Sharing Your Project
Your converter works beautifully — but only you know that. Sharing your project lets others use it, learn from it, and see what you've built. A well-documented project on GitHub demonstrates your skills to potential collaborators or employers.
Writing a README
Every project needs a README file explaining what it does and how to use it. Create README.md in your project folder:
# Number Base Converter
A command-line tool that converts numbers between decimal,
binary, octal, and hexadecimal formats.
## Features
- Convert decimal to binary, octal, and hexadecimal
- Convert binary, octal, and hex back to decimal
- Input validation with helpful error messages
- Clean, menu-driven interface
## How to Run
Make sure you have Python 3 installed, then:
```bash
python converter.py
Example Usage
=== Number Base Converter ===
1. Decimal to other bases
2. Binary to decimal
3. Octal to decimal
4. Hex to decimal
5. Quit
Choose an option (1-5): 1
Enter a decimal number: 42
Binary: 101010
Octal: 52
Hex: 2A
What I Learned
Building this project taught me about:
- Python's built-in conversion functions
- Input validation and error handling
- Creating user-friendly command-line interfaces
The "What I Learned" section is optional but valuable — it shows reflection and growth.
## Cleaning Up Your Code
Before sharing, review your code one more time:
- Remove debugging print statements
- Ensure [comments](/practical-coding-foundations/writing-first-code/comments) are helpful, not obvious
- Check for consistent formatting
- Make sure variable names are clear
First impressions matter. Clean code reflects well on you.
## Pushing to GitHub
If you haven't already, [upload your repository to GitHub](/practical-coding-foundations/version-control/uploading-to-github):
```bash
git add README.md
git commit -m "Add README documentation"
git push origin main
Your project is now publicly visible (unless you made it private).
What to Share
You can share:
- The GitHub repository link
- A description of what you built
- What challenges you overcame
- What you'd do differently next time
Communities like Reddit's r/learnpython, Discord coding servers, or Twitter/X welcome project shares from learners.
Building Your Portfolio
This is your first portfolio piece. As you complete more projects, you'll build a collection demonstrating your growth. Future projects might include web applications, automation scripts, or data analysis tools.
Each project tells a story about what you can do.
What Comes Next
You've completed your first real project — congratulations! You've experienced the full cycle: planning, building, testing, and sharing. This process applies to every project you'll ever build, whether it's a simple script or a complex application.
The skills you've developed — breaking problems into pieces, validating input, handling errors, documenting your work — are foundational. They'll serve you throughout your coding journey.