The JavaScript Sudoku Story
Goal
Our goal was to learn CSS, Javascript and AJAX type technologies.
To accomplish this goal we developed a Sudoku game capable of solving itself AND
allowing the user to complete the game interactively using keyboard and mouse.
As an additional challenge, this web page must NOT contain a single table element, thus enforcing the learing of CSS.
Resources
Ideas:
Use JS meta programming techniques to access the elements and analyze rules
Some PHP allowed, but always remember that is it NOT dynamic in the browser, only to be used to create the original page.
Use OnChange to check for rule violations.
animate the solving algorithm, allowing the puzzle to be solved while thinking visually on the screen...
Log:
Nov 25, 2007 - The CSS form is done and reasonable in both Firefox and IE
Nov 25, 2007 - Input validation is complete
Nov 25, 2007 - Sudoku Rules Checking now has error color highlighting
Nov 25, 2007 - Found 95 dotted notation puzzles.
Nov 25, 2007 - dotted notation spans row (left - right), wraps to the next column down, repeat
Nov 26, 2007 - dotted notation board setting
Nov 26, 2007 - now picks a random puzzle out of the file
Nov 29, 2007 - Hints!!!
Jan 29, 2008 - Improved deterministic hints.
Jan 29, 2008 - First cut at a brute force solver. Runs slow, and long. Needs work.
Jan 30, 2008 - A better brute force solver. Still runs slow, and long. (neat visuals in Firefox)
Feb 04, 2008 - A better brute force solver. Runs less slow, and less long.
Feb 04, 2008 - We're done with this experiment, satisfied with the results.
Feb 16, 2008 - Apparently, we're not done... Added arrow key navigation!!! (damn that was hard. HINT who has the current focus?)