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JavaScript Build a Simple Dynamic Site with Node.js Creating a Basic Template Engine in Node.js Reading from Files

josephpatrickpotot
josephpatrickpotot
17,918 Points

There must be a simpler way to do this

This seems to be badly made course/video/instructions. Even though the title says a "simple" dynamic site, it tries to do a lot of things at the same time and the concept becomes lost to the student as we try to catch up to what the teacher is trying to do with the code. There are times when the instructor is jumping from one file to another changing the codes, copying codes, pasting the codes without pausing and testing out if there are any errors in between (often times he is making the errors himself) and we are supposed to figure out where in our code the error is when he runs all the changes he made to the code at the same time. Honestly, I have been at this particular part of the training for weeks now and I could not grasp the concept of this "simple" course. This is so frustrating!

Anyone can point me out to an external video/training wherein this part of the course is explained a lot simpler? so that I at least may finally understand the whole concept of this part of the course. Much appreciated.

Caleb Kemp
Caleb Kemp
12,754 Points

Certainly, some teachers are better at presenting their material than others. I'm not sure what to suggest off the top of my head, but I'll let you know if I come across anything I think you might find helpful.

I could not agree more, Joseph. Team Tree House has a lot of incredibly helpful and perfectly orchestrated courses. This one seems to be an exception. This is my second round on this course, and it is difficult (if not impossible) to follow how each change impacts the project based on the videos.

On top of that, the instructor is not explaining very well the intentions behind each change. It comes across as a hastily created course. I think this course is one the instructor team at TTH should consider improving.

2 Answers

josephpatrickpotot
josephpatrickpotot
17,918 Points

Caleb Kemp Thanks. Got really frustrated on this part of the course and I don't understand why it was structured this way like suddenly introducing the dry method half way through the course which can completely distract a confused student about the concept being introduced specially when the dry method has already been introduced in previous courses.

Caleb Kemp
Caleb Kemp
12,754 Points

Yea, I can understand that

There absolutely are simpler ways to do this - frameworks! When you get your hands on something like Express, which supports template engines and routing, you'll breathe an enormous sigh of relief.

I expect that the purpose of this course is a) to first learn the native Node APIs (res.write() etc.) and, perhaps, b) to see the kinds of problems frameworks exist to solve(!) Whatever the case, Mr. Chalkley makes it clear that this will be a course which excludes the use of frameworks, which are always best used when the fundamentals of what they're actually doing are already understood.

Good luck, it does get easier!