Designing Solutions Through Programming

Friday 4 October 2024 - Block 6
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Daily Note

Hello everyone! 

Today is Friday. We normally cover a career in computing on Fridays. Today, I'd like to cover information technology

We are going to learn about sessions in PHP.

Sessions in PHP allow you to store user information across multiple pages, enabling a continuous user experience during a visit to a website. Unlike cookies, which are stored on the user's browser, session data is stored on the server, making it more secure.

A session starts with `session_start()`, which initializes or resumes a session. Once started, you can store data using `$_SESSION`—a superglobal array that holds key-value pairs.

Sessions automatically end when the browser is closed or can be manually destroyed using `session_destroy()`. They’re useful for login systems, shopping carts, and tracking user activity across pages.

Key points:
- Use `session_start()` at the top of each page where you want to use sessions.
- Store data in `$_SESSION[]`.
- Destroy a session with `session_destroy()` when you no longer need it.

We will check in with your work that you completed when I wasn't here. 

  1. Please replace your login.php with this version of the file If you do not have login.php, please make a new file named login.php and use this code
  2. Please replace your navbar.php with this version of the file If you do not have navbar.php, please make a new file named login.php and use this code

 

 

A little less comfortable

Content

Programs must solve the problem they were create to solve. We can worry about how effieciently or elegantly they solve the problem later on; not right now. The content of a program entails input, processing and output. All three of these elements must be clearly observable. A key question you will be asked (and you should ask yourself) is: to what extent does your code implement the features required by the specification?  

Process

Within the process, we are looking at six guiding questions: 

  • To what extent is your code written well (i.e. clearly, efficiently, elegantly, and/or logically)?
  • To what extent is your code eliminating repetition?
  • To what extent is your code using functions appropriately?
  • To what extent is your code readable?
  • To what extent is your code commented?
  • To what extent are your variables well named?

Product

As opposed to content, this section we focus on how well you solved the problem. A key question here is to what extent is your code free of bugs?

 

A little more comfortable

Content

Programs must solve the problem they were create to solve. You should ask yourself "Am I solving this elegantly?". The content of a program entails input, processing and output. All three of these elements must be clearly observable, and we must see evidence of sanitizing input and raising exceptions.  A key question you will be asked (and you should ask yourself) is: to what extent does your code implement the features required by the specification?  

Process

Within the process, we are looking at six guiding questions: 

  • To what extent is your code written well (i.e. clearly, efficiently, elegantly, and/or logically)?
  • To what extent is your code eliminating repetition?
  • To what extent is your code using functions appropriately?
  • To what extent is your code readable?
  • To what extent is your code commented?
  • To what extent are your variables well named?

For those more comfortable programming, we expect succinct, secure and effecient problem solving. 

Product

As opposed to content, this section we focus on how well you solved the problem. A key question here is to what extent is your code free of bugs? The real difference here is the complexity of the problem you have chosen to solve and how well you solved it. 

Our Big idea

The big idea for today is Programming.

The essential questions for this topic are:

How do we plan, write, execute, and test instructions a computer can understand and process?

It takes time to explore and really understand a big idea. If you want to
learn more about programming (which is connected to today's daily note), please click here .

We are learning this because as a designers must understand scientific and technical innovation. Designers use systems, models, methods, and processes to solve problems.



Reminders & routines:

IF (this_block == first_block_day) {
     read_daily_bulletin;
}

IF (today == Friday) {
     computing_careers()
}

As I am taking attendance:

  1. For students who are physically at ASW: Please check now: am I connected to the American School of Warsaw wireless network
  2. Please check now: is visual studio code working from my programming folder?

To remember: 

  1. All the files you need for this course can be found at this link. Please pay attention to the time the file was last updated. 
  2. You can access a web-based view of your database by clicking this link.
  3. Please be aware of course videos to help you understand our content.