1. Finding and using code online
Workshop

2. Goal for today Discuss Then practice
Looking for code online that you can use in your programs
By the of the lecture you’ve gotten enough ideas that you’ll be able to find and use code on your own

3. Exploration
Finding (and using) code that’s available online is an exploratory activity
This can’t be ‘scripted’
Unlike, say, me showing you how to use a particular language feature

4. How to approach this
You’re not aiming to understand the nitty-gritty details of how the code works
Instead, get an overall understanding of how it works, the advantages and limitations of the algorithm
Focus on the API
I.e., what objects does it provide, which methods to call, etc

5. Abstract / Mental Stuff to look for
1-Sentence summary
Make sure to explain the problem that the algorithm solves. Also explain how it compares to other algorithms, in a couple quick sentences. In a nutshell, why would anybody want to want to use it
Properties of the algorithm
Running time -Min, avg., max time
Space required
Limitations and Strengths
Boundary conditions: single element array, etc.

6. Concrete Stuff to look for
Visualizations for the underlying algorithm
Try to find code for the given algorithm
Quality of docs?
Ideally you should be able to compile + run it without (many) problems
Github.com is a great place to look
Sometimes there will be online demos (particularly for JS)
Search for “_______ tutorial”
How much activity / support does it have?

7. Let’s brainstorm!
Let’s come up with a list of stuff to try in order to understand some code that exists

8. Let’s start by looking at the same alg/code:
C#’s built-in hashtable (it’s named “Dictionary”)
NOTE: This is a link to the ‘.Net Core’ version – there’s also a version for the ‘.Net Framework’, too
It’s pretty well-documented
‘Remarks’ section has some good notes
There’s a list of all the methods it supplies
There’s example code
You should be able to download/copy, compile, and run that code
Another one to try: C#’s built-in LinkedList class

9. Google tricks
add the language (“C#”) – filters out compiled software, and tells Google that you’re interested in source code
Add site:stackoverflow.com to search only the stackoverflow.com domain (and any subdomains)
Example query: site:stackoverflow.com can’t implement “AVL tree”

10. ‘Library’ of websites Geeksforgeeks.com RosettaCode.com
Videos, code (sometimes in multiple languages), good explanations
RosettaCode.com
Code with great support for multiple languages
Tutorialspoint – has a ‘data structures’ tab
San Diego State U lectures
Stackoverflow.com
Not for newbies 
Great for help with errors
Sometimes has code samples

11. Stuff To Avoid List Wikipedia
Tends to have pseudocode instead of compiling code
Lots of technical jargon – written by experts, for experts

12. How to familiarize yourself with a given codebase, after you’ve found it
Go through the example code
Ask yourself why each line/chunk does what it does
Ask yourself “How could I use this in my program?”
Come up with a very, very simplified version of something that you’ll eventually use in your program.
Your IDE may have integrated documentation