Photograph Display

Woke up this morning with an idea to see how helpful Gemini can be with simple web pages. I did something similar with ChatGPT. Below is a Gemini generated timeline. The point - telling Gemini what I wanted, during the spare time available during a morning routine, something useful can be created. Needed NO knowledge of html, css or js coding. Still, it was necessary to copy and paste the code Gemini generated somewhere, either at GitHub or into a text file. This is beyond the ability of most people I'm sure.

Artwork Gallery: A Development Story

From a simple idea to a fully functional, scalable web app in a single morning. Here's a detailed breakdown of the development journey.

Live Gallery Demo

Project Development Timeline

💡 Project Kick-off & Conceptualization

June 6, 7:43 AM

• Defined the initial goal: to create a full-screen, aesthetically pleasing artwork gallery for GitHub.
• Discussed key considerations like image rights, performance, and user experience before coding.

🚀 Prototype v1: Core Functionality

June 6, 7:51 AM

• Generated the first version of index.html with Ken Burns & cross-fade effects.
• Successfully uploaded the initial code to a new GitHub repository.

🎮 Iteration v1: User Control & Interactivity

June 6, 7:56 AM

• Requested specific features: 3-second transitions, pause-on-activity, arrow key navigation, and a commented-out description section.
• Incorporated all requested user control mechanisms into the code.

🐛 Troubleshooting & Debugging

June 6, 8:02 - 8:05 AM

• Identified and confirmed that placeholder images were not loading due to hotlinking restrictions.
• Provided an updated index.html with new, reliable images to verify core code functionality.

🏗️ Architecture Refinement: Scalability

June 6, 8:14 AM

• Chose to use a JSON manifest for easier maintenance and scalability.
• Provided artworks.json (as a catalog) and updated index.html to fetch data from the new file.

🖼️ File Organization & Content Integration

June 6, 8:18 AM

• Created a dedicated 'images' directory on GitHub.
• Converted personal artwork to the efficient .webp format.
• Populated the artworks.json file with the filenames of the new artwork.

✨ Final Polish & Feature Lock

June 6, 8:22 AM

• Requested final visual tweaks: remove the zoom effect and ensure no image cropping.
• Modified CSS (object-fit: contain) and JavaScript to meet final requirements.
• Updated the index.html file on GitHub, bringing the project to its current, fully functional state.