Error 404: Project not found
Well, this week was a bit of a letdown in comparison to last week.
I came into work Tuesday morning and started learning about new capabilities of Selenium's script, specifically looking at the assert() function. It's a handy little tool that I can use to check on multiple items in a webpage, such as whether or not a graph is displaying the right statistics. This could improve my bot script in regards to a further investigation of the user's experience.
However, when I returned to work after a quick lunch break, I immediately ran into a server problem. Selenium was based off an external server in New Relic, so I had to run the script through the server every time I wanted to check for errors or mistakes in my code. Unfortunately, New Relic's Selenium servers went down for scripts, so I had to spend the rest of the day trying to find a fix or solution to this external server issue.
Wednesday morning was no better in regards to the external server problem. Stephane, on the other hand, found a way to keep me working: learning more programming languages, jQuery and, by extension, AJAX. He would put the Selenium bot project on hold while they tried to fix the server over at New Relic, but in the meantime, I could work on something else. So that was my whole morning spent, learning a new programming language.
In the afternoon, I began working on a new script on a new site, Github. It's a place where people can share scripts with one another in a very convenient matter, and a fantastic place to type up script. I managed to write about 150 lines of code as an experimental script and asked for some feedback. Then I learned just how busy the company was.
I'm not sure what exactly were the details, but it was apparent that there was a big deal going down. Being only an intern, I was understandably a lower priority and Stephane was far too busy to look at the script. In fact, he actually wanted me to shift to a new project again, using the same programming language I had learned but for a different purpose. I was fine with that and awaited for the email that would contain all the details of my new assignment. It never came.
Eventually, at the end of the day, Stephane explained to me that everybody on his end was just a little stressed out and assured me that next week would be better in terms of productivity. I hope so as well. See you all next week!
Aw no, that sucks! I hope they get the problem fixed soon and that you get to finish all these different assignments. Still, you learned a new programming language in one morning, that's awesome; maybe by the end of this project you'll have a whole bunch under your belt that you never might have learned otherwise :)
ReplyDeleteHi Al,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are learning a lot of coding! Is that different from what you expected? Are you enjoying it?
What about your business analysis project - you are still producing that for the SRP, correct? I suggest that you have some of your own project work on hand at all time so you can keep busy when your mentor doesn't have anything for you to do.
Mr. Bloom
Right now, I've learned the big primary language of Javascript. However, there are several other languages that fall underneath Javascript and are dialects of it, such as HTML and jQuery. I'm still working on the business analysis project for the SRP, so your suggestion is a good one! It just seems though that I'm always busy trying to code something or learn a new language.
DeleteAwh, I hope you're keeping a positive attitude through everything! Out of all the new coding languages you have encountered so far, which is your favorite? Are there any that are particularly tricky for whatever reason?
ReplyDeleteI used Github this year in my compsci class and found it really helpful! I would love to hear how it works for you in a formal company setting.
I would have to say Java is still my favorite programming language, but I'm also slowly warming up to Javascript and Selenium. Ironically, Selenium is also the trickiest because it allows for me to directly interact with the browser, and HTML is also quite tricky due to the odd formatting that no other language really uses.
DeleteHey Alfred. Hope it gets better next week.
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering if you could take some time to explain the whole bot script project?
What is its role in the overall website's production?
The bot script project was done using the Selenium Webdriver script, through a programming site called New Relic. By writing a code, I can have an automated AI system follow through the script and do things such as click a button on a web page or download a video. LoopLogic plans to use this as a way to test their login portal, so if there is something wrong with logging into LoopLogic, then the bot will alert the company so that a fix can get underway immediately.
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