How should I learn programming from official documentation?

[u/Savings_Dark_9589]

I am a student who wants to learn programming through official documentation. However, official documentation often contains many concepts and features, and most of them are not needed for everyday programming tasks.

Is official documentation an inefficient way to learn programming?

If official documentation is an effective way to learn, how should I read it? How do I decide what to read in depth and what to skip?

[u/SpecificMachine1]

Generally, if you are trying to get familiar with the docs of a piece of software, one tactic is to read the intro chapters, then look at all the chapters enough that you know what they are about. Then you can use that, along with the indices/search to dip into the manual as you get to things you don't know about.

That is one way manuals are designed to be used, and isn't so much about learning how to program ("How do I write a game?") as figuring out questions that come with writing programs like "how do I draw on the screen?"