A Playground for App Demonstration and Testing
A few years ago, we created our sister site, Tech Novice Tools (aka TNT, or 'Tech Novice') to showcase app designs and to visualize important concepts in computer science and math using PHP and JavaScript.
Here at the sandbox, however, we exclusively feature JavaScript and Bootstrap(4 & 5) apps in various stages of development. When possible, we'll feature student work here as well.
Types of Featured Apps
Consider Batman's utility belt. It has every gadget imaginable for multiple scenarios. We have JS 'gadgets' that can do all sorts of tasks as well from the mundane to the whimsical. We also include many math-related apps to make our inner-math-nerds happy.
Utility AppsString manipulation. Super important! One of the best ways to learn any language is to become an expert in manipulating text. We do that alot! Strings? A geeky-way to refer to text when it is stored as a variable in a computer setting.
Text-Based AppsMimicing the real world. That is a simulation. Computers do them a lot, and if you can write them, you'll be in big demand!
Simulation AppsShall we play a game? Who doesn't like a game?! They are popular to play and challenging to write! We'll do our best to develop some engaging games here! Certainly you must know the pop culture reference in our intro heading?!
Gaming Apps"Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat!" Kudos to you if you know that pop reference. (If you don't know, look it up!) We pull rabbits out of hats routinely in computer science and sometimes we just do little tricks to learn a language better. It makes us popular at parties too!
"Who knew you could do Flash-like animations with JavaScript?" You can and it's even better when you can leverage some OOP to do so!
Graphics Apps"What is processing?!?" A bland word for a powerful platform that allows a coder to make extravagant animations with engines that do most of the heavy lifting. You'll love it!
Processing Apps"What/Who is HAL?!?" It's our (affectionate) name for our use of AI to create software content. Its (his?) name is based on an acronym for a computer featured in the 1968 movie, '2001: A Space Odyssey.' (Watch a movie clip at TNT).
Below are a collection of short programs we asked HAL to create; we used his work as a foundation for our own work. You be the judge as to how well HAL does his work!
AI-Developed (AID) Apps
- First Name Form
- The motivation for this app was a desire to improve our Memory Game Saga with a form that would respond to both a button click or an 'Enter' from the keyboard when a user provided their first name.
- First Name Form, AID
- First Name Form, PAID