023 00:01:29 +0000

We use this in JavaScript and self in Python. Are they same? This question was haunting me for some time. Finally after some digging I came up with a solution. Hope you will love it.

Personally I love examples. So without further ado, let's jump into some examples.

Here is some JS code:

function Love(partnerName, myName){
  this.partnerName = partnerName,
  this.myName = myName,
  this.get_married = function(){
     return `${this.partnerName} and ${this.myName} got married.`
    }
}

const couple1 = new Love("Ross" , "Rachel")
const couple2 = new Love("Chandler", "Monica")

console.log(couple1.get_married())
console.log(couple2.get_married())

Here is the same code translated to Python:

class Love:
    def __init__(self, partnerName, myName):
        self.partnerName = partnerName
        self.myName = myName

    def get_married(self):
        return f"{self.partnerName} and {self.myName} got married."

couple1 = Love("Ross", "Rachel")
couple2 = Love("Chandler", "Monica")

print(couple1.get_married())
print(couple2.get_married())

Now, what do you think their output would be? Would there be any difference? Think about it for at least one minute.

So the output for both the JS code and Python code would be:

Ross and Rachel got married.
Chandler and Monica got married.

Now we see that both this and self acts similarly. Yes! There is no difference.

But...

I lied, partially. Though their output is the same, this and self are not quite same.

Value of `this`:

The value of this depends on the context in which it appears. This context can be a function , class or global(Window for browser, global for Node.js).

For easier understanding, the value of this depends on how the function is called.

Note: JavaScript functions can be called in four ways!
Such as:

Calling a function as a function.
Calling a function as method.
Calling a function as constructor.
Calling a function by call and apply

Value of `self`:

On the other hand, in Python, the value of self depends on the instance created from the class. In this case, the object created from the couple1 instance, is the value of self. And couple2 is the value of self for the second object.

We can prove it by the following code:

class Love:
    def __init__(self, partnerName, myName):
        self.partnerName = partnerName
        self.myName = myName

    def get_married(self):
        print("id of self: ",id(self)) # Notice this line. It prints the id of "self".
        return f"{self.partnerName} and {self.myName} got married."

couple1 = Love("Ross", "Rachel")
couple2 = Love("Chandler", "Monica")

print("id of couple1: ", id(couple1)) # Notice this line. It prints the id of "couple1".
print(couple1.get_married())

print("id of couple2: ", id(couple2)) # Notice this line. It prints the id of "couple2".
print(couple2.get_married())

The output would be:

id of couple1:  140337639399376 
id of self:  140337639399376 # This number is the same as the above number.
Ross and Rachel got married.
id of couple1:  140337640683984
id of self:  140337640683984 # This number is the same as the above number.
Chandler and Monica got married.

If you look closely to the ids, you will notice its the same for self and the object instances. This proves that self is actually denoting the instances(couple1 and couple2)

Differences:

First of all, this is a reserved keyword. self is not. You can use anything in lieu of self. But it has to be the first parameter.
this is dynamically bound(runtime bound), meaning it changes its behavior based on how the function is called. There are many ways to call a function in JavaScript. On the other hand, self in Python is statically bound. It means the value of self is determined by the instance of the class from where the method is called from.

These are the fundamental differences between them. If you have any further query, feel free to comment.

Happy Coding!

Expectation vs Reality of a Beginner in Programming

Ibtesum Reza Aninda — Sun, 14 May 2023 17:52:34 +0000

In this article, I discussed what a self-taught programmer expects and how reality hits him/her with, um, "reality".
(Based on true story)

At the dawn of time:

Expectation

Oh I just need to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Many people got job offers because of these skills.

Reality

Where is the end of JavaScript? Why does this language keep introducing new concepts? Why every new concept is better than the previous one? No problem, I will learn it all!

A few months later:

Expectation

Oh! Now I can apply for jobs!

Reality

All the job circulars are expecting a candidate who knows React, Vue or Angular.

Realization: JS is not enough. I also need to learn React. Let's start learning it. I will learn it within one month.

One month later:

Expectation

Oh! I know everything about React.

Reality

Wait! What? So many new features are introduced! But the YouTube tutorial said it covered everything about React! What the hell is happening? What? This tutorial was uploaded 2 years ago. Why does the tech world change so faaaaast?

A few months later:

Expectation

Now I know everything about React. Nobody can beat me on skills.

Reality

I need to know some backend skills too. Okay! I will learn some Node and Express!

A few months later:

Expectation

There! This is it. Now I am a complete person! I am an ocean of knowledge!

Reality

Why are people talking about TypeScript? It's a superset of JS?? Seriously? JavaScript again?? What kind of infinite loop is this JS? Where does it end?

After a few days:

Expectation

Yeah! I am a genius! I know TypeScript! Maybe this is the end!

Reality

Enters Next.js! Enters Redux! Enters Redux-toolkit! Enters SQL! Enters Prisma! Enters…

After a few months:

Wisdom : Okay. I understand it now. This is a career of eternal learning. I will never be a complete know-it-all! I will keep learning, and most importantly, I will help others learn.

Legendary programmer John Carmack once said,

You can't learn everything. But you have to convince yourself that you can learn anything.

DEV Community: Ibtesum Reza Aninda

Design Pattern Resources for the noobs

"this" in JavaScript and "self" in Python; Any Difference?

Value of this:

Value of self:

Differences:

Expectation vs Reality of a Beginner in Programming

At the dawn of time:

Expectation

Reality

A few months later:

Expectation

Reality

One month later:

Expectation

Reality

A few months later:

Expectation

Reality

A few months later:

Expectation

Reality

After a few days:

Expectation

Reality

After a few months:

Value of `this`:

Value of `self`: