Coding For Dummies

Chapter 11

Researching Your First Web Application

IN THIS CHAPTER

Dividing an app into smaller pieces, or steps

Using code from various sources to perform those steps

Creating app designs by reviewing and improving upon existing solutions

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research.

—ALBERT EINSTEIN

With the basic requirements defined, the next step is researching how to build the application. Apps consist of two main parts: functionality and form (design). For each of these parts, you must:

• Divide the app into steps: Although it’s good practice to divide anything you are going to build into steps, diving apps into manageable pieces is an absolute necessity for large software projects with many people working across multiple teams.
• Research each step: When doing your research, the first question to ask is whether you must build a solution yourself or use an existing solution built by someone else. Building your own solution usually is the best way to directly address your need, but it takes time, whereas implementing someone else’s solution is fast but may only meet part of your needs.
• Choose a solution for each step: You should have all the solutions selected before writing any code. For each step, decide whether you are writing your own code, or using pre-built code. If you are not writing the code yourself, compare a few options so you can pick one with confidence.

Dividing the App into Steps

The biggest challenge with dividing an app into steps ...