Bootcamper's Blog - Week 8

My eighth week at the School of Code bootcamp.

Bootcamper's Blog - Week 8

More React this week! I have loved working with React and this week was no exception. We did everything from learning new hooks, testing, individual research and presentation. We then topped all of that off with a hackathon Friday where we created a full stack React app!

We first spent time learning how to properly navigate documentation in our pairs this will be important to our careers and facilitate our independence in learning. The documentation we specifically explored was about pure functions and the useEffect hook. We then ended the day making API calls with this new hook. Following this on the next day, we looked into the useReducer hook. This allowed us to learn more about complex state management and how we can better organise states in our code. At the time I felt I took this in well but me and my pair overlooked it in our hackathon on Friday so I spent time this weekend ding more with it!

After learning about two new hooks it was testing time! React testing was an interesting combination (in my opinion) of jest, which is what we actually used, plus some Cypress.io. Having used both of these testing tools before it allowed for a more smooth transition into this new space which was a nice feeling, although this didn't make it easy it made it easier.

A change of pace followed React testing as we had a day more focused on our research and presentation skills. Next week is going to be our first project which will be a one week project with some guidance from the School of Code. To prepare us for this we were sent into groups of four where we had to research a specific topic and then present our findings by recording a video. They were all uploaded to youtube and shared among the bootcamp so we could watch the other groups to learn about their research area as well!

On Friday it was a hackathon day, as usual. This week it was to create a full stack React app in a blank repo! Me and my pair spent time preparing with agile development tools and tested an api we liked on postman. Following this we followed our plan to produce the mvp and then iterate and improve our app. We chose a cocktail api and made an app for a random cocktail at the click of a button or the ability to search for a specific cocktail. In both instances the image, ingredients, quantities and instructions were displayed on the screen. It was a great challenge and has made me look forward to my week long project starting Monday!

My main take away from each day in Week Eight.

Monday -

Monday was a docs day. Understanding documentation is going to be key in my career so it was nice to explore them in a ‘safe’ environment! We learnt all about pure functions and side effects. After this we used our newfound knowledge to get an understanding the ‘useEffect’ hook (even though it isn’t used all too often).

Tuesday -

We spent more time in React on Tuesday and specifically looked at the useReducer function. Each day I am building on my react knowledge and the things that are open for me to create become greater. Really happy with my progress.

Wednesday -

On Wednesday we were introduced to testing in React. Having previous knowledge of jest was great help. I quite enjoyed the fact that I was able to step up my learning as I had a base understanding. It has reassured me that when I go into my first job I will be able to translate my learning now into whatever tech stack they use!

Thursday -

On Thursday I further enhanced my presentation skills. We had to research a specified topic (for us it was agile development tools) and we had to record a presentation to share. This was a new way of presenting for me as it wasn’t in front of a large group but just the camera!

Friday -

Another Hackathon and we created a fullstack react app.Friday was a great day to bring together all the skills we had learnt over two weeks!


If you've got this far, thank you! Week Eight was a fun continuation of React. If you want to follow along with my journey please do. If you want to contact me for any reason also the best place to connect with me is Twitter - @_pattisoj. You can also find my GitHub here. I hope you have a good week and, as always, happy coding!