The [Challenge] Index

[onion2k]

[Challenge] threads are essentially puzzles. Someone (you!) can post a question that would be interesting to see various solutions to. Just pop [Challenge] in the thread subject somewhere.

When someone posts a [Challenge] thread it'll be linked to here so they're easy to find again:

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.....................................................
: Challenge                          : Author       :
:....................................:..............:
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=105200" class="postlink">Database Connection</a>                : klevis miho  :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=105220" class="postlink">Secret Decoder Ring</a>                : McInfo       :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=105238" class="postlink">What color is the text?</a>            : onion2k      :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=105337" class="postlink">Draw a chess field</a>                 : klevis miho  :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=105420" class="postlink">Snakes and ladder style board</a>      : mikemike     :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=105592" class="postlink">largest factorial</a>                  : jazz090      :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=106110" class="postlink">Array Reversing button</a>             : lunaticrabic :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=106119" class="postlink">Colour rotation</a>                    : SimonMayer   :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=106143" class="postlink">Create a Form Description Language</a> : joeynovak    :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=106495" class="postlink">Seeing Stars (and a Diamond)</a>       : McInfo       :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=106778" class="postlink">Make a functional calendar</a>         : Griven       :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=107654" class="postlink">Images the Hard Way</a>                : McInfo       :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?t=108087" class="postlink">The Coder Cypher</a>                   : Weiry        :
: <a href="http://forums.devnetwork.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=110387&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a" class="postlink">Zig-Zag Traversal</a>                  : VladSun      :
:....................................:..............:

(Thanks to McInfo for the fancy table thing)

[jackpf]

With kudos to ~klevis miho of course for originally coming up with the idea

[Benjamin]

The moderation team has been discussing ideas for challenges and we think that it's a very good idea. We invite everyone to get involved in solving and coming up with ideas for challenges.

[klevis miho]

You should really open a category for that man

[mikemike]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=105420

[urvashi]

The moderation team has been discussing ideas for challenges and we think that it's a very good idea. We invite everyone to get involved in solving and coming up with ideas for challenges.

nice

[VladSun]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=110387&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[John Cartwright]

:)
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=110387&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Added.

[faymy001]

Testing

[timWebUK]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=112782

[VladSun]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=113599

[sukrityt8]

[quote="Benjamin"]The moderation team has been discussing ideas for challenges and we think that it's a very good idea. We invite everyone to get involved in solving and coming up with ideas for challenges.[/quote]

That is great to know. I love to face new "challenges" LOL, although I am not (regretfully) always very good at solving them. But I keep trying ... ;)

[VladSun]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=114832&start=0

[phu]

How about something practical?

Implement regex-based URL routing: Given a URL, passed by the web server to your front controller, find the most efficient way to match said arbitrary URL against an arbitrarily large list of URL regex's, with an emphasis on avoiding the overhead of repeated preg_match (or similar) calls.

Extra credit: Minimize the number of regex matches while still allowing duplicate named patterns in your URL regex's.

This is a problem I've worked with recently and would be interested in seeing more solutions to.

[onion2k]

How about something practical?

I don't really think that's a good idea. The point of coding challenges is to find interesting and inventive solutions to arbitrary problems - it's very likely those solutions won't necessarily be the best ones from a readability, efficiency or practical point of view. If we use realistic scenarios people might take the code and use it on their websites, introducing all sorts of security and usability issues along the way.