Noob looking for guidance on a project

[Peterkern23]

Hi guys.

I have an idea that will require an app on my website. I would like to save the costs of this by learning to code what I need specifically for this project. I am so clueless as to what types of code I need.

The idea I have is for hobbyists to create their own backdrops for their models, using templates I provide in menus next to the design area. A drag and drop would be preferential but not imperative. All elements - be it a house or tree or factory, would need to be able to be moved anywhere on the design area and also resized with the same aspect ratio. I would then need a snapshot of their design so I could print and mail it to them. How easy would this be to implement with learning the relevant code myself. Not a noob with computers or using various programs, but not a techno wiz either.

I would entertain the idea of paying for the work to be done but I have little money and I fear it could be thousands!

Any guidance would be appreciated

Pete

 

[Mutiny]

For what you want to accomplish, it sounds like you want to use HTML5 Canvas. That's the API that will let you create and edit graphics. I haven't worked at all with HTML5 Canvas so I can't speak to what is necessary to do what you want to accomplish, but hopefully you can find a starting point.

Once you have the canvas working, then you just need a way to save the canvas into something you can print. This StackOverflow answer does a good job of explaining how you can save the canvas to a database for later retrieval.

Alternatively, you may want to look into 3rd party services and see if something like this already exists in some form. Cloudinary offers a media widget that looks like it might be customizable to do what you want, so that may be an option as well.

 

[Peterkern23]

Thanks very much, I’m so happy I have somewhere I can start and do some research. I’m very grateful 👍