Learn to Code with the new issue of The MagPi

07 June 2019

The new issue of The MagPi (issue 82) includes three coding tutorials I wrote for the cover feature, Learn to Code. The article guides you through projects that get you started with Scratch, Python, and GPIO Zero for electronics on the Raspberry Pi.

UPDATE 2020: You can now download this article here.

The projects are:

• Catchy Catchy Feedy Monkey - a simple game to get you started with Scratch 2. You trigger the cat to throw bananas to the hungry monkey as it moves up and down the screen. I wanted to include broadcasts, to demonstrate one of the distinctive features of Scratch, so a broadcast is used to start the bananas flying and make the monkey say something when you launch them. Learn more about how Scratch broadcasts work here. There's lots you can do to extend this simple game demo, including adding a score, sound effects, and changing difficulty levels.

• Missing vowels - this is a Python version of the missing vowels round on TV quiz show Only Connect. I wanted to give a taste of what's distinctive about Python when compared to Scratch (rather than doing another graphical game), so that led me naturally to look at data handling. The project uses a list of phrases and a loop to strip the vowels out. You can extend this game by making it ask you multiple questions (at the moment it's just one question per program run), and maybe even extra rounds.

• Simple Brian (pictured) - this pattern repeating game might feel familiar from your childhood! There are four lights and four buttons and you have to repeat the sequence of lights, which gets longer with each correct guess. This project starts by showing you how to build a torch by connecting a light and a button to your Raspberry Pi, and controlling it from Python using GPIO Zero. You then add three more LEDs and buttons to build the game. The project introduces the idea of functions in Python, shows how a list can be used to store not just words (and numbers) but also light and button objects from GPIO Zero, and walks you through the game logic. Note that the circuit diagrams in the print edition of the magazine have errors in them and so you should instead consult the corrected images provided here, or refer to the digital edition of the magazine which has been updated. For a Scratch implementation of this game, incidentally, check out Gribbet! from my book Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps.

The projects have been written to enable you to build in small chunks and test frequently, so you're not waiting until the end to see any results. They're progressive too: ideas introduced in each tutorial are built on in the next one. The projects also include pointers to back issues of the MagPi that you can use to take your next steps in coding. You can also download free sample chapters from my books Mission Python, Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps and Raspberry Pi For Dummies.

I hope these projects provide an entry point for new coders, and inspiration for others who are looking for new projects to tinker with.

The MagPi is available to download for free, but you can support the educational mission of The Raspberry Pi Foundation by buying a copy in your local newsagent, or subscribing. Get the mag here!

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