What’s hand coding?

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Hand coding involves manually typing all code for a website or program, resulting in a smaller coding footprint and faster load times. Employers often require hand coding skills, but it takes more time and knowledge than using generators.

Hand coding is a programming and coding technique where the user types all the code manually. When a user creates a website or program, he or she can either manually code or use a generator, often known as a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. One benefit of hand coding is a smaller coding footprint, which causes websites and programs to load quickly and cleanly. Most jobs that hire programmers require them to know how to code by hand, because some generators may have limited functionality. The disadvantages of hand coding a website or program are that it takes more time and has a learning curve.

A programmer who wants to create a website or program can choose to manually code or use a generator. With hand coding, the user types everything manually; all code is typed manually in a text editor. If a generator is used, the generator will automatically create a large chunk of the code. For example, if the programmer wants to place an image on a website, he can simply open the image in the generator and the generator will create all the coding needed to place the image on the website.

The main benefit of hand coding is a small coding footprint; when a generator is used, it often creates additional code. Some generators add an identification code, so other users know which generator created the website or program. Other generators add extra code to meet several years of coding standards at once, so people who have internet browsers or older operating systems can still use the website or program, but that’s usually not necessary. A website or hand-coded program will typically have much less code, so load times are much faster. The coding also loads cleaner, meaning there’s less chance that part of your program or website will load incorrectly, causing you to see code instead of an image or text.

If a programmer is looking for a career in creating programs or websites, most employers ask that they know how to code by hand. Generators are normally able to manipulate and create code quite well, but generators may not be able to fix advanced coding problems. Knowing hand coding also requires more coding knowledge, making the programmer more proficient in the coding language.

There are two major drawbacks to hand coding: time and knowledge. Building a website or program from scratch can take hours or days longer than using a generator. Hand coding programmers must also have a good understanding of the coding language; if not, they will need to check coding references often when building the website or program.




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