From NaNoWriMo to NiNoCoDa

[The Lone Wanderer (ProgrammerVP)]

With NaNoWriMo just a couple of days away, I decided that novelists shouldn't be the only writers having all the fun. I'd like to introduce NiNoCoDa, or Ning Novice Coder's Day. From now on I'll be running this on the 30th of October every year, so just before NaNo kicks off.

The aim of the game is to think of something that you think would look cool on the Ning, and to have a go at creating it. You're limited to 500 lines of code, and you may not use JavaScript or any server-side languages. In other words, you're limited to plain and simple HTML (though if you want to use styles - making it look pretty - then you may use CSS only if it resides in the same file as your HTML code).

Once you create it, post your code as a comment on this blog. At the end of the 30th, I'll have a look at what everybody comes up with (I hope to conscript the other Ningmasters into being judges) and declare a few we like best. These few will be added to the Ning if feasible and safe to implement.

Now, this contest is primarily aimed at novice coders, though more experienced entrants are also welcome. Novices may want to refer to http://www.w3schools.com/ for a summary of HTML and CSS.

Also aimed at the novices: To see how your code looks, save it into a text file called "index.html" and open the file with your default Internet browser.

Good luck guys, and have fun with this. I look forward to seeing your entries!

NOT-SO-PRO TIP:

If you really feel you suck at coding, here's a basic framework you can use. All HTML starts from the top left corner of your window. To draw stuff, just use the following:

<div style="P: absolute; top: Ypx; left: Xpx; width: Wpx; height: Hpx;">S</div>

Where P is the word 'position', X and Y are the top left corner of your box, W and H are the width and height of your box, and S is whatever you want in it. Just make as many boxes as you need, and put text in them saying what would go there if you knew how.

[Kyle Gaumnitz]

cant wait, im teaching myself up right now

 

[Clover]

Absolutely no idea what to suggest or create, but fun one. Are there more code-crazy nerdfighters out there?!

[The Lone Wanderer (ProgrammerVP)]

Put simply, I'm not taking any chances with security. I'm not asking people to build scripted systems here.

[Josh Maleszewski]

Great idea, I'd enter it i could think of anything that doesn't use java script to work. Why cant we use java?

[stellasaurus]

yay Dan :)