I am currently in the middle of a Swift and iOS course with the excellent Big Nerd Ranch. Taking a week to dedicate to learning a new language and framework means I can block out all other distractions and really focus. And as this goes on, I’d like your help.

Specifically, I’d like you to log on to Exercism and critique my code.

Practice makes…?

Exercism is a collaborative tool for learning, practicing and reviewing code created by the fantastic Katrina Owen. It’s great for beginners, to a new language or to coding in general, to try out new skills and get reviews and tips from peers. It’s also great for experienced programmers to keep sharp by writing and reading code. And it’s all open source and has a great page on how to contribute, which is awesome.

I’m currently trying to use it to kickstart my Swift career. That’s where you come in.

Over the coming days and weeks I will be completing the Swift problems set out by Exercism and I’d really like a second (or third, or fourth) opinion. If you know Swift ,or if you don’t, all opinions are welcome, I would love it if you would check out my attempts and leave some pointers on how I might improve.

Hello, World!

Just to kick it off, here’s my “Hello, World!” from the first Exercism challenge in Swift.

class HelloWorld {
    static func hello(name: String = "World") -> String {
        return "Hello, \(name)!"
    }
}

It may only be five lines of code, but it’s a start!

Improving together

This works better if we learn and feedback to each other, so I’d love to help you too! If you’re using Exercism to practice or learn something new, I am available to send feedback. If you want me to take a look at your code just give me a nudge on Twitter.

Exercism is a great tool and an opportunity for us all to improve together. So what are you waiting for?