Learning to Program with Alice

About

Features

• Supports either an objects-first or an objects-early approach, with an optional early introduction to events - Enables professors to select a sequence of chapters to suit his/her curriculum demands.

• Object-oriented programming concepts are introduced in the context of complete working animation programs - Shows students how their animated programs run.

• The concept of an "object" is made visible and tangible in a 3-D world that is compelling to students - Makes the concept of an object more intuitive; makes properties (data) and actions (methods) easier to teach.

• A "Java-like" syntax switch - Allows students to view their program code with a syntax that is very close to actual Java code, easing a transition to Java or other languages.

• "Tips & Techniques" at the end of each chapter - Covers animation in Alice, laying the groundwork for using these techniques in programming examples.

• Mouse-based editor provided - Ensures that beginning programmers cannot make syntax mistakes, and the environment helps students learn the underlying syntax rules.

• Animated programs can be viewed on a web page - Allows students to show off their work to peers, friends, family; a strong motivation factor.

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Description

• Copyright 2006
• Edition: 1st

• Book
• ISBN-10: 0-13-187289-3
• ISBN-13: 978-0-13-187289-9

This guide supports an innovative approach to fundamental programming concepts. The authors use program visualization to create an easy relationship between program construct and the animation action in a 3D world. KEY TOPICS: Final release is in full color. For consistency with Java, C++, and other commonly used languages, "questions" are now "functions." Save and reload bugs have been fixed. Fonts can be scaled larger or smaller. High contrast mode is available for projection in the classroom. A much larger local gallery is now loaded with Alice; the CD with the book contains the complete gallery, so Internet access for downloading 3D models is no longer required. MARKET: A useful how-to guide for programmers interested in learning Alice.

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Sample Content

Table of Contents

Table of Contents           iii

Preface to the Instructor      

Part I: Introduction to Alice                   

1 Getting Started with Alice               

    1-1 Introduction to Alice      

1-2 Alice Concepts   

Tips & Techniques 1:  Special Effects: Text and 2D Graphic Images     

2 Program Design and Implementation                      

2-1 Scenarios and Storyboards                  

2-2 A First Program   

Exercises 

Summary 

3 Programming: Putting Together the Pieces           

3-1 Built-in Functions and Expressions                  

3-2 Simple Control Structures

Tips & Techniques 3: Engineering Look and Feel          

Exercises 

Summary 

Part II: Object-oriented and Event-driven Programming Concepts         

4 Classes, Objects, Methods, and Parameters   

4-1 World-level Methods 

4-2 Parameters                  

4-3 Class-level Methods and Inheritance                  

Tips & Techniques 4: Visible and Invisible Objects  

Exercises and Projects                

Summary 123

5 Interaction: Events and Event Handling                    

5-1 Interactive Programming             

5-2 Passing Parameters to Event Handling Methods

Tips & Techniques 5: Events

Exercises and Projects                

Summary

Part III: Using Functions and Control Statements    

6 Functions  and If/Else 

6-1 Functions                

6-2 Execution Control with If/Else and Boolean Functions                

Tips & Techniques 6: Random Numbers and Random Motion  

Exercises and Projects                

Summary 190

7 Repetition: Definite and Indefinite Loops         

7-1 Loops                

7-2 While – An Indefinite Loop      

Tips & Techniques 7: Events and Repetition                

Exercises and Projects                

Summary

8 Repetition:  Recursion  

8-1 Introduction to Recursion                

8-2 Another Flavor of Recursion                

Tips & Techniques 8: Camera and Animation Controls

Exercises and Projects                

Summary

Part IV: Advanced Topics                        

9 Lists and List Processing 

9-1 Lists 

9-2 List Search    

Tips & Techniques 9: Poses 

Exercises and Projects                

Summary

10 Variables and Revisiting Inheritance

10 -1 Variables

10-2 An Array Visualization Using an Index Variable 

Exercises and Projects                

Summary

11 What’s Next?          

Appendix      

Appendix A: Using Alice

Part 1: Running virtual worlds in Alice      

Part 2: Using Popup Menus to Create an Initial Scene                

Appendix B: Managing the Alice Interface                    

Index             

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