lwicks has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Hi Ho fellow monks,

I am a wee novice, with a couple of projects under my belt. I have a sourceforge project that I am playing with and this evening I have decided to re-write my horrid code using Objects modules and all that good stuff.

Heres the rub,
I know roughly what I am doing, but would really gain a lot from some guru help. I am thinking a mentor, someone to be part of the development but rather than writing the code, they would act in an "advisory" capacity, helping me write good code.

So...
any well meaning Perl gurus seeking an apprentice to mould into a Perl monk worthy of perlmonks.org?

Humbly yours,
Lance

Kia Kaha, Kia Toa, Kia Manawanui!
Be Strong, Be Brave, Be perservering!

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Seeking Perl Mentors
by kvale (Monsignor) on Oct 14, 2004 at 20:59 UTC
    In one sense, the whole of perlmonks is devoted to some form of mentoring and information exchange.

    If you want to start writing modules, taking an OO approach, the best way is probably to find a module you like the looks of, understand the code and start replacing it with your stuff. In other words start off with a skeleton. Personally, I started with the CD modules in Damian Conway's Object-Oriented Perl book as templates and built my first OO math module in short order.

    With repsect to the mentoring, once you start writing code, you will discover concrete problems and uncertainties that are amenable to posting to SoPW. I have almost always recieved helpful advice from questions I asked, and the typically broad range of answers helped me put the different appraoches to solving a problem in perspective.

    Modules are a lot of fun to program. Good luck!

    -Mark

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Re: Seeking Perl Mentors
by Tuppence (Pilgrim) on Oct 14, 2004 at 22:41 UTC

    Well, you've definatly come to the right place for finding help.

    If you haven't already, you will probably want to check into Class::MethodMaker - it can take care of a lot of the grunt work of setting up objects for you.

    That said, pasting bits of code here and asking for review will be a good way to get Good Design down - you just have to pay attention to why people are saying what they're saying, and try to internalize that attitude more than the particular tricks to Getting There.

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Re: Seeking Perl Mentors
by rinceWind (Monsignor) on Oct 15, 2004 at 09:52 UTC
    Besides the advice from others, vis a vis "you have come to the right place", you might be looking for somebody you can talk to in person. Clearly Perlmonks cannot offer this, but check out http://pm.org to see if there is a Perlmongers' group local to you.

    It can be useful sometimes talking Perl over a beer with likeminded individuals. I have had some of my best inspirations this way.

    You should also look at IRC. Most of the Perl related channels are on MagNet, including #perl.

    --
    I'm Not Just Another Perl Hacker

[reply]

      Looks like he's near enough London to qualify for London.pm ;-) - We can also be found on IRC, but don't talk about Perl much.

      /J\

[reply]
        Many thanks for the encouraging words so far.
        london.pm sounds like a clever starting point, have signed up for the mailing list.
        Shame the is not a hampshire.pm as getting to london is a right ol' hike.

        I shall continue to utilise the wise monks here at the Monastry, who have so far taught me far more than the shelf of books I have now on Perl.

        If any kindly souls (especially in Hampshire, UK) do decide that being a mentor is for them I am still looking!

        I must thank also, all the folk who have recomended "Code Complete" (in other threads) as I am finding it a good read which is broadening my more base understanding of the processes behind developing.

        P.s. I have just made "MONK" and am feeling good, a happy dance might be in order!

        Lance

        Kia Kaha, Kia Toa, Kia Manawanui!
        Be Strong, Be Brave, Be perservering!

[reply]
Re: Seeking Perl Mentors
by Mutant (Priest) on Oct 15, 2004 at 09:00 UTC
    Nice to see another kiwi lost in England coding in Perl :)

    I don't have too much advise to offer on this, other than if you're a professional coder, try to find work in an environment with people more experienced than you (not that many of us have the luxury of choice when it comes to jobs). I worked for two years in such an environment, and my Perl is now something resembling reasonble.

    Oh and also, although OO can work a lot of the time, one of the strengths of Perl is that you don't have to use it. There are a lot of times where a more procedural approach a lot cleaner, so don't get too caught up in the OO hype :)
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