Skip to main content
How To Code Well

How To Code Well

By Peter Fisher

Web development discussions and interviews from Peter Fisher. Covering JavaScript, Linux, Docker, PHP, Python, MYSQL, HTML and more

Peter Fisher is a freelance web and mobile developer in Gloucestershire UK and the Host of the How To Code Well YouTube channel.

If you have any feedback or wish to do a collaboration then please get in touch.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Overcast Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
RadioPublic Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

168 - What is a design system?

How To Code WellAug 04, 2022

00:00
22:39
203 - Get a Software Development job using social media

203 - Get a Software Development job using social media

We are continuing our mini series on getting into the Software Development industry and today I'm going to discuss how to use social media to your advantage. // Recommended products and services Manning courses and books - https://www.manning.com/?utm_source=pfwd-1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=affiliate&a_aid=pfwd-1 Web hosting with Cloudways - https://www.cloudways.com/en/?id=182670 // Web Development tutorials and courses Learn how to become a web developer and level up your programming skills in PHP, Python, JavaScript, Linux and more at https://howtocodewell.net JavaScript courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WWaBGywrjhXjlJnilh6Z0NX&si=GunpkXQ_PTMtS_lo Python courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUgC0NVgVb-sYElKh8wLjEa https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXkZs76CYt5n9pW6j3WmWeJ PHP courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVQvlMCROYImhEqN4qmf8cS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXC5m_8HMcoZft2hmytd4lD https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WU6oEDZje8htDMG2qBKSSvu https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUWbArkekAHznqfJ60vW8V_ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUU6i2s73XMK1ZSD9uTPL-z Linux courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXnRf0t9hw42_IqQ0Vm6BfI Docker courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WU_cY2Y1LFLnmsSjFD5BZLZ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WWBHkRiBzspcfhf_YuIOCGn HTML courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUmamJbyAYJ9SGkTffxtiRG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVfB5TZ9eWeNMHJAX6njS_A MYSQL courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVBkq0CNfawyI5eXOOcnRxG // Follow How To Code Well https://twitter.com/howtocodewell https://instagram.com/howtocodewell https://facebook.com/howtocodewell // Support How To Code Well Be a member on Patreon: https://patreon.com/howToCodeWell⁠ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/howtocodewell Disclaimer: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting How To Code Well

Dec 15, 202352:33
201 - Software Developers CV Checklist

201 - Software Developers CV Checklist

There are certain things that Software Developers should and should not include on the CV's. Let's talk about how to write a stand out CV so that you can land your next Software Development role.


// Recommended products and services

Manning courses and books - https://www.manning.com/?utm_source=pfwd-1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=affiliate&a_aid=pfwd-1

Web hosting with Cloudways - https://www.cloudways.com/en/?id=182670

// Web Development tutorials and courses Learn how to become a web developer and level up your programming skills in PHP, Python, JavaScript, Linux and more at https://howtocodewell.net

JavaScript courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WWaBGywrjhXjlJnilh6Z0NX&si=GunpkXQ_PTMtS_lo

Python courses

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUgC0NVgVb-sYElKh8wLjEa https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXkZs76CYt5n9pW6j3WmWeJ

PHP courses

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVQvlMCROYImhEqN4qmf8cS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXC5m_8HMcoZft2hmytd4lD https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WU6oEDZje8htDMG2qBKSSvu https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUWbArkekAHznqfJ60vW8V_ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUU6i2s73XMK1ZSD9uTPL-z

Linux courses

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXnRf0t9hw42_IqQ0Vm6BfI Docker courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WU_cY2Y1LFLnmsSjFD5BZLZ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WWBHkRiBzspcfhf_YuIOCGn HTML courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUmamJbyAYJ9SGkTffxtiRG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVfB5TZ9eWeNMHJAX6njS_A MYSQL courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVBkq0CNfawyI5eXOOcnRxG

// Follow How To Code Well https://twitter.com/howtocodewell https://instagram.com/howtocodewell https://facebook.com/howtocodewell

// Support How To Code Well Be a member on Patreon: https://patreon.com/howToCodeWell⁠ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/howtocodewell

Disclaimer: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

Thank you for supporting How To Code Well

Dec 01, 202336:17
200 - Software Development Interview - Soft Skill Questions

200 - Software Development Interview - Soft Skill Questions

In the 200th episode of the How To Code Well podcast we are going to talk about soft skill questions asked during Software Development.


// Recommended products and services Manning courses and books - https://www.manning.com/?utm_source=pfwd-1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=affiliate&a_aid=pfwd-1 Web hosting with Cloudways - https://www.cloudways.com/en/?id=182670


// Web Development tutorials and courses Learn how to become a web developer and level up your programming skills in PHP, Python, JavaScript, Linux and more at https://howtocodewell.net JavaScript courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WWaBGywrjhXjlJnilh6Z0NX&si=GunpkXQ_PTMtS_lo Python courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUgC0NVgVb-sYElKh8wLjEa https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXkZs76CYt5n9pW6j3WmWeJ PHP courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVQvlMCROYImhEqN4qmf8cS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXC5m_8HMcoZft2hmytd4lD https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WU6oEDZje8htDMG2qBKSSvu https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUWbArkekAHznqfJ60vW8V_ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUU6i2s73XMK1ZSD9uTPL-z Linux courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXnRf0t9hw42_IqQ0Vm6BfI Docker courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WU_cY2Y1LFLnmsSjFD5BZLZ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WWBHkRiBzspcfhf_YuIOCGn HTML courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUmamJbyAYJ9SGkTffxtiRG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVfB5TZ9eWeNMHJAX6njS_A MYSQL courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVBkq0CNfawyI5eXOOcnRxG // Follow How To Code Well https://twitter.com/howtocodewell https://instagram.com/howtocodewell https://facebook.com/howtocodewell // Support How To Code Well Be a member on Patreon: https://patreon.com/howToCodeWell⁠ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/howtocodewell Disclaimer: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting How To Code Well

Nov 24, 202333:00
199 - What's going on with the Web development Job Market

199 - What's going on with the Web development Job Market

Let us talk about the weirdness that is currently happening in the Web Development job market and in particular focus on contracting. // Web Development tutorials and courses Learn how to become a web developer and level up your programming skills in PHP, Python, JavaScript, Linux and more at https://howtocodewell.net JavaScript courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WWaBGywrjhXjlJnilh6Z0NX&si=GunpkXQ_PTMtS_lo Python courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUgC0NVgVb-sYElKh8wLjEa https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXkZs76CYt5n9pW6j3WmWeJ PHP courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVQvlMCROYImhEqN4qmf8cS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXC5m_8HMcoZft2hmytd4lD https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WU6oEDZje8htDMG2qBKSSvu https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUWbArkekAHznqfJ60vW8V_ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUU6i2s73XMK1ZSD9uTPL-z Linux courses https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WXnRf0t9hw42_IqQ0Vm6BfI Docker courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WU_cY2Y1LFLnmsSjFD5BZLZ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WWBHkRiBzspcfhf_YuIOCGn HTML courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WUmamJbyAYJ9SGkTffxtiRG https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVfB5TZ9eWeNMHJAX6njS_A MYSQL courses https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZdsdjcJ44WVBkq0CNfawyI5eXOOcnRxG // Follow How To Code Well https://twitter.com/howtocodewell https://instagram.com/howtocodewell https://facebook.com/howtocodewell // Support How To Code Well Be a member on Patreon: https://patreon.com/howToCodeWell⁠ Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/howtocodewell // Recommended products and services Manning courses and books - https://www.manning.com/?utm_source=pfwd-1&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=affiliate&a_aid=pfwd-1 Web hosting with Cloudways - https://www.cloudways.com/en/?id=182670 Disclaimer: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting How To Code Well

Nov 17, 202312:30
198 - How to deploy WordPress with Docker
Nov 10, 202314:36
197 - I have a PHP plugin idea that could make you money

197 - I have a PHP plugin idea that could make you money

Let's discuss my PHP plugin idea that could also make you money.

https://howtocodewell.net


Nov 03, 202319:22
196 - Get WordPress off of PHP 7.4

196 - Get WordPress off of PHP 7.4

Today we discuss how to get WordPress off of PHP 7.4 and on to PHP 8.x with handy upgrade tips and tricks that can be applied to other PHP frameworks.


Other tutorials and episodes mentioned.

- 195 What's new in PHP 8.3 https://youtu.be/59JkLHx2Yq8

- 194 Ditch TypeScript https://youtu.be/0D7pfQZdak4

- How to use the PHP interactive shell https://youtu.be/c0_iimmevqU


Learn how to code well https://howtocodewell.net

Oct 20, 202323:14
195 - What's new in PHP 8.3

195 - What's new in PHP 8.3

Today we are taking a look at what is new in PHP 8.3

PHP 8.3 will be released on November 23rd 2023 and has some interesting new features and breaking changes that every PHP develop should be aware of.


Checkout the features, breaking changes and links to the RFCs at https://stitcher.io/blog/new-in-php-83


Learn web development https://howtocodewell.net


Oct 13, 202314:25
194 - When to not use TypeScript
Sep 22, 202313:20
192 - What to do when you've completed your work
Mar 03, 202320:19
191 - NHS legacy IT meltdown
Feb 23, 202325:37
190 - AI Land Grab
Jan 26, 202315:45
189 - Grounded by code
Jan 15, 202322:41
188 - Maintain the line

188 - Maintain the line

Let's talk about the current  https://howtocodewell.net maintenance mode. 

Links

John Doe 

https://john-doe.neocities.org/

Single Page show/hide using :target and anchor tags. Very good for portfolio sites

JSON crack 

https://jsoncrack.com/

A great way to visualise your JSON structures

Infection PHP

https://infection.github.io/

Mutation testing which is used to measure the effectinvess of tests.

Update Angular. 

https://update.angular.io/

A tool that walks you through how to update your Angluar app. Split into basic, medium and advanced apps.


Conferences

PHP Tek May Chicago 16th to 18th 

https://tek.phparch.com/

International PHP Conference Berlin May 22 - 26 of May

https://phpconference.com/berlin-en/

PHP Day 2023 May 18 - 19

https://2023.phpday.it/

PHP UK 14 - 16 of Feb

https://www.phpconference.co.uk/

Symfony Live Paris  23 - 24 March

https://live.symfony.com/2023-paris/

SymfonyCon Brussels 7 - 8 December 

https://live.symfony.com/2023-brussels-con/

Symfony Online June 15 to 16 of June

https://live.symfony.com/2023-online-june/

Laracon Libsbon Jan 26 - 27

https://laracon.eu/

Laracon Online September 14

https://laracon.net/

Laracon US Nashville July 19 to 20

https://laracon.us/

Laracon India 25 - 26 Feb

https://laracon.in/

Lots of Javascript conferences

https://confs.tech/javascript

We are Developers World Congress Berlin Germany 27 - 28 July 

https://www.wearedevelopers.com/world-congress

React Miami 20 -21  April

https://www.reactmiami.com/



Jan 06, 202330:42
187 - 2023 Web development trends
Dec 18, 202235:33
186 - Will ChatGPT be a better developer than you?
Dec 10, 202218:25
185 - Costly Clouds
Dec 02, 202231:54
184 - Get better code reviews

184 - Get better code reviews

Change log


Feedback links

Do I have any PHP OOP tutorials?

Yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiMo0zNdrt4

181 - Elon Musk is not giving Web Developers enough time to fix Twitter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_0pW25KhDo

Re Twitter: Glad to see you are on the side of reason in regards to banning people.

180 - Stop relying on other peoples code  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1WQhHgSJi0

168 - What is a design system? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY4jhhJ1YFE


PHP release dates

PHP 7.4 reaches end of life on the 28th of November 2022

PHP 8.0 reaches end of life on the 26th of November 2023

PHP 8.1 reaches end of life on the 25th of November 2024

PHP 8.2 will be released on December the 8th 2022

https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php


How to Make Good Code Reviews Better

https://levelup.gitconnected.com/how-to-make-good-code-reviews-better-172c5dc01d81

Nov 24, 202224:46
183 - The federated web is not what you think

183 - The federated web is not what you think

Change log 

I'm traveling in the coming weeks have bought myself 

- Travel router GL-AXT1800 

- Private internet access VPN 

I will be talking about how I get on with these upon my return.  


The federated web is not all sunshine and rainbows  

What is the federated web

okta.com/uk/blog/2019/05/what-is-federation-and-why-should-your-apps-support-it/

9 dark secrets of the federated web

https://www.infoworld.com/article/3676590/9-dark-secrets-of-the-federated-web.html


Benefits of the federated web

  • Own your own data
  • Choose the community/server you care about
  • Support that community
  • Privacy benefits
    • No single company owns both the server and the client
  • No ads (Yet)
  • Competition
  • Open source
    • Trust in the code base
  • The network will survive if your server drops

Negatives of the federated web

  • Many servers, Many admins and many problems
  • Fragmented experiences
  • Duplicated data is unsafe data
  • Logs logs logs. At scale this isn’t cheap
  • Stay off the block chain
  • The admins are sysadmins not just community admins

Let me know what you think https://howtocodewell.fm/contact

Nov 17, 202219:04
182 - Bringing down the walled garden
Nov 10, 202222:42
181 - Elon Musk is not giving Web Developers enough time to fix Twitter

181 - Elon Musk is not giving Web Developers enough time to fix Twitter

Change log

- Code Quiz is still getting some good pull requests.  There are 30+ issues that need your help.  If you're a JavaScript, Docker or PHP developer then checkout the GitHub issues labeled as 'Help needed' and 'Good first issues'

https://github.com/howToCodeWell/code-quiz/issues

- The How To Code Well platform is nearing completion. I think the e-learning platform will be launched in the next month

http://howtocodewell.net

Web Development news

Adobe are now charging for Pantone colours. It will cost a further $15 dollars a month.

If you don’t have the Pantone colours package your colours will be black.

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/adobe-pantone-color-subscription-fee#:~:text=11%3A00%20AM-,Adobe%20Just%20Held%20a%20Bunch%20of%20Colors%20Hostage,black%20unless%20you%20pay%20up.&text=Since%20the%201950s%2C%20the%20company,see%20in%20the%20real%20world.


Elon Musk has bought Twitter for 44 billion dollars and is floating the idea of charging $8 a month to be verified.

Can this feature be built in enough time?

https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/30/23431931/twitter-paid-verification-elon-musk-blue-monthly-subscription


VR has an identity crisis.

The oculus quest 2 is not for kids. Facebook will not allow kids under 13 to use their platform.

https://www.androidcentral.com/gaming/virtual-reality/meta-is-getting-serious-about-not-letting-kids-play-in-vr


If normal jobs interviews were like coding interviews

Joma Tech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn_KRzohcAo

Nov 03, 202229:27
180 - Stop relying on other peoples code

180 - Stop relying on other peoples code

Turbo pack

Vercel have announced Turbopack which they claim will be a Rust based successor to web pack.

https://vercel.com/blog/turbopack

Vercel are claiming speeds of up to 10x faster than Vite and 700 time faster than Webpack.

> “Turbopack only bundles the minimum assets required in development, so startup time is extremely fast. On an application with 3,000 modules, Turbopack takes 1.8 seconds to boot up, while Vite takes 11.4 seconds.”

https://vercel.com/blog/turbopack

> “Since we're not offering 1:1 API compatibility, most Webpack plugins won't work out of the box with Turbopack.”

https://turbo.build/pack/docs/migrating-from-webpack

Should you care?

  • Not right away
  • Not unless your’e always on the bleeding edge
  • Not unless you need speed over connivence

How to stop relying on frameworks and libraries

  • Decided if you can write feature yourself using only the core components of the programming language.
  • Check the knowledge of the team to find their base line skills.
  • Move away from opinionated code ecosystems
  • Avoid syntactic sugar covered standards
  • The framework you use today may not be the tool you use in the future
  • Code like you don’t have access to third party tools
  • Care more about core conventions (PSR) than framework guidelines
Oct 27, 202222:08
179 - PHP has 3 problems

179 - PHP has 3 problems

Changelog

Code Quiz

- We now have a Next JS website. This is also running a Docker image. No React components yet.

- Docker compose files are now in the root directory

Contributions welcome: https://github.com/howToCodeWell/code-quiz

Ideas for the future

Store Quizzes in Markdown files instead of PHP fixtures

  1. Simplified - We have a single source of truth for code questions
  2. Future proofing - We can use code snippets in the questions

PHP has these three problems

  • PHP has too many BC breaks which is making library authors uncomfortable
  • Voting is too centralised. You have to be in 'the club' to vote on RFCs
  • Funding is an issue

I personally think that PHP should only introduce BC breaks if:

  1. There is a really good benefit in doing so.
  2. All BC breaks should have been mentioned in the RFC with examples.
  3. BC breaks are only allowed in major releases.
  4. There is a large deprecation window between major releases.
  5. Backward compatibility is important and should prioritised over new changes.

Voting is too centralised.

  • Mailing lists suck. There are better ways to manage communication in 2022
  • It does feel like an elitist club.
  • Follow the RFC guide here https://wiki.php.net/rfc/howto

Funding is a problem

  • Companies need to take PHP more seriously and pay for the communities time
  • Companies need understand that open source comes at a cost to both them and the community
  • Who pays for PHP  https://thephp.cc/articles/who-pays-for-php

Google stadia is dead

https://www.protocol.com/newsletters/entertainment/google-stadia-shutdown-developers-aftermath

Follow on the socials

Twitter: https://twitter.com/howtocodewell 

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/howtocodewell/

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Tuesdays 18:00 = Live Podcast YouTube

Sundays 15:00 - Live coding on Twitch


Oct 20, 202230:02
178 - Why you should create static API's

178 - Why you should create static API's

Change log

Code Quiz (https://github.com/howToCodeWell/code-quiz)

  • OpenAPI generator is now working on the code quiz monorepo
  • Lots of great contributions to that open source project. Thank you :)

howtocodewell.net

  • Pre-production is now fully working after a few issues with infrastructure config.
  • I'm currently working on adding content to existing courses on the pre-production site.
  • Some features will be removed before launch via feature flags.

Today we are going to talk about static API's. 

- What is a static API

- How do you create a static API

- What are the befits and disadvantages of a static API

Building Systems With Static APIs - Corey Butler

https://medium.com/swlh/building-systems-with-static-apis-631c165d3882

WTF is a Static API - Seancdavis

https://www.seancdavis.com/posts/lets-talk-about-static-apis/

Oct 13, 202224:46
177  - Is WAMP, MAMP or LAMP enough to be a successfully web developer?

177 - Is WAMP, MAMP or LAMP enough to be a successfully web developer?

Change log

  • The first build of the http://howtocodewell.net pre-production Docker image is making its way through the GitLab pipelines towards the Kubernetes clusters
  • The Code Quiz has paused for a week as I'm taking some time off.
  • The Code Quiz API now includes the Open API generator which will be used to generate type script for the API client
  • Lots of great pull requests being added to the Code Quiz open source project http://github.com/howToCodeWell/code-quiz

Feedback from Abu Sales on the Best PHP tools of 2018 - Top 5 video

Great for professionals, However, for amateurs as am I,  MAMP as environment, and WeBuilder (buy) or Notepad++ (free) as Editor are more than enough to fly toward the mountain !

What is WAMP?

Windows Apache MySQL PHP

Install WAMP

https://www.wampserver.com/en/

What is MAMP?

Mac Apache MySQL PHP

Install MAMP

https://www.mamp.info/en/downloads/

What is LAMP?

Linux Apache MySQL PHP, Python and/or Perl

How to install a LAMP stack

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-linux-apache-mysql-php-lamp-stack-ubuntu-18-04



Oct 06, 202221:19
176 - You're doing Agile spikes wrong

176 - You're doing Agile spikes wrong

Change log

You're doing Agile spikes wrong

Let's talk about Agile spikes. What are they, why do we need them and why are you doing them wrong.

Follow on the socials

Twitter: https://twitter.com/howtocodewell 

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/howtocodewell/

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Tuesdays 18:00 = Live Podcast YouTube

Sundays 15:00 - Live coding on Twitch

Sep 29, 202220:51
175 - Should beginner programmers learn JavaScript, Python or PHP
Sep 22, 202217:24
174 - Advice for Web Development Team Leaders

174 - Advice for Web Development Team Leaders

Changelog

  • The Code Quiz GitHub repository now has a basic mock API client that uses a JSON Server. This was installed on the Tuesdays Live stream
  • Work has started on building a Vagrant box that houses MiniKube and the howtocodewell testing environments.

Code Quiz GitHub Repository: https://github.com/howToCodeWell/code-quiz

Building the Mock JSON API: https://youtu.be/OznPvJIjMDc

JavaScript Code Quiz answers: https://youtu.be/Tyvmq3gyZMY

Tips for newly appointed Web Development team leaders

1. How to manage your time when you are a coder and a manager?

2. Is it important for the lead to be the best coder in the team?

3. How to handle colleagues who are envious or felt that they should in the leader instead of you?

4. Do you need to know the whole system form top to bottom?


My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Tuesdays 18:00 = Live Podcast YouTube

Sundays 15:00 - Live coding on Twitch

Sep 15, 202219:48
173 - What does Pre-Production mean?
Sep 08, 202220:26
172 - Will Web Development die in 10 years?
Sep 01, 202215:50
171 - Full time vs contractor web developer. 5 Reasons to be a contractor

171 - Full time vs contractor web developer. 5 Reasons to be a contractor

Changelog

This contains

  • Kubernetes
  • Symfony
  • PHP 8

Full time vs contractor web developer. 5 Reasons to be a contractor

Lots of exposure to different ways of working

  • No two clients or projects are the same
  • Different tech stacks
  • Different processes and approaches
  • Lots of opportunities to gain more skills and experience

Flexibility

  • Work the way you want to work using the tools that you want to use
  • Drop in and out of projects when you’re needed
  • You don’t have to work if you don’t want too
  • Work from anywhere attitude
  • Have as much or as little holiday as you want

You are in charge of your progression

  • Know what skills you have and what areas you need to develop
  • Take training that matters to you rather than to the company
  • Have meeting that matter to you rather than the company

Money

  • Whilst money isn’t everything, contractors are often on more money then the normal full time developers
  • Certain taxable benefits that you can use
  • Helps fund hardware/software and other business requirements

Being your own boss

  • Better work life balance
  • Total control over what project you’re working on
  • Total control over how much you pay yourself
  • Total control over when you’re on holiday
  • Total control over what you want to learn
  • Total control over who you work for

Want to get in touch? https://howtocodewell.fm/contact

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Sundays 15:00 - Live coding on Twitch

Aug 25, 202219:30
170 - Full time vs contractor. 5 Reasons to be a permanently employed Web Developer
Aug 18, 202219:28
169 - 5 things every contract Web Developer needs

169 - 5 things every contract Web Developer needs

Changelog

News/Articles

PHPCS compatibility checker By Daniel Opitz

https://odan.github.io/2020/12/22/php8-compatibility-check.html

PHP Security Audit

https://github.com/FloeDesignTechnologies/phpcs-security-audit

PHP 8.1.9 is released

https://www.php.net/archive/2022.php#2022-08-04-3

This isa bug fix release

PHP 8.2.0 Beta 2 is available for testing

https://www.php.net/archive/2022.php#2022-08-04-2

Deprecated dynamic properties in PHP 8.2

AllowDynamicProperties attribute can be used to create dynamic properties

https://stitcher.io/blog/deprecated-dynamic-properties-in-php-82

5 things every contract Web Developer needs

  1. Choose to go sole trader or LTD. Most larger companies need you to be a Limited company, get insurance, get an accountant, get a website.
  2. Record your expenses and income. Set time aside to do this every week if possible.
  3. Create a space in your house that is solely for work.
  4. Get a work only laptop and refresh it every 2 - 4 years.
  5. Secondary hardware. Get a decent printer, mouse, keyboard, web cam etc..

If you want to hear more about contracting in Web Development then let me know at https://howtocodewell.fm/contact

Aug 11, 202220:37
168 - What is a design system?

168 - What is a design system?

Changelog

News/Articles

How to call rest APIs using React

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2020/06/rest-api-react-fetch-axios/

How to use the React Router to create an image link

https://bobbyhadz.com/blog/react-image-link

React higher order components

A higher-order component (HOC) is an advanced technique in React for reusing component logic. HOCs are not part of the React API, per se. They are a pattern that emerges from React’s compositional nature.

Concretely, a higher-order component is a function that takes a component and returns a new component.

https://reactjs.org/docs/higher-order-components.html

What is a Design system

  • A collection of reusable components
  • A place for collaboration amongst designers and developers
  • A set of standards that must be adhered too
  • A set of guidelines and principles that are relevant to the business

Not just a component library

A component library is a library of reusable components that other designers and developers can use.

A design system also sets out a series of rules and standards for the components and surrounding design. These include but are not limited to 

  • Typography
  • Spacing
  • Branding
  • User experience
  • Language
  • Voice and tone
  • Colours
  • Patten

Often, a design system will explain what is allowed and what is not allowed.

Examples of design systems

You can get in touch with me here: https://howtocodewell.fm/contact

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Tuesdays 18:00 - Live coding on YouTube

Sundays 15:00 - Live coding on Twitch

Aug 04, 202222:39
167 - Reacts killer feature

167 - Reacts killer feature

Changelog


News/Articles

API platform tutorial with Symfony

https://digitalfortress.tech/tutorial/rest-api-with-symfony-and-api-platform/

How to store Symfony sessions in a database

https://symfony.com/doc/current/session/database.html

What’s new with Composer 2.4

https://php.watch/articles/composer-24

Question from Alex regrading the How To Code Well Discord bot

https://github.com/howToCodeWell/discord-bot

New to the web platform in June by Rachel Andrew

https://web.dev/web-platform-06-2022/


Reacts killer feature

Components can be shared between React and React Native.

  • Reduces the code size
  • Reduces specialised skill sets
  • Helps create boundaries for mobile and web applications
  • Unifies the code base
  • Reduces pressure on the HR for finding other skill sets
  • Makes T shaped teams that can switch contexts
Jul 28, 202219:22
166 - 5 ways to Speed up Cypress automation tests

166 - 5 ways to Speed up Cypress automation tests

Changelog

  • Lots of JavaScript package upgrades have been made to the frontend of howtocodewell.net including TailwindCSS, PostCSS, Webpack and Node itself.
  • I’ve decided to use PostCSS over Less and I’m seeing much faster results when generating the CSS
  • The plan for next week is to look at composer package upgrades as well as progressing with the staging deployment
  • In my contracting space I have been doing a lot of PHP 5.6, 7.4 and Angular work

News/Articles

Being on call sucks by Bobbie Chen

https://bobbiechen.com/blog/2022/7/20/being-on-call-sucks

Testing links in Cypress by Filip Hric

https://filiphric.com/testing-links-with-cypress

Enabling typescript in Symfony Webpack encore

https://symfony.com/doc/current/frontend/encore/typescript.html

How to secure applications on Kubernetes (SSL TLS certificates) by AVM Consulting Blog

https://medium.com/avmconsulting-blog/how-to-secure-applications-on-kubernetes-ssl-tls-certificates-8f7f5751d788

How to speed up Cypress automation tests by FeldsparTech

https://www.feldspartech.com/post/how-to-speed-up-cypress-automation-tests


How to speed up Cypress tests

In general

  1. Discover how slow your tests are to start begin with
  2. Don’t speed up your tests if you don’t need too
  3. Work on the tests that take the longest. List all tests that take over x seconds/minutes and work on those
  4. A small improvement can give you big gains in the long run
  5. Only test what you need too and when you need too

Cypress

  1. Group similar tests together into a single test
  2. Separate tests that don’t need state, change of state or require a fixed state
  3. Pay attention on the before and beforeEach hooks
  4. Disable the video and screenshot creation on automatic builds
  5. Enable video and screenshot creation on manual/nightly builds
Jul 21, 202224:45
165 - Flaky Tests

165 - Flaky Tests

Changelog

News/articles

Python ASGI The future of Python Web Development

A new asynchronous standard for Python web applications.

WSGI = Web Server Gateway Interface

ASGI = Asynchronous Server Gateway Interface

https://www.infoworld.com/article/3658336/asgi-explained-the-future-of-python-web-development.html

Podcast 2.0

I have my eye on the podcast 2.0 movement and may start to add some backlog tickets to investigate what is involved from a technical standpoint to updating the RSS feeds.

https://medium.com/@everywheretrip/an-introduction-to-podcasting-2-0-3c4f61ea17f4

  • The Podcast Index
  • Podcasting Namespace
  • PodPing
  • Value-For-Value

Send Symfony logs to Slack

This could be a neat little future video tutorial. I could also do something similar with a Discord bot.

https://manyou.blog/send-symfony-logs-to-slack-with-symfony-notifier-as-a-monolog-handler


What’s a flaky test

A flaky test is a test that sometimes passes and sometimes fails. This usual happens randomly and is incredibly annoying.

What causes flaky tests

  • Under powered resources
  • Tests running in random order
  • Tests not cleaning themselves up afterwards
  • External programs or requests interfering with the tests

How to fix flaky tests

  • Run tests more regularly
  • Separate flaky tests and run them in isolation until fixed
  • Only test what is needed based on what has changed
  • Don’t ignore or skip tests if you can help it
  • Check the environment
  • Check inputs for non-deterministic values
  • Check timeouts
  • Check system resources
  • Check for race conditions
  • Check if there is any fixed order to the tests
  • Keep your tests maintained.
Jul 14, 202223:56
164 - My thoughts on Kubernetes after 3 months

164 - My thoughts on Kubernetes after 3 months

Changelog

  • My Kubernetes CronJob experiments are now working
  • On Tuesdays live YoutTube stream we fixed issues with the PHP implementation of Object Storage
  • On Sundays Twitch live stream we started the process of upgrading NPM packages

Some news/articles to share

StarLabs has teased a 4k linux laptop called the StarFighter

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2022/07/starfighter-15-6-4k-linux-laptop-from-star-labs

Why isn’t the internet more fun and weird

https://jarredsumner.com/codeblog/

Recommended podcasts regarding DevOps

Devops Paradox podcast

Self hosted

Linux Action show

Coder radio

My thoughts on Kubernetes after 3 months of learning it

  1. Smaller is better
  2. Kubernetes lends itself well to micro services and not monolithic applications
  3. You don’t always need Kubernetes
  4. The Kubernetes learning curve is huge
  5. Monitoring and transparency is is super important with Kubernetes
  6. Not all managed Kubernetes services are the same


Jul 07, 202225:59
163 - Why 10x developers are not paid any more

163 - Why 10x developers are not paid any more

Change log

Why 10x developers are not paid any more


  • Programming productivity cannot be measured like the productivity of a sales person.
  • A sales person can make 10 more sales than their colleges and therefore make 10 times the amount of money.
  • An electrician could work faster and better than another contractor. This would allow them to complete more jobs and charge more than there competitors.
  • Better programmers write less code.
  • Some talented programmers get board and leave their posts. 
  • Talented programmers are difficult to keep.
  • Experience is more important than the lines of code your write.
  • Programmers don’t get rates best on how productive they are.  EG Bug (A) has the same monetary value as bug (B)
  • The best way to get a raise is to start a new position.


Contact me and let me know your thoughts or get something read out on air.

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Sundays 15:00 - Live coding on Twitch

Jun 30, 202231:06
162 - Why I'm learning TypeScript

162 - Why I'm learning TypeScript

Changlog 

The deployment phase of https://howtocodewell.net staging site is going very well. I now have Kubernetes cluster is running via Terraform

Why am I leaning TypeScript? 

I know many languages, some more than others.  PHP is my goto and Python is the next biggest language I know.  Of course I know JavaScript and other languages such as Java and Perl but I rarely use those.  

In my opinion Typescript is what JavaScript should-of been to begin with.  

- I’ve noticed more demand for Typescript jobs than JavaScript jobs. 

- I’ve noticed no demand of Flow 

- Typescript works well with Node so its kinda backend friendly.  I wouldn’t consider using JavaScript on the backend without Type safety 

- Typescript works well with React Native so mobile apps can be built for both Android and IOS 

- Theres a bigger demand to convert Javascript apps to Typescript apps  

Will there every be any Typescript tutorials 

Yes, but not for a while.

Jun 23, 202215:10
161 - Did Google create a sentient being?

161 - Did Google create a sentient being?

Changelog 

  • On Tuesdays live show I fixed all the databases tests for the PHP Registration course 
  • I'm still playing with Gitlab pipelines

Has Google created a sentient being? 


Jun 16, 202219:10
160 - PHP Version Stats
Jun 09, 202213:21
159 - Deployment Stage

159 - Deployment Stage

Listen to the show: http://howtocodewell.net/159 

Check which features are available in PHP versions http://caniusephp.com 

The new HP Dev One laptop https://hpdevone.com/ 

Get the newsletter: https://email.howtocodewell.net/signup

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Thursdays 20:00 = Live Podcast YouTube

Sundays 14:30 - Live coding on Twitch

Jun 03, 202214:52
158 - 5 Software Development Misconceptions

158 - 5 Software Development Misconceptions

Please consider supporting Anna Filina's Ukrainian relatives https://afilina.com/donate/ua-supplies

Other ways to support the people of Ukraine  https://supportukrainenow.org

I actually have 7 Software Development misconceptions that I want to debunk

  1. You have to code every day to get better at it
  2. Women cannot code
  3. Managers are sellouts who can’t code
  4. You can’t get into this industry when your old
  5. Testing is only for developers who have time to test
  6. The fastest coder is the best coder
  7. More people working on a project means that the project will be done faster

Please let me know if you agree, disagree or if you have others https://howtocodewell.fm/contact

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Thursdays 20:00 = Live Podcast YouTube

Sundays 14:30 - Live coding on Twitch

May 26, 202233:27
157 - Remote working is not a one size fits all perk

157 - Remote working is not a one size fits all perk

Please consider supporting Anna Filina's Ukrainian relatives https://afilina.com/donate/ua-supplies

Other ways to support the people of Ukraine  https://supportukrainenow.org

Change log

  • PHP login course is has been tagged at v1.0.0
  • Most of the SQL for PHP registration course is done
  • Cypress tests are now running in the GitLab pipeline by they are very slow

Remote working is not a one size fits all perk

In todays show I am talking about remote working and why its not a right fit for everyone in software development.

If you're a Junior Developer and you've started in the industry as a remote worker then please get in touch and let me know your experiances.
https://howtocodewell.fm/contact

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Thursdays 20:00 = Live Podcast YouTube

Sundays 14:30 - Live coding on Twitch

May 19, 202226:43
156 - You don't have to test your code all of the time

156 - You don't have to test your code all of the time

Please consider supporting Anna Filina's Ukrainian relatives https://afilina.com/donate/ua-supplies

Other ways to support the people of Ukraine  https://supportukrainenow.org

Change log

Due to the traveling we didn’t get to do the Twitch Live stream on Sunday so I’m hoping to finish the PHP login course off this Sunday (15th)

On Tuesdays (12th)  YouTube live stream we continued building the proof of concept for the PHP registration course. Someone in the chat spotted that I wasn’t testing the code in PHPUnit, this raised a question about when to test the code. The code will certainly be tested but at this stage I’m just building a proof of concept and I’m literally throwing code at the IDE to see what sticks and to get a feel for the flow of the application.

You don't have to test your code all of the time

I don't believe you need to test your code all of time.  Let me explain what I mean and if you disagree then please let me know at https://howtocodewell.fm/contact

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Thursdays 20:00 = Live Podcast YouTube

Sundays 14:30 - Live coding on Twitch

May 13, 202231:17
155 - Monorepo experiment

155 - Monorepo experiment

Please consider supporting Anna Filina's Ukrainian relatives https://afilina.com/donate/ua-supplies

Other ways to support the people of Ukraine  https://supportukrainenow.org

Changelog

- This is another pre recorded show as I am traveling over the next few days.

- On Mondays Twitch stream we covered lessons 6, 7 and 8 of the PHP login course.  I am planning to finish lessons 9 and 10 next Sunday.

- On Tuesdays YouTube live stream we started putting up the scaffolding for the PHP registration course.This was quite a fun and productive live stream as I was looking after both dogs whilst planning the PHP architecture.  I’ve decided to do everything in OOP so we are building a mini PHP framework which handles database interactions.


I’ve been playing with a Monorepo

What is a Monorepo

  • A single code repository for all projects
  • Users of the repository have access to all the code
  • A single place to commit, merge and track code changes

In todays show I will explain why I've stared using a Monorepo and my predictions on the experiment.

My web development courses

➡️ Learn How to build a JavaScript Tip Calculator 

➡️ Learn JavaScript arrays

➡️ Learn PHP arrays

➡️ Learn Python

✉️ Get my weekly newsletter

⏰ My current live coding schedule (Times are BST)

Thursdays 20:00 = Live Podcast YouTube

Sundays 14:30 - Live coding on Twitch

May 05, 202234:04
154 - 10 Tips for Continual Integration

154 - 10 Tips for Continual Integration

Changelog

10 tips for Continual Integration

  1. CI should take no more than 10 minutes
  2. Reverting the changes should take 10 minutes
  3. Use TDD if possible
  4. Keep commits simple and small
  5. Monitor the pipeline
  6. Don’t leave broken builds
  7. Run the pipeline locally first
  8. Keep your branches up to date
  9. Failures should be addressed immediately
  10. Don’t confuse CI with CD

Join the show next week on YouTube at 20:00 on Thursday. Please see Twitter @howToCodeWell for schedule updates

Apr 28, 202241:46
153 -  Self Hosted Vs Cloud Services

153 - Self Hosted Vs Cloud Services

Please consider supporting Anna Filina's Ukrainian relatives https://afilina.com/donate/ua-supplies

Other ways to support the people of Ukraine  https://supportukrainenow.org

------ .  

Change log 

  • We’ve finally finished the 2nd pass of the PHP login course documentation. I will be doing a final run through on Sundays Twitch stream.
  • Next course starts next Tuesday
  • I won’t be doing a podcast next Thursday as I am giving a virtual talk to PHPUGMRN Join the meetup here

Watch the show on YouTube

Join the show next week on YouTube at 20:00 on Thursday. Please see Twitter @howToCodeWell for schedule updates

Apr 21, 202241:34
152 - Testing Testing

152 - Testing Testing

Please consider supporting Anna Filina's Ukrainian relatives https://afilina.com/donate/ua-supplies 

Other ways to support the people of Ukraine  https://supportukrainenow.org

Watch the show on YouTube

Changelog

  • Yesterday I gave a talk at PHP Oxford
  • I will be speaking at PHPUGMRN in April
  • On Tuesday we updated the documentation for lesson 9 of the PHP Login Course
  • I'm still tired :)

This is the link to the PHP OOP Course

Mar 31, 202201:04:19