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courses / ruby / level 1

level 1 · easy

ruby for
beginners.

From zero to your first real Ruby programs. Every new word explained, every example runnable, one idea per lesson.

  • 28 lessons
  • 7 units
  • 3 h 28 m in all
  • £0, for good
start level 1

what’s inside.

For people who have never written a line of code. Nothing is assumed: every new word is explained the moment it appears.

Ruby Level 1 assumes nothing. In 28 short lessons you go from what code is to writing your own methods, with a guess, a hands-on task and a fix-the-bug challenge in every lesson. It ends with a level check: a quiz game you build yourself and answer with `gets`.

every lesson goes the same way.

  1. meet it
  2. guess first
  3. your turn
  4. fix it
  5. nailed it

unit 1

Say hello

Make the computer do exactly what you tell it.

4 lessons · 26 min

  1. What code really is5 minFind out what code is and run your very first program.
  2. Your first line6 minMake the computer show any message you like.
  3. Lines, print and puts7 minShow several lines, keep words together and make blank lines.
  4. When it goes wrong8 minRead error messages and fix the ones you will see most.

unit 2

Boxes with names

Make the computer remember things.

4 lessons · 30 min

  1. A variable is a labelled box7 minStore a value under a name and get it back whenever you like.
  2. Boxes can change8 minSwap what is in a box, copy it and join strings together.
  3. Good names, bad names7 minPick names Ruby accepts and that tell you what is inside.
  4. Asking a question8 minAsk the person a question and use their answer.

unit 3

Words and numbers

Tell text and numbers apart and use both.

4 lessons · 30 min

  1. Text vs numbers7 minSpot the difference between a number and a string that looks like one.
  2. Doing maths8 minAdd, take away, multiply and divide, and find what is left over.
  3. Tricks with text7 minCount, shout, whisper, trim and swap the letters in a string.
  4. Putting values inside text8 minDrop any value into a string and turn text into numbers.

unit 4

Make decisions

Make your program choose what to do.

4 lessons · 30 min

  1. If this, do that8 minMake your program do something only when it should.
  2. Otherwise…6 minGive your program a plan B for when the answer is no.
  3. More than two choices8 minCheck one thing after another and pick the right path.
  4. And, or, not8 minLink conditions together to ask smarter questions.

unit 5

Repeat yourself

Do the same thing many times without copying.

4 lessons · 31 min

  1. Repeat with times8 minMake Ruby repeat a job as many times as you like.
  2. Repeating with while8 minKeep a loop going until its condition turns false.
  3. Loops that decide8 minCheck every turn of a loop and count the matches.
  4. Stopping early7 minJump out of a loop, or skip a turn, whenever you like.

unit 6

Arrays

Keep many things together and work through them.

4 lessons · 31 min

  1. Making an array6 minKeep a whole list of values together in one variable.
  2. Reading and changing items9 minGrab any item by its number, swap it or add a new one.
  3. Looping over an array8 minVisit every item in turn and add them all up.
  4. Searching an array8 minAsk what is inside, add it all up and find the biggest.

unit 7

Your own methods

Wrap code up so you can use it again.

4 lessons · 30 min

  1. Making a method7 minWrap lines of code under one name and run them whenever you like.
  2. Giving it information7 minHand your method a value so it can do something new each time.
  3. Getting an answer back7 minMake a method hand you a result you can keep and use.
  4. Putting it all together9 minBuild a small program from methods, arrays, loops and decisions.
end of level 1 level check: a three-question quiz Build one small project with everything from this level. Pass it and your face levels up. see the check

next, level 2

intermediate
ruby.

Build useful things with hashes, files, JSON, errors and your own classes. Every new word explained.

see level 2