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YOUR GUIDE TO
Setting up an Editor and Template to Code the Canvas
Let’s get you set up coding in no time and at no cost!
Welcome readers from ◎ Your Guide to Coding Creativity on the Canvas
In this guide, we will take you through using either an online editor in a Browser or a text editor on your computer to code the HTML canvas with JavaScript! If you do not know what the canvas is, here is ◎ Your Guide to When to Use a JavaScript Canvas Library or Framework.
ONLINE EDITORS FOR CODING THE CANVAS
We now have a ZIM Editor which is a perfect place to start! You can save files and see many Demos which we call ZAPPS for ZIM apps! The rest of the section was written based on the CodePen Editor, but you can just as easily use the new ZIM Editor.
You can try coding with an online editor at the popular CodePen site. This is an excellent, quick way to start coding and to explore new front-end libraries and frameworks.
A ◈ To get started, press this link to take you to CodePen Topics.
B ◈ Press the ZIM icon to see all sorts of examples of coding creativity on the canvas! There is an basic template at the top. You can select New Pen from Template to “fork” (copy) the template and start a new app. You can also fork any of the “templates” — which are really basic examples. Or fork any of the Featured Pens listed there in a tab.
We do not like calling what we make an app because it might be a game, art work, puzzle, visualization, etc. Unfortunately, our industry does not have a well known name for what we make. Other industries have song, story, film, site, video, etc. The Interactive industry calls them interactives. Neal Stephenson, the writer, called them ractives in Diamond Age. Inventor Dan Zen wanted to use doeo, or digido. At ZIM, we call them Zapps!
