Dear Judge,
I’d like to kick things off by claiming the Feature Bombing badge! 💥
On the front page of our Canvas App, we’ve added some genuinely cool new functionality 🎉
Feature 1: Change the hair color of your Minecraft character
In the top-left corner of the app, users can customize the hair color of their Minecraft character. This feature is built using a PCF from the PCFGallery, combined with an SVG that visually represents the character. The SVG dynamically updates its hair color based on the selection made in the color picker PCF.
When the PCF panel opens on the right side of the application, users can choose a color, and the character’s hair color updates instantly in the SVG. The idea is that once you click Save, this change will eventually be reflected in-game as well! 💇🏻
With this feature, we’d also like to claim the Power User Love badge ❤️. We’ve integrated the PCF into our Canvas App to deliver a smooth and intuitive color-picking experience. The Save and Cancel buttons, along with the SVG itself, are handled directly within the app, giving us full control over both functionality and user experience.
Feature 2: Weather IRL 😉 (In Real Life)
This feature brings real-world weather into the app! It’s powered by a free, open weather API that retrieves the current weather forecast based on the user’s location using the Location method in Canvas App.
The API is called via a Power Automate flow with an HTTP trigger, which is executed every 10 seconds using a Timer control in the app. Based on the API response, the app displays dynamic text along with fun, weather-specific GIFs.
The goal of this feature is to gently remind students what the weather is like outside, and maybe even encourage them to step away from the screen for a bit and enjoy some outdoor activities 🌤️🌧️ But ofc if its raining, we suggest they keep playing! Hehe.
Feature 3: Random Image Generator 🎲
Using another free API, users can fetch a random image by clicking the Fetch Image button. Let’s be honest… kids these days always need a bit of stimulation 😄 So if they’re bored, waiting for help, or something is taking longer than expected, this feature gives them something fun and engaging to look at.
The image is retrieved through an HTTP request inside a Power Automate flow, making the functionality simple yet effective. It’s a small feature, but one that adds an extra layer of entertainment and keeps users engaged while they wait.
Feature 4: The Axolotl Agent!
Our cute Axolotl is our NPC (Non-player character) that is assisting all of the villagers (students) that needs help with crafting, building items in the Minecraft server and to generally provide useful information about the fluctuating economy and prices in Minecraft. Behind the scenes there is an agent built in Copilot Studio. The Axolotl is our mascot and guide in Power Apps, and works as the storefront clerk in PixelStreet, always happy to help 🩷
Feature 5: Flying Bees!
We’ve added Minecraft bees flying around the page to make the app feel more alive and visually intriguing 🐝✨ These animated elements are created using YAML and then added directly into the Canvas App, adding a playful touch and enhancing the overall user experience.
Feature 6: Dashboard / Overview section
A cute dashboard / section that displays information about the logged-in user. Here, users can see their in-game name as well as their in-game currency, giving them a quick and personalized overview at a glance.
We would also like to try and claim the Thieving Bastards, as Feature 1 is using the PCFGallery, Feature 2 uses an API from https://openweathermap.org and the random image generator API is from https://picsum.photos.