I'm finally a code newby ;-)

Ok, finally, this old SEU dog is going to take the plunge - I'm going to
force myself to at least give CODE a chance.

I plan to do a lot of work from home over the long holiday weekend, and I
want to teach myself code - not a lot of time, I know, but I plan on
burying myself in it.

I installed it yesterday (btw, far and away the LONGEST pc install i've
EVER experienced) and started it.  There's SO much stuff there.  I feel
very lost with new terminologies, new ways of looking at things, etc.  At
first glance, the help that comes with it seems rather general and broad,
so I guess I'm looking for a jump start.

Can anyone suggest a CODE specific tutorial that does a decent job of
explaining general concepts?  I'm not interested at this time in using any
of the java tools, websphere tools etc.  I just want to be able to write
and edit native source files, compile, test, debug, etc.

I hear talk about different editing 'modes' such as LPEX, SEU, etc.  What
do you recommend I immerse myself in to start?  should I get used to code
using SEU mode, or skip it entirely and dive into a more PC style of
editing?

what about add-ins, macros, etc.  is there a public repository of these
types of things that I might find useful?

What features or tricks do use on a daily basis, that you couldn't live
without, that may not be obvious to a newby.

any other gotchas or additional advice you can give me will be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks!

Rick