Comment open ended (Score 2, Informative) 122
My suggestion is not to focus on a particular problem -> solution, but to think more open-ended. In essence, think of some general functionality that can be continually extended. Maybe an example will help clarify :)
When I taught myself python, I first wrote a program that determined the word-wrap properties of a text file. It detected wrapping behavior across lines, and then constructed a range of possible wrap settings. I then added tabwidth detection. After this, I began to think about interpreting text structure from a document. So, if a block of lines exhibit wrap behavior, they're a paragraph, otherwise perhaps a section of code or a title. Then, I wrote a parser that accepted call backs, so, for example, it could (very roughly) convert etexts into html. Of course, this all took place over a week or so, and my knowledge of python evolved accordingly.
So, my suggestion is don't think "final product," but rather work on a general library of functionality that you can extend as you go.
When I taught myself python, I first wrote a program that determined the word-wrap properties of a text file. It detected wrapping behavior across lines, and then constructed a range of possible wrap settings. I then added tabwidth detection. After this, I began to think about interpreting text structure from a document. So, if a block of lines exhibit wrap behavior, they're a paragraph, otherwise perhaps a section of code or a title. Then, I wrote a parser that accepted call backs, so, for example, it could (very roughly) convert etexts into html. Of course, this all took place over a week or so, and my knowledge of python evolved accordingly.
So, my suggestion is don't think "final product," but rather work on a general library of functionality that you can extend as you go.
