React, a JavaScript framework, used to build user interfaces uses what are called components and the DOM, or the Document Object Model – a virtual representation of a webpage. React Components are have the minimal structural requirement that they are only required to have a render method. In their render method, React components take in input data and output a display using JSX, which is an XML-like syntax that makes the inputted data accessible via this.props (The this in this case – pun not intended – is the JavaScript way of referring to the component itself!)
I initially began my journey into software development as an undergrad studying general engineering. In my general engineering coursework, we covered the basic STEM coursework that you would expect: Biology, Chemistry, Calculus, and more, however, at the university that I attended freshman year, an introductory course in coding was required as well.
Talk about coding in general. Have you found any commonalities between code and other aspects of your life?
I found at the start of my Rails Project that I was very overwhelmed — we had not attempted a project of this size yet and knowing all of the different files, views, and controllers that I would need was anxiety-inducing. Thankfully, Devise, a gem used to setup a user authentication system for a rails app held my hand through it. It enabled me to focus more on user experience, design, and which key features to build out, rather than the technical minutiae that are characteristic of completing the Rails section’s code-alongs and lab curriculum.