Overview

Class Central Tips

Want to take the first steps to become a Cloud Application Developer? This course will lead you through the languages and tools you will need to develop your own Cloud Apps.

Beginning with an explanation of how internet servers and clients work together to deliver applications to users, this course then takes you through the context for application development in the Cloud, introducing front-end, back-end, and full-stack development.

You’ll then focus on the languages you need for front-end development, working with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Finally, you will discover tools that help you to store your projects and keep track of changes made to project files, such as Git and GitHub.

Syllabus

Introduction to Programming for the Cloud

Learn what Cloud Application development involves from the very beginning. Discover the languages, frameworks, and tools, that enable you to create interactive and engaging websites and Cloud Applications, right from the very beginning. In this module, you will learn about the roles of front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers and how they work together on development projects and become familiar with the terminology and skills you will need in your career as a Cloud App developer. It is recommended that learners practice outside of the course to become proficient. The labs are intended as an introduction to the basics.

HTML5 and CSS Overview

The most fundamental tools for front-end developers are the languages they use for developing the website or app. Foremost among these is HyperText Markup Language (HTML). A good understanding of HTML, its features, support, and scripting capabilities, makes a solid foundation on which to build your development skills. Once you have mastered creating the basic structure of a website with HTML, you can add style with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which enables you to make your websites more attractive by adding a consistent style and design throughout.

HTML5 Elements

HTML5 has many elements that enable developers to create well-structured and varied websites. These HTML5 elements provide ways to separate an HTML document into divisions, create headers and footers, define sections, create headings, and delineate the body of the document. In addition, there are many HTML5 elements that allow the user to interact with the website, inputting information in various formats like dates, times, numbers, email addresses, and much more besides. To be able to create the structure you want for your site, you must be familiar with some of these elements.

JavaScript Programming for Web Applications

So now you have a website or Cloud App with structure and content from HTML, consistent style from CSS, and a limited amount of interactivity for the user. To enhance the user experience and create a real wow factor, you’re going to need JavaScript. With JavaScript, you can make your webpages dynamic, using features like interactive forms, picture slideshows, and sophisticated menu systems.

GitHub

Web and Cloud App developers rarely work alone. Large projects will include many people – front-end developers, back-end developers, database administrators, and repository administrators. Every change by every contributor must be tracked and controlled to enable the changes to be merged seamlessly, to allow for potential rollbacks, and for accountability. This type of distributed version control is extremely important when managing large software projects. Git, GitHub, and Git Lab are some of the most widely used tools for collaboration, storage, and version control.

Final Project

Now that you have been equipped with the skills to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you will have the opportunity to practice and create a web application.

In this scenario, you are a web developer for an NGO. Everyone Can Get Rich is a non-governmental charity organization. This NGO works to improve the financial literacy of the common people. They have hired a developer to create an online application. This app titled Simple Interest Calculator, will compute the interest one can earn given the amount you wish to save, the number of years you can keep it with the bank and the interest rate the bank would pay you.

The NGO is very particular about the way the app looks including the colors and the alignment of the form elements.