10 nifty tools that will help our students become the best coders

Coding is a craft, a magical production of thoughts and ideas classified by symbols, codes and shortened phenomena.

These days, learning to code is far easier, more interesting and lucrative than it’s ever been. New and interactive learning tools put website development and coding at the heart of many tools, allowing you to code better. This in turn will help move you along the ranks of coding apprentice to coding wizard in no time.

Here are ten tools that you may have never heard of, that will totally transform your coding game.  

1. Google Chrome or Firefox browser for coders

Use a modern browser like Chrome or Firefox because they have a debugging software that is vital for web developers. You should still test your website on all other browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Safari, but we recommend completing your coding work in Chrome or Firefox. 

2. Rescue Time to hold you accountable

With the numerous distractions we face in digital roles, it’s quite easy to waste away half a day browsing the internet, playing a game or simply daydreaming. RescueTime helps the user understand their habits so to can change them to become more productive. It runs in the background of your computer and tracks time spent on applications, websites, and more, to give you a report of what you do each day. 

3. Divvy allows you to view multiple windows

No need to maximise, minimise or drag windows from one side of the screen to the other. You can manage the position of all your windows with hotkeys. Divvy works by helping the coder view two windows next to each other, or cycle windows between monitors, which is great for multiple screen users.

4. Trello for a list you can tick

Trello is a project management tool, or it can be used as a collaboration tool. It’s good for managing small teams and projects. It’s good because it serves as a visual check list, where you can add due dates, workload and keep others aware of which stage of coding and testing you are at. It can pretty much be used for everything from a fancy to-do list to an API-enabled sprint story coordinator.

 5. CodePen is the social network for coders

CodePen presents itself as a ‘social development environment’ for front-end developers. The site has a modest principle: to post your code and output in a simple shareable format. The site is filled with remarkable front-end development illustrations, from complex animations to a 3D development.

This tool may be most appreciated for the pure amount of originality and inspiration available from its contributors, who will redefine your idea of what’s possible with today’s front-end technologies, and inspire you to try new things.

6. Code Wars to help you up-skill

Minor programming contests are a brilliant way to up-skill your coding ability. These coding challenges allow you to strengthen and expand on your programming essentials. They’re also an excellent way to increase your knowledge with software design languages you don’t have a lot of experience using. CodeWars has hundreds of coding writing challenges classified by difficulty, and across numerous languages.

7. FileVault for backing up your work

Be sure to permit FileVault on your computer, OSX’s built-in hard drive encryption. This way, even if your laptop is stolen, your identity, code and data are secure.

 

8. Atom is great for side projects

Atom is a relatively new code editor created by GitHub. It’s free, open source, and it looks great. It’s also extremely easy to use. Though you might use a more feature-rich IDE for your development at work, Atom is a fantastic tool for hacking at scripts, or working on side projects.

One thing that helps Atom shine in comparison to other code editors is its markdown preview mode. You can write notes in markdown and see an inline preview; extremely useful when working on Readme files and other documentation. 

9. Code Climate automatically grades your code

Code Climate is a mechanical code analysis tool that grades your app on test coverage, complexity, duplication, security, style and more. It comes with a free two-week trial which is great to get a feel for it. After the trial, if you don’t wish to splurge on the fee, you can still get advice into the quality of your code. Code Climate is an easy-to-use tool to show you how to make your code better. 

10. Flux will help you relax

Some of us computer marvels have square eyes. We stare at the screen for so many hours, that, when it comes to sleeping, we simply find it hard, tossing and turning. For those that find it hard to sleep after starting at the computer screen, then Flux is the answer to your prayers.

Your body’s daily rhythm can’t tell the difference between sunlight and the glow of a monitor. This free tool gradually changes your computer’s colours during and after sunset so that you nod off easier after logging off.

These tools for coding students can make learning fun and interactive

These tools are just the answer for setting your own pace and learning by doing and practicing. Together, they become an entire magical cauldron. Some of these tools recommend for coding will aid your learning, others will help you manage your projects with a structure, and some are just recommended because they make life simpler.

Together they let you move forward, resulting in a more engaging learning experience—and ideally, greater understanding. Not all are for beginners: Experienced coders sometimes need to pick up tips too. But they’re all available on the Internet, and most are free.