jQuery makes you smarter: Dynamic site navigation menu based on JSON object
2008 August 20
This was a fun one. Our content management vendor doesn't have an out-of-the-box solution to web site navigation. When it came time for a site navigation, we were told that a javascript-based solution was all that they would allow.
Freetype, jpeg, zlib and the Python Imaging Library on OSX 10.5
2008 July 21
I've spent the better part of a few days going through the Django book, following along closely, and executing their code examples as I proceeded. Predictably, things haven't been smooth.
Perl, Python, and PHP. The Basics.
2008 July 15
This post is about tools in the web developer's toolbox. This post is the sort of post that I wish I'd seen when I first got into web development. This post is meant to describe the tools in your toolbox, and _their use within the context of the web_.
Parse Yahoo! Weather RSS using PHP and SimpleXML (also: explore the yweather namespace)
2008 July 07
The <a href="http://developer.yahoo.com/weather/">Yahoo! Weather API</a> is just swell. We get current temp, atmosphere, et cetera for any area of the US and a forecast for tomorrow all for free. In a similar bout of awesomeness, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP">PHP5</a> contains the <a href="http://us2.php.net/simplexml">SimpleXML</a> class.
Get the Drop on web project planning & needs assessment
2008 June 30
I don't think I'm alone here. I work in a corporate environment; multiple projects going on at once; they need to be done yesterday; they need to serve everyone; me and my computer are the only resources.
Guiding the client from wireframes to design
2008 June 19
Over the past couple of months I've been at the head of a web site redesign project for a <a href="http://www.gatehousemedia.com/">GateHouse Media</a> department called the <a href="http://gatehousenewsservice.com">GateHouse News Service</a>.
Using Apache logs to track 500m pageviews a month
2008 June 16
So here's the deal. <a href="http://www.gatehousemedia.com">GateHouse Media</a> is becoming a large newspaper/technology company. We have a few hundred web sites, and accurate stats on those sites in invaluable.
Must-have modules for fresh Drupal 6 installations (with cvs checkout code)
2008 June 06
Nothing like starting a fresh install and having to claw around for the latest and greatest for each of the integral 3rd party modules. Here are a few starters & their CVS checkout linkages. You should execute these from within the _sites/all/modules_ directory in your Drupal 6 install. You should create this directory if it doesn't exist already.
Add leading zeros to a number using PHP or JavaScript
2008 May 29
I was creating an associate array the other day. Riveting, I know. I needed to sort this array by a piece of data, and I was lazy (like all healthy programmers), so I decided to prepend the data to a unique string and make that the key. Nailed, it sorts, right?
jQuery makes you smarter: Keep users from clicking on a link (or submitting a form) multiple times
2008 May 22
There will be instances in which you need to limit user input for their own sake. Payment submission, file downloads, and...basically any time you require user input once and _only_ once. The script I've constructed here is meant to help reign in the wild masses by limiting clicks on links or form submissions.
Create a Google Site Map for your Textpattern blog (without a plugin)
2008 May 18
I'm no Textpattern plugin developer of any sort. Be that as it may, I can wield PHP like a soccer mom on amphetamines. Enough said. Like any mainstream blogging platform, Textpattern uses a database. By circumventing Textpattern's normal flow of things...
Introduction to Git: Version Control for you and me (on OS X 10.5 Leopard)
2008 May 13
While I'm relatively new to the field of version control, I've been through the basics of CVS and SVN, and at work, SVN is part of my programming workflow. That said, people are hot for Git, and so I'm going to explore its installation on Leopard (OS X 10.5), and basic usage.
Contextual user-friendly time and dates with PHP
2008 May 07
In building this issue tracker for work, I decided that having <em>26 Mar 2008 5:33pm</em> was not going to fly. Taking some inspiration from 37signals and their contextual dates, I built this easy-to-use-yet-encompassing function.
Generate a drop-down date picker with PHP; Default to today's date.
2008 April 22
This is one of those cases where a little work up-front will save you a ton in the long run.
jQuery makes you smarter: Dynamically parsing a form field for golf score input
2008 April 09
I know this sounds obtuse, but check it out. I think this code could provide a foundation for some slick, quick UI out there some day. What I'm working on right now is a scorekeeper for disc golf scores that my friends and I keep. Entering scores for 3 or 4 people + 18 holes + HTML form fields = pain in the ass.
Remove undefined and empty elements from a javascript array.
2008 January 28
Yesterday afternoon, Nick presented Jon and I with a dilemma. There was a hint of trouble removing undefined object references from an array. While they came up with their own solution, I knocked out a flexible solution that I hope someday will serve some wayward individual that runs into this same problem.