It doesn't feel like the lasagna challenge is for absolute beginners

Exercism
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I flew through the hello, world one very quickly. Super easy. Doable.
Have studied so much information in the lasagna challenge and still have no idea where to start, what to actually do, or how do … make code?
Have been honest about being an absolute beginner and am sitting here in a state of confusion what the helly I should do.
Is there anyone who could help me out? This does not seem like an absolute beginner- exercise.

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Exercism assumes some familiarity with the basics: what functions and variables are, how do to arithmetic, etc. If you’re an absolute beginner, consider signing up for the soon-to-be-launched Exercism bootcamp or some other intro-to-programming class like Harvard’s CS50.

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Hi IsaacG
I understand that choosing ‘absolute beginner’ and going to the course that exercism appoints to me when I want to spruce up my python is actually not the right one?
This doesn’t feel right. It should then point towards ‘hey this platform is not for you, please learn your basics elsewhere’- right?

Thank you for replying, I shall find my way to another learning platform because this, as you indicate, isn’t for me.

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“Spruce up your Python” implies you understand the basics :slightly_smiling_face:

The bootcamp is intended for absolute beginners. The rest is not tailored to absolute beginners.

Did you see something on Exercism that suggests the Python track is a good place for an absolute beginner?

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I’ve found code in place works nicely for students who want a more gradual and detailed intro to Python. And it is free. They also offer live cohorts with coaches and mentors (provided you catch when one is starting in your region).

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I did see something that made me think that it’s a good place for a beginner.

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‘Learn the basics’ kinda gave me the idea.

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Perhaps “Learn the basics” should say “Learn the basics of Python” or something :slight_smile:

Lots of beginners do learn the basics here, though there’s a bit of an initial hurdle of figuring out the fundamentals of how code works, like what a variable is.

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I know what a variable is.
My problem is that I honestly have no idea where to start on the actual exercise.

I get the feeling that there is no-one who wants to go through my confusion with the setup of the assignment, that makes me pretty sad. I’ll reach out to some people that I know IRL. Thank you for replying.

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Do you want help working through the exercise?

The exercise is broken down into steps/tasks. Before and after each task, you should run the tests. When a test changes from failing to passing, you passed that task.

The first task says,

Define the EXPECTED_BAKE_TIME constant that represents how many minutes the lasagna should bake in the oven. According to your cookbook, the Lasagna should be in the oven for 40 minutes:

Do you understand that task? Do you have questions about how to do that task?

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I think there are quite a few people who would like to help with your confusion, but we can’t really “do” anything with “I don’t know where to start”. As this exercises author, I could walk you through a complete solution … but then you would learn nothing.

  • What in the instructions is confusing you or stopping you?
  • Do functions confuse you? Does return? What about constants?
  • You mention “setup” - are you attempting this exercise on your own machine, or using the online editor? Anything we can help with on your local machine?
  • If you are using the online editor, have you run the tests to see which tests fail? Do you understand what is going on there with testing?
  • What have you tried coding up so far?

If you give Isaac or I a bit of a clue, we might be able to get you unstuck. But with “I don’t know, and you don’t care.”, the best we can do is recommend someplace else that might feel better to you.

2 Likes
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Thank you for trying to help me.
I’m not even sure how to ask the right question. That’s why I didn’t. So I will go to an IRL person for full-help. I feel like something is missing, but I can’t point to where.

Let me answer your first question:
What in the instruction is confusing me?

It was shocking to me to find that I had to scroll past 282 lines of explanation of ‘things’ before I got to the actual assignment in the README. The assignment in the lasagna.py file wasn’t very descriptive for me, so the README is a good place to start. Or so I thought.

I took about four hours of going through all that information, and all the links, and all the references in the links. And when I got to the first step, I found that nothing in the information I had just taken in- referred to how to write down the constant. So I took to google, lost more time and didn’t find a solution that doesn’t make the tests scream errors at me.

This is where I typed my first message here.

Then took to the HINTS and the HELP. No avail. Then read through the full exercise. Then to the tests file, like if I can see what it tests, I can maybe make the code. Usually I’d be the one making the test, not the code. But honestly I’m feeling so, so incredibly stupid and incapable, I can’t. I will go through with whatever the hell I am missing with someone IRL. Thank you, no need to reply, I can’t even seem to find how to delete this thread. This has broken me.

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That’s the lesson part of the lesson ;) If you want to learn, you’ll need to consume lessons which teach you things.

Did you miss this part?

Name Assignment (Variables & Constants)
…

Constants

Constants are names meant to be assigned only once in a program. They should be defined at a module (file) level, and are typically visible to all functions and classes in the program. Using SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE signals that the name should not be re-assigned, or its value mutated.

Name Assignment (Variables & Constants)

…

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