The ASCII Art Web application is a web-based tool that converts text input into ASCII art using different banner styles. This was my first web project using Go, focused on learning fundamental web development concepts while creating something practical and fun.
- Convert text to ASCII art with three different styles: Standard, Shadow, and Thinkertoy
- Simple, responsive web interface
- Download generated ASCII art as a text file
- Docker containerization for easy deployment
-
HTTP Server Implementation: I learned how to create a basic HTTP server in Go using the
net/httppackage, which handles incoming requests and routes them to appropriate handler functions. -
Request Routing: I implemented route handling to direct different URLs to the appropriate functions (
/,/ascii-art,/export). -
HTTP Methods: I gained understanding of different HTTP methods (GET, POST) and how to handle them appropriately in my application.
-
Form Handling: I learned how to process form data submitted by users, extracting values from text inputs and radio buttons.
-
Go's Template System: I learned how to use Go's built-in template package to render dynamic HTML content, passing data from the server to the template for display.
-
Static File Serving: I implemented serving static resources like CSS and images to enhance the user experience.
-
Input Validation: I implemented validation to ensure user input meets requirements (printable ASCII characters only, reasonable length limits).
-
File Reading: I learned how to read banner files from the file system and parse them into usable data structures.
-
String Manipulation: I developed skills in transforming strings into ASCII art by mapping characters to their corresponding patterns.
-
HTTP Status Codes: I learned about appropriate HTTP status codes for different scenarios (200 OK, 400 Bad Request, 404 Not Found, 405 Method Not Allowed, 500 Internal Server Error).
-
Graceful Error Responses: I implemented proper error handling with meaningful messages to users when issues occur.
-
Dockerfile Creation: I learned how to create a Dockerfile to containerize the application.
-
Container Management: I wrote a shell script for building, stopping, and starting containers, making deployment more manageable.
-
Environment Consistency: I experienced the benefits of containerization for ensuring consistent runtime environments.
-
Basic Styling: I implemented CSS styling to create an appealing user interface.
-
Responsive Design: I used media queries to ensure the application works well on different screen sizes.
-
CSS Effects: I added visual enhancements like transitions, shadows, and hover effects to improve user experience.
-
Character Mapping: Converting the banner files into a usable map of ASCII characters to their corresponding art patterns.
-
Line Breaks Handling: Properly handling line breaks in user input to maintain the structure of the ASCII art.
-
File Download Implementation: Setting appropriate headers to allow users to download the generated ASCII art.
-
Input Validation: Ensuring only valid, printable ASCII characters are processed to prevent errors.
- Add more banner styles and customization options
- Implement color options for the ASCII art
- Add user accounts to save favorite ASCII art creations
- Improve performance for larger text inputs
- Add social sharing capabilities
This project served as an excellent introduction to web development with Go. Through building this ASCII Art Web application, I gained practical experience with HTTP servers, routing, templates, form handling, and containerization - all fundamental skills for web development. The project provided a fun, visual way to see the results of my code while learning essential web concepts.
The combination of backend Go programming with frontend HTML/CSS design offered a complete picture of full-stack web development, setting a solid foundation for more complex web projects in the future.