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[zarxto]

See, I have ADHD and unlike others I don't want to go through adderall withdrawl and also having the risks of it making everything worse.

So do you have to memorize all of your programming language, like java for example?


Or could you put a folder where it says "stuff i've worked on" and dump all the class files there so you can check there to see what to do. has anyone else done this?

[NowSayPillow]

Naaaaaaaaaw. That's what google is for. Most people aren't going to memorise everything they work with just the stuff they use frequently. I have a decent memory but I'd never survive if I had to memorise everything.

--NSP

[alvarop]

Reference, documentation, google, etc.

[voidSkipper]

Learning how to read languages' documentation is much more important than memorizing every command in a given language.

It annoyed the hell out of me when I did my first computer science exam in uni and they expected us to have memorized the shitty GUI library they'd had us use earlier in the semester. That's what the documentation is for.

Hell I don't even remember how some of my own classes are used half the time, that's why they're commented!

Generally speaking, as long as you can read the manual and understand programming as a concept, you can get work done in any language. You'll memorize the things you need often as you go. The rest, you'll rely on code completion for, or just use the docs.

[bateleur]

I don't have ADHD, but my memory is terrible. Having been a programmer for over 30 years now I've never once memorised even a significant fraction of any language. (At least not if one includes libraries. Writing assembler on the Acorn Archimedes I knew the whole instruction set... all 16 operations!)

It just isn't an obstacle at all. What matters is having a sense of roughly what's possible. Then when you want to (eg.) play an audio clip you can search for the necessary APIs and some example code and start from there.

[zilluss]

For how long are you programming? I assume most people, regardless of ADHD will have to look up stuff at the beginning (I still had problems getting a for loop right after a year of C  ).
After a while you will begin to think more abstract about programming (less language specific). If you still have problems after programming for a long time your ADHD might be the culprit, in which case I would start to use some tricks like snippets and a sophisticated documentation browser with good search engine and bookmarks.

[oahda]

You need to understand programming, not learn API's by heart, basically.

[2mass]

I memorize a lot I guess, but I also go back to old code to see how I solved this and that sometimes. So I don't remember everything - I would suggest that as being normal. I have coded for some 30 years or more.

Shit, I may be normal!

[bittwyst]

You need to understand programming, not learn API's by heart, basically.

This, I have a good understanding of programming but I have a hilariously bad memory. Looking stuff up constantly.

[DireLogomachist]

I am constantly going back to language documentation for how to do that one thing I want to do.

It's very normal, especially for people who work with and switch between multiple languages.
But you'll get better at it with time.

Except for Autohotkey. I mean what the #$%& kind of syntax is that, man.

[Oats]

Im basically gonna say more of the same, for me keeping every project I've ever worked on immediately available helps a lot, then if I'm working on something similar I go back and check, even copy and paste then modify if I need to. Also google is your friend, I found a couple of resources I like and then search there first. Maybe it's because I don't use many libraries but I find reading source (if available) a lot more useful then docs.

[Friez]

I remember core things about the language e.g. syntax, differences between classes/structs or for/foreach loops.

I remember SOME of the API's I work with, like the very basic often re-used stuff (like Vectors, Math Libraries etc).

However, I don't remember all of the API as most of it I'll rarely/never use. If I ever do need to use it, I'll look it up. I have various documentations at hand ready to pounce upon in browser tabs all the time.

Besides which, if you do upgrade engines/api's etc, you'll find that new methods/features get added and old ones get deprecated. Without reading the API docs, you'll never know until something unexpectedly stops working and you'll also miss out on nifty new things if your knowledge 'snapshot' is backdated a lot.

Never stop reading!

[mesmith]

My 2 centz... spend more time focusing on the concepts of programming; such as, Control Structures, Data Structures, OOP, Algorithms. I think when you understand these, you can learn any language much quicker. The actual syntax, API, keywords can all be looked up in seconds nowadays.

[quantumpotato]

My game Quantum Pilot has gone through at least 5 iterations (fresh starts) and dozens of design branches. I could re-write it in a variety of languages because I know the game design so well. I don't really think about memorizing code but instead learning the Things that I'm making and the code derives naturally from them.

https://www.amazon.com/Object-Thinking-Developer-Reference-David/dp/0735619654/ may help you with that skill.

[satellitetwitter424]

I memorize a lot I guess, but I also go back to old code to see how I solved this and that sometimes. So I don't remember everything - Best WordPress Themes on Linkedin I would suggest that as being normal. I have coded for some 30 years or more.

Shit, I may be normal!

 

[Cheezmeister]

Except for Autohotkey. I mean what the #$%& kind of syntax is that, man.

Hear, hear!

Not really sure what the OP is asking with this question. I also have no idea how ADHD is relevant. Just like any discipline, memorization is not really any indication of skill or mastery. I mean it helps if you happen to have a good memory, but most of us don't because we're human. Honestly, that's what machines are for!

[NowSayPillow]

You need to understand programming, not learn API's by heart, basically.

This, I have a good understanding of programming but I have a hilariously bad memory. Looking stuff up constantly.

I've the same thing, if I have an autocomplete enabled IDE I can hammer out code incredibly quick, if I'm doing webstuff and all I have is a fancy text editor I have to use google to remember the name of like every-other function I want to call.