So, 2017, should I propose a WordCamp talk on coding basics?

Yes, it’s the third of January and I’m writing a blog post so you’d be quite entitled to think that I’ve started some new year’s resolution to write more and am already three two days behind.  And, well, that’s not strictly true, but it is partly true.

What I have been doing is putting together some ideas for conference talks for the year. Applications (and tickets) are open for WordCamp London which I’m hoping to at least attend. But I have a talk idea that I’d like to run past people too.

In another post that’s not written yet, I will talk about how I come across lots of people who start as WordPress users, then tentatively edit themes, and eventually start writing PHP code to change or enhance their websites, without ever getting a proper understanding of the code they are writing.

This seems to be the path of many a WordPress developer. And I recently heard from two very successful WordPress professionals that this was their path, and therefore it is the recommended way to learn WordPress development. I was startled to hear no mention of learning about coding principles as a part of this journey to become a WordPress developer.

I, personally, think that learning coding principles can both help you learn faster, and give you a much greater problem solving ability.

So…I have this brewing idea for a talk – possibly for WordCamp London, possibly for elsewhere – that is a very quick overview of basic coding principles. For those that already know what these are, I’d cover things like:

  • variables and types
  • expressions
  • conditionals
  • functions
  • (the VERY basics of…) scope
  • control structures

In testing the water for this idea I guess I have a few questions:

  • Is this something you’d be interested in?
  • Do you think I’d be able to cover enough ground in 30 minutes?
  • Is it a good idea, but one for which a conference talk is the wrong format?

Use the comments to let me know! And thanks in advance for your input.