complete beginner wanting to know a start point
hi guys,
BACKGROUND
i have made a database in access and a worksheet in excel
the two of them i use as separate programmes and files. excel file allows me to calculate car set up, such as gear ratios, corrected horsepower figure, dampening information, optimal wheelbase length in regards to turn radius ect.
while the access database provide track information distance, altitude ect. record of previous car set up and the lap times achieved.
hopefully you see where i am going with this, i would like to make a programme that is more user friendly that combines the two into an easy to use package, the files have taken me years to put together and refine and are theoretically still incomplete due to the inability of excel to automatically transpose formulae. this is with a view of getting to a workable product with a view of then getting professional programmers to refine and enhance to make a saleable product (hopefully within two years)
QUESTIONS
1.) is this an achievable goal or am i trying to run before i can walk?
2.) is this (2 years) a realistic time scale
3.) irrelevant to the answer to Q1 what language would be best for writing this program, what language should i start studying
4.) is visual studio pro 2012 a good programme for me to use
5.)when you was learning to programme what was the biggest struggle or surprise you had
thanks very much for your time and hopefully your responce
BACKGROUND
i have made a database in access and a worksheet in excel
the two of them i use as separate programmes and files. excel file allows me to calculate car set up, such as gear ratios, corrected horsepower figure, dampening information, optimal wheelbase length in regards to turn radius ect.
while the access database provide track information distance, altitude ect. record of previous car set up and the lap times achieved.
hopefully you see where i am going with this, i would like to make a programme that is more user friendly that combines the two into an easy to use package, the files have taken me years to put together and refine and are theoretically still incomplete due to the inability of excel to automatically transpose formulae. this is with a view of getting to a workable product with a view of then getting professional programmers to refine and enhance to make a saleable product (hopefully within two years)
QUESTIONS
1.) is this an achievable goal or am i trying to run before i can walk?
2.) is this (2 years) a realistic time scale
3.) irrelevant to the answer to Q1 what language would be best for writing this program, what language should i start studying
4.) is visual studio pro 2012 a good programme for me to use
5.)when you was learning to programme what was the biggest struggle or surprise you had
thanks very much for your time and hopefully your responce
If you want a ui(user interface) I would suggest using Qt instead of visual studio pro 2012 but i'm still fairly new so others might know better. I made a database program myself within about a month so I'm sure you can theoretically do it within 2 years if you put the time and effort in.
It sounds like you already have a good understanding of the variables and formulas needed to perform the necessary calculations for your application. All that is left is to code the structure of the program that will handle these features. Did you want to develop your own Graphical Interface or just the command line interface (command prompt in windows)? The former is a tad more difficult and I would probably start studying C++ language syntax and programming logic ASAP if you need it in 2 years. Having a goal like yours is however a very good motivator and will help you learn from trial and error, and practice, which are the two best ways to learn. C++ is the best language for creating applications because it is cross-platform and has the ability to pretty much make anything happen on a computer. Visual Studio Pro is great although it's heavy on resource usage and is quite large. Visual C++ or Code::Blocks would be a good place to start instead, as they are smaller and easier to use.
The steepest learning curve for me was objects and classes. Also pointers can be a tad difficult to understand at the beginning. Just remember, all they really are is directions to another resource or variable's address.
The steepest learning curve for me was objects and classes. Also pointers can be a tad difficult to understand at the beginning. Just remember, all they really are is directions to another resource or variable's address.
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| For you, learn C++ basics first, then WinAPI. |
Refined: basics of language first, then API. For example, the Qt (API) mentioned by giblit saves you from WinAPI.
@keskiverto - Am I mistaken? I thought you were supposed to get a good feel of C++ by learning the basics first. Then you learn C++ Win32 API for basic GUIs, then you learn an extension of WinAPI like Qt.
I've seen Qt-based code written in Mac or GNU/Linux compile in Windows without knowing any WinAPI. Portable framework.
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