Coding Contest Suggestions

[dday9]

The purpose of stickying this thread is to allow for members to make suggestions for contest content.

Please, before making a suggestion, look at any prior posts to make sure that your suggestion hasn't been proposed yet so that we can limit duplicate suggestions.

[2kaud]

To kick this off with a moderately easy one.

Given as input a number in a specified base (between 2 and 36 ie using digits 0-9 and letters A-Z) and the base of the desired number, output the converted number as a sum of its constituent parts. eg

Input base: 8
Output base: 16
Input: 1234
Output: 1234 (b8) = 2*16^2 + 9*16 + 12

Input base:16
Output base: 7
Input: 29C
Output: 29C (b16) = 7^3 + 6*7^2 + 4*7 + 3

(where ^ means raised to the power of and has higher precedence than *).

[2kaud]

Also.

Given as input an integer number, by only rearranging the digits from the entered number what is the next highest number that can be formed.

eg
Enter number: 1243
Next highest: 1324

Enter number: 1234321
Next highest: 1241233

[Peter Porter]

Given a list of artists and their songs, open a blog at Blogger.com and publish posts per artist with their song (Counting Crows - Mr. Jones, Radiohead - Creep, Soul Asylum - Runaway Train, ect...). Set-up a Feedburner account for this blog, and publish it's Feedburner RSS feed to your blog's sidebar with Blogger's HTML/Javascript gadget.

Using Javascript, alter the sidebar's Feedburner RSS feed, flipping the artist and song, with the artists name placed below their song, with a dotted bottom border separating each link. The song's text size needs to be slightly larger, different color, plus the artist and their song's text needs to retain it's original link.

[Peter Porter]

Given a scrambled word, schuffle this string for all combinations without duplicates.

Within this list of combinations should be the word unscrambled.

[Lord Orwell]

make a video player that takes horizontall-split 3d encoded videos and re-displays them with a vertical split for use with cheap vr goggles.

[.paul.]

No new contest? Must be time for another...

[dday9]

No new contest? Must be time for another...

Unfortunately, I've been studying for my Series 6 test, so that has been taking up most of my time.

[.paul.]

Unfortunately, I've been studying for my Series 6 test, so that has been taking up most of my time.

Ok I can wait. I have other work and the TechNet Guru Competitions to keep me occupied.
Good luck with the exams...

[Peter Porter]

How about a controllable visual of an aircraft's principle axes in either VB6, VB.NET, C# or HTML5/Javascript?

Yaw (normal axis) - nose left or right about an axis running up and down.

Pitch (transverse/lateral axis) - nose up or down about an axis running from wing to wing.

Roll (longitudinal axis) - rotation about an axis running from nose to tail.


Third party libraries and 3d models are not allowed. Only simple graphics (jpg, png), or shapes created within the allowed programming languages.

[2kaud]

Considering the focus of these forums, I would suggest that VB6 etc is allowed.

[Peter Porter]

2kaud, I've updated my suggestion, but limited the allowed languages for speedy judging.

[2kaud]

2kaud, I've updated my suggestion, but limiting the allowed languages for speedy judging.

I agree. I'd suggest excluding c/c++ (which bars myself!) because of previous judging issues.

[dday9]

We’ve tried VB6 in the past, but none of the moderators or admins have a way to compile VB6 (or earlier).

[Peter Porter]

We’ve tried VB6 in the past, but none of the moderators or admins have a way to compile VB6 (or earlier).

I wouldn't be able to test it myself, but maybe we could ask the submitter to screen record the code in VB6, and how it runs.

[2kaud]

We’ve tried VB6 in the past, but none of the moderators or admins have a way to compile VB6 (or earlier).

What about a moderator from one of the sister sites (eg codeguru)?

[Peter Porter]

It's that time, so here is my suggestion for this year:

Count a line of random characters and their duplicate neighbors to create a numbered string.

For example, if a judge enters DDEEESAIIIIFF, your app should figure out:

DD = 2
EEE = 3
S = 1
A = 1
IIII = 4
FF = 2

So it's output will be 231142


If a judge enters AABAAABBABBBB, your app's output should be 213214

[netcoder1337]

A fun coding contest would be having people make simple functions but trying to make them as short and as efficient as possible.

[Peter Porter]

A fun coding contest would be having people make simple functions but trying to make them as short and as efficient as possible.

netcoder1337, code length is always one of the rules when a contest is held. You have to suggest a project idea. The program can be anything, just as long as it doesn't take a team to create it.

[netcoder1337]

How about the shortest stairs function contest.

Ex:

Stairs("Hello there")

Output:
H
He
Hel
Hell
Hello
Hello t
Hello th
Hello the
Hello ther
Hello there

[2kaud]

How about the shortest stairs function contest.

Ex:

Stairs("Hello there")

Output:
H
He
Hel
Hell
Hello
Hello t
Hello th
Hello the
Hello ther
Hello there

Well in c/c++ this is a one-liner. I guess it can be done in one line in other languages too?

[dday9]

That could be a one liner in C#/Visual Basic .NET too.

Generally speaking I try to find concepts or algorithms that people can implement. I was thinking about maybe doing an A* algorithm contest, this would allow people become familiar with path finding and it would be interesting to see how different people implement the same algorithm. Either that or maybe look into implementing a language parser for an esoteric language.

[Peter Porter]

That could be a one liner in C#/Visual Basic .NET too.

Generally speaking I try to find concepts or algorithms that people can implement. I was thinking about maybe doing an A* algorithm contest, this would allow people become familiar with path finding and it would be interesting to see how different people implement the same algorithm. Either that or maybe look into implementing a language parser for an esoteric language.

A* algorithm contest sounds good. Could the contest be advertised in other forums here before it starts?

[Peter Porter]

With so much time on people's hands, lets have a contest! Or is this forum closed?

[.paul.]

With so much time on people's hands, lets have a contest! Or is this forum closed?

Good idea, what do you suggest?

[Peter Porter]

Good idea, what do you suggest?

Identify the adjective, noun, subject and verb of an exclamative sentence.

We're given two weeks to slap it together after the starting date, but all entrys will be hidden until after the final day for submission.

[Peter Porter]

Or dday9's path finding algorithm suggestion:

I was thinking about maybe doing an A* algorithm contest, this would allow people become familiar with path finding and it would be interesting to see how different people implement the same algorithm. Either that or maybe look into implementing a language parser for an esoteric language.

[.paul.]

I doubt if I could do that with a pen and paper... I wasn’t giving my full attention in English classes.
How about an as the crow flies’ distance finder between two Lat/Lon locations anywhere in the world?

[dday9]

If y'all would like another contest, I certainly don't mind hosting it! I'll detail the suggestions so far with their challenges:

1. Path finding contest - Involves heuristics which can make or break the algorithm.
2. Parser for an esoteric language - Multiple ways to implement a parser, technically difficult.
3. Distance finder - Coordinate math (not as simple as it seems).

Is there anything else that y'all can think of? If not I'll just plug those into a randomizer and the one at the top wins.

[2kaud]

Design a spaceship! Have a look at https://www.bfilipek.com/2020/05/spaceshipgen.html#more

This was for C++ programmers, but the idea is not language specific. Lots of scope for invention!

[wossy]

I'd be up for a contest the ones we used to do back in the day were great fun.

To be honest I need a project to get back into C# again so this would be a good motivation!

Suggestion:

Arbitrary D&D Dice Roller (a command-line program would be suitable):

Input: "2D6 1D12 1D%"

Output:
D6: 3
D6: 1
D12: 9
D%: 71

[dday9]

I would be down with that, I'll get it up and running and start advertising it.