Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Knowledge of basic coding tools is required for this course. This includes the following:

Familiarity with the Command Line

• Navigate the file system using
  • cd Change directory using
    • cd ../../../my_folder relative paths names
    • cd /Users/me/Desktop absolute path names
  • .. Specify the parent directory
  • . Specify the current directory
  • pwd Output the current working directory
• Modify the file system using
  • mkdir new_directory Make a new directory
  • rmdir old_directory Remove an old directory
  • rm -rf old_directory Recursively and forcefully remove an old directory (be careful!)
  • mv old_name.txt new_name.txt Rename files
  • mv old_name.txt ../../ Move files
• Connect to remote machines using ssh
  • Creating and managing SSH keys.
  • Logging on to a remote machine via SSH.
• Find out more about command line programs by using man.
  • e.g. man ls is used to discover options for the ls program.
  • To exit the man program typq q.
• Resources:
  • Learn the Linux Command Line: The Basics
  • Learn the Command Line
  • Learn Enough

Familiarity with Git / Github

• Track work using git from the command line, or a GUI.
  • git add your_file.txt Stage a file to commit
  • git commit -m "Your commit message." Commit all changes with a message.
  • git push Push all changes to the default remote branch on github.com
  • git pull Retrieve all changes from a default remote branch on github.com
  • git mv ..., git rm ... to move and remove files and make sure git knows about it
• Modify existing work on github by Forking.
  • Forking and
• Copy a repository from github (e.g. your fork) to your working machine using git clone.
  • git clone https://github.com/openframeworks/openFrameworks.git to clone a repository to your working machine
• Resolve merge conflicts when collaborating with others.
  • Know how to resolve merge conflicts by fixing them, adding, pushing, etc.
• Control what is automatically published using .gitignore files.
  • Understand basic .gitignore syntax

• Create a new repository and publish your work online.

• Resources:
  • Github for Poets
  • Up and Running with Git and GitHub
  • Git Essential Training

Markdown

• Write documents using markdown syntax.

• Resources:

  • Mastering Markdown
  • Up and Running with Markdown
  • Markdown Cheatsheet

Familiarity with Basic Code Concepts

• What is code?
• What is an application?
• What is a variable?
• What are arrays?
• What are control flow statements?
• What is an if / else statement?
• What is a for loop?
• What are the parts of a function?
  • What are return values?
  • What are function parameters?
• What do functions do?
• What does a main function do?
• What is a class?
• What are the parts of a class?
  • What is a member variable?
  • What is a member function or method?
• What is an instance of a class?

• What is recursion?

• Resources:
  • Up and Running with C++

Data Representation

• How is binary data saved on a computer?
• How are decimal (base 10) numbers represented in binary?
• How is text represented with numbers?
• How are images represented as numbers?
• What is a “compressed” file?
• What is the difference between lossless and lossy compression?

• How do you pronounce gif?

• Resources:
  • Counting in Binary

Familiarity with openFrameworks and C++

Compiling

• How do you generate a project files with the Project Generator?
• How do you compile a program with an IDE like Xcode?

Program Structure

• What are the parts of a typical openFrameworks application?
  • What is the setup() function and how is it used?
  • What is the update() function and how is it used?
  • What is the draw() function and how is it used?
  • What is the keyPressed(int key) function and how is it used?

• What is an addon and how do you add them to your project?

• Resources:
  • ofBook: Animation

Objects

• What is an ofPixels object for?
• What is an ofTexture object for?
• What is an ofImage object for?
• How do you load am image from a file?
• How do you play a movie with ofVideoPlayer?
• How do you grab live video using ofVideoGrabber?
• How do you modify the pixels from an ofVideoPlayer or ofVideoGrabber?

• How do you display an image?

• Resources:
  • openFrameworks Learning

C/C++

• What is a pointer and why might it be used?
• What is a reference and why might it be used?
• What are smart pointers and why might they be used?
  • What is a std::unique_ptr<>?
  • What is a std::shared_ptr<>?
• Resources:
  • C++ Basics
  • C++ Essential Training