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Introduction :

JavaScript Projects for Beginners are a great way to improve coding skills while building something fun and interactive. One common challenge for new developers is finding projects that are both practical and engaging. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to build a Draggable Grid Puzzle Game using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

This mini project idea is perfect for frontend mini project practice. It uses JavaScript drag and drop techniques to shuffle and rearrange a GIF or image grid interactively. You’ll also get access to the full source code, and we’ll explain each step so you can customize it for your portfolio.

Whether you're looking for JavaScript coding projects for your resume or just want to build something fun, this project is a great starting point!

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In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll walk through every step using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Projects for Beginners to build a fully working, real-world component. You’ll get:

  • Full copy-paste-ready source code
  • A interface with smart responses
  • A fully responsive UI
  • A complete Project Setup Guide

Whether you're a student, hobbyist, or aspiring front-end developer, this game is a perfect real-world practice project. Let's get started!

Setup and Requirements For JavaScript Projects for Beginners :

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

✅ Requirements:

⏱️ Time Required: Under 3 minutes to build!

📂 Folder Structure:

Create a project folder and set up the following files:

draggable-grid-puzzle/
│── index.html  (HTML structure)
│── index.css  (CSS for styling)
│── script.js   ( needed)

Now, let's dive into building the Toast Catcher JavaScript Project step by step!

JavaScript coding project source code for draggable grid puzzle

Project Overview:

This project creates a 4x4 draggable grid puzzle using a GIF or image. The image is divided into tiles, shuffled randomly, and displayed on a grid. The user can drag and drop tiles to rearrange them and solve the puzzle.

UI/UX Features:

  • Mobile-friendly, responsive grid
  • Smooth drag-and-drop interaction
  • Randomized GIF background for each play
  • Minimalist design for easy customization

Practical Use Cases:

  • Frontend learning and UI component practice
  • JavaScript mini project for beginners
  • Portfolio display for job interviews
  • Game development foundation for web apps

Step 1: HTML Structure for JavaScript Projects for Beginners:

HTML Code

HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<!-- aspirepages.in -->
<html>
    <head>
        <meta charset="UTF-8">
        <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
        <title>Slide Puzzle | Blue_coderz </title>
        <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
        <link rel="shortcut icon" href="./fav.jpg" type="image/x-icon">
        <script src="script.js"></script>
    </head>

    <body>
        <img id="title" src="./logo.png">
        <div id="board">
        </div>
        <h1>Turns: <span id="turns">0</span></h1>
    </body>
</html>

HTML Explanation :

<img id="title" src="./logo.png">
<div id="board"></div>
<h1>Turns: <span id="turns">0</span></h1>

displays logo
creates puzzle board container
shows turn counter

Step 2 : Styling the JavaScript Projects for Beginners UI with CSS:

CSS Code

CSS
body {
    font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
    text-align: center;
    color: #0c67ae;
}

#title {
    height: 150px;
    width: 400px;
}

#board {
    width: 360px;
    height: 360px;
    background-color: lightblue;
    border: 10px solid #0c67ae;

    margin: 0 auto;
    display: flex;
    flex-wrap: wrap;
}

#board img {
    width: 118px;
    height: 118px;
    border: 1px solid #0c67ae;
}

CSS Explanation

Step 3 : JavaScript Logic for JavaScript Projects for Beginners :

JavaScript Code

JavaScript

var rows = 3;
var columns = 3;

var currTile;
var otherTile; //blank tile

var turns = 0;
var imgOrder = ["4", "2", "8", "5", "1", "6", "7", "9", "3"];

window.onload = function() {
    for (let r=0; r < rows; r++) {
        for (let c=0; c < columns; c++) {
            
            let tile = document.createElement("img");
            tile.id = r.toString() + "-" + c.toString();
            tile.src = imgOrder.shift() + ".jpg";

            //DRAG FUNCTIONALITY
            tile.addEventListener("dragstart", dragStart);  //click an image to drag
            tile.addEventListener("dragover", dragOver);    //moving image around while clicked
            tile.addEventListener("dragenter", dragEnter);  //dragging image onto another one
            tile.addEventListener("dragleave", dragLeave);  //dragged image leaving anohter image
            tile.addEventListener("drop", dragDrop);        //drag an image over another image, drop the image
            tile.addEventListener("dragend", dragEnd);      //after drag drop, swap the two tiles

            document.getElementById("board").append(tile);

        }
    }
}

function dragStart() {
    currTile = this; 
}

function dragOver(e) {
    e.preventDefault();
}

function dragEnter(e) {
    e.preventDefault();
}

function dragLeave() {

}

function dragDrop() {
    otherTile = this; 
}

function dragEnd() {
    if (!otherTile.src.includes("3.jpg")) {
        return;
    }

    let currCoords = currTile.id.split("-"); //ex) "0-0" -> ["0", "0"]
    let r = parseInt(currCoords[0]);
    let c = parseInt(currCoords[1]);

    let otherCoords = otherTile.id.split("-");
    let r2 = parseInt(otherCoords[0]);
    let c2 = parseInt(otherCoords[1]);

    let moveLeft = r == r2 && c2 == c-1;
    let moveRight = r == r2 && c2 == c+1;

    let moveUp = c == c2 && r2 == r-1;
    let moveDown = c == c2 && r2 == r+1;

    let isAdjacent = moveLeft || moveRight || moveUp || moveDown;

    if (isAdjacent) {
        let currImg = currTile.src;
        let otherImg = otherTile.src;

        currTile.src = otherImg;
        otherTile.src = currImg;

        turns += 1;
        document.getElementById("turns").innerText = turns;
    }


}

JavaScript Explantion

The grid size is set to 3 rows and 3 columns, creating a 3x3 puzzle.

Variables currTile and otherTile are used to store the tile being dragged and the tile it is swapped with.

The turns variable keeps track of how many moves the user makes.

The imgOrder array defines the initial shuffled order of images by using filenames like "4.jpg", "2.jpg", etc.

When the window loads, a nested loop runs through each row and column to create the puzzle tiles dynamically.

Each tile is created as an img element with a unique ID based on its position in the grid, using r and c for row and column.

The src of each tile is set by shifting the first value from imgOrder, ensuring the images appear in a randomized sequence.

Drag event listeners are added to each tile to handle the drag-and-drop process: dragstart, dragover, dragenter, dragleave, drop, and dragend.

When a user starts dragging a tile, dragStart is triggered, setting currTile to the selected tile.

dragOver and dragEnter prevent the default browser behavior to allow for dropping elements.

dragLeave is defined but intentionally left empty since no action is needed when the drag leaves a tile.

When the user drops the tile over another tile, dragDrop sets otherTile to the target tile.

In dragEnd, the code first checks if the target tile (otherTile) is the blank tile by looking for "3.jpg" in the src.

If the target is not the blank tile, the function exits without performing a swap.

If it is the blank tile, the function checks if the dragged tile and the blank tile are adjacent.

Adjacency is verified by comparing their row and column positions using the IDs of the tiles.

If the tiles are adjacent, their image src values are swapped to visually move the images.

The turns counter is incremented to record the move.

The number of turns is displayed on the page by updating the HTML element with the ID turns.

Live Preview of project :

Project folder structure for JavaScript mini project beginners tutorial
Project folder structure for JavaScript mini project beginners tutorial yes
live preview

Download complete code :

GitHub link :

View on GitHub

Frequently Asked Interview Questions on this topic :

How to build a draggable grid puzzle in JavaScript?

Use HTML5 Drag and Drop API, CSS Grid for layout, and JavaScript to randomize positions and handle tile movement logic.

Is this method supported in all browsers?

Yes, all modern browsers support the HTML5 Drag and Drop API and related events.

Can I add animations on drag events?

Absolutely! Use CSS transitions for smooth tile movement, or integrate libraries like GSAP for advanced animation effects.

Is this project good for beginners?

Yes! It’s a great JavaScript project for beginners to learn about the drag-and-drop API, DOM manipulation, and responsive UI/UX design.

Can I use images instead of GIFs?

Yes, you can easily replace GIFs with static images by updating the imgURL or src attribute in your tile elements.

Conclusion :

By building this Draggable Grid Puzzle, you’ve learned how to combine HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for a fun interactive game. This project is perfect for JavaScript Projects for Beginners, and the code is mobile-friendly, responsive, and free to use.

Feel free to:

💬 Ask questions in the comments
📲 Follow us on Telegram or Instagram for more updates
🔗 Download Full Source Code on GitHub

Tags :

3D Website Effect AI Chatbot Tutorial aspirepages Beginner Chatbot Project Build Chatbot with JavaScript Chatbot with HTML CSS JS Creative Web Design frontend mini project frontend project Gemini API JavaScript Example Gemini Chatbot Integration Google Gemini API How to Create 3D Effects How to Create a Chatbot html card HTML CSS JavaScript Tutorial Interactive Website Design JavaScript Chatbot JavaScript for Websites Web Development Tutorial

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