Variables

Variables bring the fun

Look into my eyes.

Just go with the flow
This project is a continuation of the first, Programming Images from Basic Shapes.

I felt like my original sketch lacked in color, hierarchy, and a visual entry point on the page for the viewer. That is why I added the sun in the upper left corner and used it to add the new moving parts.

The first challenge was to establish flow and order. When adding code blocks, which should go first?
When adding the sun, knowing that the eyes would eventually move from side to side, what order should those commands and arguments appear?

Variables equal Math... not my strong suit.
I was a Journalism major.

Once I wrapped my head around how easy variables would make my life, I became an instant number one fan.

Just like the book said, if you use a number more than one time to describe the same object, it should become a variable.

I originally wrote this program with such redundant and cumbersome coding instructions. No wonder I couldn't get the eyes to move as I had intended on my first go-around.

Once I identified and established the variables, coding the "Set Up" and "Draw" blocks made sense and ran just the way I had planned.

For me, the process felt like writing a math problem backwards in order to get to the least common denominator.

Fortunately I was able to lean on the examples in references and some help from ChatGPT-Code Copilot. (see right)
The mistake I made was mostly in the order of blocks of code.

I wish I knew then what I know now.

Here's the exciting aha-moment for me, as a novice programmer.

This was the very first time (three semesters into the OU-MA program) that I entered my own written code into ChatGPT, and I got back an answer that worked the very first time.

Behold... my own original code was clean enough and my prompt clear and concise enough, that ChatGPT was able to provide guidance that I could understand and incorporate easily.
*If only I had taken this course first.

Order of code in Processing from top to bottom.