starting with a paper and pen?
 

Is this the best method to do before you code? I had a friend told me to just sit down and write my ideas out. So is this a good method?

Yes it is, but I would contact Salathe for me, considering he does it himself. :P

who is salathe??

The guy with the golden name :P
TalkPHP - View Profile: Salathe
Just he knows about Pen and Paper working with php. ask him :/ though a lot of people on this forum do not like pming. -_-

For me, it depends where I am. If I'm sat on a train without a plug socket for my laptop I scribble notes and ideas down on paper. If I have my laptop then I use the electronic version, a text editor, to scribble down notes and ideas.

Edit: I've attached a text file for a class I'm writing at the moment. The text file is my general dumping ground for this class - it started out with the flow to get it clear in my head what I wanted it to do, then I added and expanded the classes / methods / properties as I planned them. At the moment, I'm using it to list all the exception codes, descriptions and where they appear so I can add them into future docs.

I'll often use pen/paper or a whiteboard to sketch out flow charts of how the application should work as well - tends to help when you come to coding it.

Alan

He's not the only one. I do that, too, before beginning a medium/big project. I've managed to think small applications 'on the spot', but bigger ones are pretty tricky and you need some organization. Plus, you can't remember all the stuff, all the time. Especially when you're tired :-/

I do logic flowcharts, goals, and even class skeletons on paper. It helps keep perspective as you revise things and constantly rewrite everything.

I have countless papers with diagrams and code on them because I use paper and pen all the time. It helps a lot when you are working on a complex project.

I rarely use paper to plan out my projects. I wrote an article on how I do it here
Programming Tips Blog Archive Mapping out your projects

Pen and paper! As I sit here looking at a desk covered with papers that have little code bit scribbles, flow charts, outlines, and brief descriptions of a project I am or might want to work on, I realize that most of my programming happens in the real world and not on the computer.

I write all kinds of stuff down! I might get a great idea for something but not have the time to sit down and start coding it and I rarely revisit electronic notes. It has something to do with how my mind works I think...
I use a lot of charts to organize my ideas and information and it takes a long time to format such data electronically. However, I can sketch a simple table on paper in just a few seconds!

Maybe once I set up a multi-display system, I will be more apt to use electronic notes.

I also found that I rarely get inspired while sitting in front of a computer so I have to use a tangible method of saving my ideas. I can't tell you how many times I have found a solution to a problem or a feature I want to add while driving just to get home a few hours later and completely forget about it.

My suggestion to anyone that wants to or is coding, use any means at your disposal to organize your ideas and scripts. Sometimes just seeing something written down or typed in can make it stick to your brain.

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