Putting it all together

Question

Hello,
Very new to coding here. I have completed a few of the programs on here (php,js,html,sql) and half way through a few others. I am far from fluent in any programming language.
My question is: Is it frowned upon to look up known good codes, and enter them verbatim?
I dont intend on taking credit for any of it. I just think it would be a better learning path for me, rather than thinking of something original for the time being.
I've found some fun ones working with python (Magic 8ball, MPH/KmPH, etc.) Is it common for people to learn this way or just poor etiquitte to use other people's code?

thanks,
Rodney

Answer 1

I wouldn't recommend it the way you phrased it. Don't copy line by line, you won't learn what each thing does. INSTEAD, you should directly copy paste it, and change around a few things you don't understand to learn what it does. Then, using your new knowledge, edit it or make something completely new out of it.

Check out my Ahri web code(s) (especially the "hi" one), I stole the 3d text off a guy. However I changed it enough so it's not only different from the original, but its but in a new context that made it better!(the hi one)

Fiddle around -> learn something -> use the thing you learned in a new way

Answer 2

I agree with Ahri. If you can take someone's code, fiddle around with it, and understand what you're doing and what it will do, then there is no problem with using someone else's code for education purposes. Also, congrats and thank you for being so nice and respectable in your question. A lot of people don't consider things like this, and just want people to make them a code for their own use.

Answer 3

Im even newer to to coding than you are Rodney. I've done html and CSS. I'm currently about half way through JS.

To me, after you have done the courses, and even while doing courses, it helps to look at other peoples code to see the different ways things can be done. Reviewing code that others have written is a good way IMO to get a broader sense of what your chosen language is capable of.

Humans did not get to the point we are at now by keeping our knowledge to ourselves. Its human nature to collaborate and learn socially and share what we have created. This applies not to coding only, but humanity in general.