Effective programmers-automation

Article title: an effective programmer-automation. Linux is a technology channel of the IT lab in China. Includes basic categories such as desktop applications, Linux system management, kernel research, embedded systems, and open source.

Chapter 2

Automation

In the previous project, we had to regularly update several electronic data table files. I need to open these files in Excel, but it is difficult to do this manually (however, Excel cannot Input Multiple file names in the command line ). So it took me a few minutes to write the following Ruby script:

Although it takes a lot of time to manually open these files, it is also a waste of time, so I will automate this matter. I also learned one thing: on Windows, Ruby can be used to drive COM objects, such as Excel.

Computers should have been engaged in simple and repetitive work. As long as you assign tasks to them, they can be repeatedly executed over and over again, and the speed is fast. But I often see a strange phenomenon: people do simple and repetitive work on computers, while computers get up and chatting in the middle of the night to make fun of these poor users. Why?

The graphical environment is used to help new users. Microsoft put a big start button in the lower left corner of Windows desktop, because many users who have just switched from the old version do not know how to start the operation. (The strange thing is that the shutdown operation starts with the "start" button .) However, these new things that improve the efficiency of beginners happen to be bound by advanced users. for example, various chores in software development can process almost certainly faster in the command line than in the graphic user interface. Over the past two decades, the speed at which advanced users perform regular tasks has declined. this is a big irony. In the past, typical Unix users were more efficient than those who were used to graphical interfaces, because they automated everything.

If you have been to a carpenter's workshop, you will surely see dedicated tools everywhere (maybe there is a laser positioned spiral balance lathe, but you can't recognize it ). Despite the many tools, in most projects, the carpenter will still find one or two corner scraps from the ground, temporarily used to separate two parts, or put two parts together. In engineering terms, such small pieces of material are called "wood filling" or "iron clamping ". As software developers, we seldom create such tools that are used and discarded, often because we have not realized that these tools are also tools.

There are many obvious things in software development that require automation: Building, continuous integration, and documentation. This chapter will introduce some automation methods that are not so obvious and valuable but not inferior. From a single tap on the keyboard to a small application, we will all introduce it.

 

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