# Programming guides

Start with the first path if programming is new to you. Read in order, or choose a question you are curious about. Each new lesson has an everyday example, a complete Pliro program, a prediction, a small challenge, and a common mistake. You can go at your own pace.

The next-step articles link to useful earlier lessons. Sorting uses nested loops, so try lists and loops first.

## First programming skills

1. [What is Pliro?](what-is-pliro.md)
2. [What is a computer program?](what-is-a-program.md)
3. [What is an algorithm?](algorithms.md)
4. [Breaking a problem into smaller steps](decomposition.md)
5. [Input, processing, and output](input-processing-output.md)
6. [Following a program step by step](tracing.md)
7. [Planning your first project](project-planning.md)
8. [Finding bugs like a detective](debugging.md)
9. [Testing your program](testing.md)
10. [Trying unusual inputs](unusual-inputs.md)
11. [Choosing clear names](clear-names.md)
12. [Improving a working program](improving-code.md)

## Next steps

- [Remembering what is happening](state.md)
- [Making a program stop repeating](stopping-loops.md)
- [Random does not mean “take turns”](randomness.md)
- [Finding something in a list](searching-lists.md)
- [Putting things in order](sorting-lists.md)
- [Different screens in a game](game-screens.md)
- [Bits, bytes, and computer memory](bits-bytes-memory.md)
- [Source code and finished apps](source-and-apps.md)
- [Making programs for everyone](accessible-programs.md)
- [Sharing your project safely](safe-sharing.md)

## Using Pliro in practice

- [2D coordinates and drawing](graphics.md)
- [3D worlds, coordinates, and cameras](scene3d.md)
- [Adding pictures and sounds to a project](assets.md)
- [Animation and frame timing](animation.md)
- [Building and distributing applications](build.md)
- [Changing the language of your code](localization.md)
- [Choosing colors in Pliro](colors.md)
- [Complete example programs](examples.md)
- [Controlling pins: from pretend devices to Raspberry Pi](gpio.md)
- [Drawing with the turtle](turtle.md)
- [Keeping your code neat](formatting.md)
- [Questions and keyboard input](input.md)
- [Reacting to events, timers, and messages](events.md)
- [Running and stopping a program](execution.md)
- [Saving data for later](storage.md)
- [Sprites: pictures you can move](sprites.md)
- [Trying commands one at a time](repl.md)
- [Understanding error messages](diagnostics.md)
- [Using the mouse or a pointing device](pointer-input.md)
- [Where can my program run?](hosts.md)
- [Why Pliro limits a running program](limits.md)
- [Your first Pliro program](getting-started.md)