Wk07/08: Learning Journal Summary

 Hangman feels so distant yet so close. I would have approached it differently if I were to redo it today. if I were to redo it I would split the code for classes and ui, it would be easier to test and change. Also, I would use more branches. I am comfortable using them even though I considered them as a waste of time throughout most of this class. Now I see their charm, especially when working on a group project and doing pull requests.

  • better input checks: only one letter, a–z, ignore case, stop repeats, clear messages when input is bad. I would now use the right data: a Set for guessed letters so i can check fast; a method that builds the masked word correctly (handles repeats like in “pool”). Also I would handle edge cases: super short words, empty input, punctuation, same guess twice. I would also do tiny tests, like a few JUnit tests for win/lose, repeats, and masking. not fancy, just enough to catch dumb bugs. Now that I am slightly skilled, I could do a simple Android screen with a ViewModel so the board updates without messy code.

wins i’m proud of

  • I think about design now. I don’t throw everything into main. i try to keep methods small and give each part one job.

  • I debug without freaking out. I read the error, reproduce it, and fix one thing at a time. way less panic, more progress.

skills that clearly improved (2–3)

  • public vs. private. I’m better at keeping stuff private and exposing only what’s needed.

  • lists/sets/maps. Picking the right one isn’t a guess anymore.

  • validation + errors. i check inputs early and fail with helpful messages instead of letting bad data spread.


Final note (Project 02)

Project 02 is big, but my plan is simple: break it into tiny steps, keep logic separate from UI, test the core first, and make small commits. i started this class focused on “does it run?” now i care about clean, testable, maintainable. that’s real progress for me.

USE BRANCHES. THEY ARE USEFUL ESPECIALLY IF YOU MESS UP MANY TIMES YOU CAN ALWAYS JUST DELETE IT AND PULL NEWEST MAIN AGAIN


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