Programing

There is an abundance of good help available for those who earnestly desire to learn Programming.  Go to arduino.cc for complete details, examples, and syntax for the C++ style of coding that the Arduino IDE requires. 

Also, most experienced users have found it extremely useful to work thru all the examples provided with the IDE.  Watching Jeremy Blum's Tutorial series is also a rewarding investment of your time. 

-=SyntaxMatters=-

Jacob,

   Programming a computer is a lot like writing down a cooking recipe,

except that the computer will follow the instructions rather than a cook,

so the instructions have to be very precise.  The computer can't ever stop

to ask you what you intended.  But as a consolation, it can follow the

instructions very quickly.

   The instructions a computer can carry out are a lot like what a person with

a pencil and paper can carry out.  They involve arithmetic (add, subtract,

multiply, divide, etc), comparisons (equal, less, greater), and logical

operations (and,or,not).

  The instructions involve "variables", like in algebra, that can have a value.

   The instructions are performed (executed) sequentially, one after another. 

Sometimes the instructions are "conditional", as in  If the variable x is greater

than 100 then do one thing, otherwise do another thing.

   You can write "loops", where certain instructions can be performed repeatedly,

just like a recipe where you might repeatedly test a cake with a toothpick to

see if it is ready to come out of the oven.  If your program has no loops, it

will finish in the blink of an eye.

   Now you know the basics.  You will need to find a book, tutorial, video, class,

or friend, etc.,  to help with the rest of the details.

I think the best way to start off is to get a couple of electronics parts and run through the basic sample sketches to see what happens.

It helps to have a goal in mind so that you can actually apply the arduino in a practical way.

Let's say you saw something cool and want to replicate a bunch of blinking lights or the larson scanner(cylon-knight rider) lights.

Start out with getting one LED to blink.  You then get the confidence to change around the variables to get it to blink longer or have gaps in the blink.

You then learn to fade the LED.  Pretty soon you can add one or more LEDs and blink them all on at once or loop in a pattern. Now what if you want to add a pushbutton switch to activate the lights.

You then learn about pullup resistors, a little more complicated circuitry, and more programming syntax.  It is easy once you get all the basic building blocks a try.  Jump right in.  Good luck.