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The Magnitude of Learning SuiteScript

Created: July 17, 2024

During a recent Sustainable SuiteScript AMA, I was asked what mistakes I consistently see SuiteScript beginners make. The original recording is available on my YouTube channel. In this miniseries, I expand on the answer I gave in the live session.

The question used the word "mistakes". I want to re-frame that and talk about three important lessons I believe all new NetSuite developers should learn:

Understand the Magnitude of Learning to Code

The first lesson is primarily for those who did not come to SuiteScript from a coding background - a common occurrence in my experience. Most new developers I coach - through no fault of their own - have wildly inflated expectations about how quickly they should be able to start with a blank page and develop a working program.

If you've never seen or written code before, then you have no concept of just how large this undertaking is.

Writing code requires you to solve problems and communicate solutions using an entirely new set of language, knowledge, skills, and tools.

It's like going from writing the word "carrot" on a piece of paper to drawing a photorealistic carrot with just pen and ink. Sure, you're still using a pen to put some marks on paper, but the actual marks you put on the paper to communicate "carrot" are vastly different. Even tracing a carrot that someone else drew will still be a painstaking and fragile process.

Copying and pasting someone else's code is where most tend to start. This might get you a working solution, but if anything goes wrong, you'll have no concept of how to fix it. You'll have no basis for assessing the problem or ideating a solution - much less implementing one. You'll have no idea why the original author made the decisions they did, or how to make similar decisions yourself.

If you want to learn to write code, I promise you can. There is no magic in it. It is a skill like any other that anyone can learn. However, before you begin, I do believe you should have a healthy respect for the journey you are embarking on so that you can set appropriate expectations and make informed decisions at the outset.

Writing code is an entirely new discipline of study. It is not something you pick up and internalize by reading a blog post or watching some videos over a weekend. It takes study and practice over a significant time frame - certainly months; probably years. Especially if you are going it alone, trying to teach yourself.

This is exactly why I run the Sustainable SuiteScript community. It's a place where we can surround ourselves with developers and mentors who support each other in learning and growing. It's a place to get answers, share ideas, and build our confidence together as a community. It's a place to make learning less daunting, less overwhelming, less isolating, more enjoyable.

Study Habits for Learning SuiteScript

If you truly intend to write SuiteScript, no matter how "casually" or infrequently, I highly recommend you start to think of yourself as a SuiteScript developer.

Here's how I'd begin learning as one:

  • Assign a small amount of time each day to learn about code; 30 to 60 minutes is plenty.
  • Find one or two software Sages; consume all their material.
  • Befriend a developer (most of us don't bite); ask for their advice.
  • Join a community of developers; NetSuite Professionals and Sustainable SuiteScript are two great options for NetSuite developers.