Devit!

It’s been quite a while since the first Javascripts were written to obfuscate emails from the SPAM bots. With more bots than you want to admit on the loose, it became essential real quick that we find a way to avoid our clients emails being harvested for use by the not so savoury.

Since that time the need for websites that pass accessibility standards has increased. Many clients want their site to be readable by the widest possible audience. In some cases, those with visual impairments are the target audience. Although javascript is fairly common, their is a small percentage that go without because of company policy or otherwise. With the growing number of mobile devices that usually have limited Javascript support it is becoming more important to have a backup system.

This article details adding a secondary level of accessibility to obfuscated email addresses without losing the small audience of people (6% according to w3schools).

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/gracefulemailobfuscation

If you’ve ever worked with AJAX then you can probably relate. When it comes to debugging complex problem over AJAX it can be difficult to pinpoint the problem. For example if the AJAX call is failing to retain the session or something similar it can be very difficult to determine why. Often we might look at the AJAX debug information built into most libraries but that won’t necessarily point you in the write direction. The AJAX debug information may prove to be no help at all if the calls back to the server are failing before the execution of your AJAX functions.

For a solution to this problem - look back and go simple. Debug the problem by outputting information to a file on the server. Write out all the session information, and record the passed data. Doing this will hopefully save you some time and frustration if you’re having problems with debugging AJAX.

When your busy working on a website sometimes it’s easy to forget about all the useful functions that can help you save time and make your code more efficient. Take the time to refresh yourself with some of the most useful custom JavaScript functions. Below is a link to the article with a list of all the functions and a brief explanation of how each function works. Also, take note that these functions have been wrapped in a common.js file for your use. The download for this file can be found at the bottom of the article.

Using custom functions that other developers have come up can be a smart way to code. The key when using someone else’s code is to ensure it’s well commented, and the code has been vetted in a public atmosphere. The more eyes reviewing a piece of code the more likely it is for any potential bugs to be found and resolved.

Read more: Top 10 custom JavaScript functions of all time!

Last night I was struggling through setting up my laptop for web development by installing Apache, PHP and MySQL. Every time I do it I remember “this never works!”. As many times as I have done it, it never seems to get any easier. I keep doing it manually because I convince myself I like having that level of control and at some point I will understand it all. I should mention a valid point - these packages rarely include the most recent versions of all software. Each time an individual update to any one of these components is made, then they must recompile and redistribute the entire package.

But there are a lot of people who don’t care about understanding it and just want it to work. So I’ve compiled a list of install packages that do all the installation and configuring for you. I’m going to stick to Windows solutions (WAMP) as if you’re developing on Linux then you probably like the infinite configuration.

Take a look at these Apache, MySQL, PHP install packages:

• WAMP server - Apache, PHP5 + PECL, SQLiteManager, MySQL 5, phpMyAdmin
• XAMPP - Apache, MySQL, PHP + PEAR, Perl, mod_php, mod_perl, mod_ssl, OpenSSL, phpMyAdmin, Webalizer, Mercury Mail Transport System for Win32 and NetWare Systems v3.32, Ming, JpGraph, FileZilla FTP Server, mcrypt, eAccelerator, SQLite, and WEB-DAV + mod_auth_mysql
• The Uniform Server - Apache, MySQL, PHP, phpMyAdmin

Or visit the Wikipedia article to get more details on these and other WAMP packages.

This list in the link below may be from last year but it could very well save the average developer from a headache or two. The items on this list are definitely classified as time savers. If you’re a php developer I suggest checking out the story linked below.

Here’s #1 from the list:

Use ip2long() and long2ip() to store IP addresses as integers instead of strings in a database. This will reduce the storage space by almost a factor of four (15 bytes for char(15) vs. 4 bytes for the integer), make it easier to calculate whether a certain address falls within a range, and speed-up searches and sorts (sometimes by quite a bit).

Check out the rest here: 10 things you (probably) didn’t know about php

When it comes to laying out a website with CSS it is important to consider how each layout might affect your users. There’s often a lot of confusion surrounding how various layouts work. Evaluating the pros and cons is very important when you try and pick the ideal type of layout for a website. Failing to consider the pros and cons can have disastrous effects on a websites usability. When you’re trying to determine the best layout for a clients website be sure to consider the users. After all - even the most beautiful website is useless if 10% of it’s users can’t view it properly. The link below will hopefully help you understand the problems and advantages of fixed, fluid and elastic layouts.

CSS Layouts: The Fixed. The Fluid. The Elastic

Even if you spend everyday developing web sites you’re still going to run into syntax issues from time to time. If you have a question or problem in any of the following languages (AJAX,HTML,XML,JAVASCRIPT,CSS,ETC…) then you’re going to want to check out the article linked below. Whether you have a simple syntax issue you need to check or a programming problem you can’t solve - these cheat sheets will help guide in the right direction and hopefully save you some very precious time.

Ultimate Web Development Cheat Sheet Guide

When building websites from design comps the biggest problem often becomes trying to figure out why something is displaying wrong or different in Internet Explorer. Below are tips to fixing Internet Explorer display issues that we’ve witnessed that can eat up many hours.

1. Font-size will affect the size of a div object in IE6
2. Utilize background-color to find out where an object actually exists in Internet Explorer
3. When you run into float or position issues don’t be affraid to try things that don’t make sense. For example several IE6 display issues can be solved by setting the “display: inline;” even though we’re using a float
4. Use IE6 & IE7 specific style sheets when necessary
5. There is a client based version of firebug that you can actual load up on other browsers. When all else fails try firebug lite to solve your display issues (Firebug Lite)
6. If you run into a margin or padding issue you can’t solve in IE6 or IE7, it’s always possible to create another div object to fill a gap
7. Sometimes styles don’t inherit properly from a parent object in IE.

Always develop for Firefox first, and IE7 second. If you follow this path you should only have a few display issues to solve with every website you develop. By developing for Firefox you can be almost certain you will have a site that functions in other browsers without any significant changes.

As developers we can sometimes overlook ease of use when creating forms. We typically focus on functionality more so than end-user experience and that can leave users frustrated. Site Reference has come up with a great list of tips to help remind us of the different ways we can keep forms functional and easy to use.

Here are a few highlights that should be mandatory on any form:

1. Never ask for duplicate information - For example, any forms that require a billing and shipping address should have the option of allowing the user to simply click a checkbox that will auto-populate the duplicate fields, if the information is the same.
2. Make sure that mandatory fields are clearly marked - This seems like a no-brainer but nothing is more frustrating for the user than continually being returned back to the form to fill in required fields. Which brings us to number three:
3. Return relevant error messages - an error message that might make sense to you as a developer may not be clear enough for the end-user. Remember, they aren’t sitting in front of a computer creating forms all day and may not be familiar with the type of information you are looking for.
4. Have your form tested out by real users before releasing it - I’ve certainly run into the scenario in the past where I’ve created a form, tested it and everything seemed fine. It wasn’t until I opened up the testing where I received feedback indicating that the form progression didn’t really make sense.

Read the rest of the article here.

As a developer in the fast paced world of IT, one always has to remember that to be a successful developer you must make sure you spend time living life out of the office.  Most developers love spending time on computers working through difficult ideas and trying out new technologies.  This is a great asset to have in the IT industry that is constantly evolving and changing.  Unfortunately all to often people in the IT industry, and developers in particular forget how important life outside of work is to their overall health and productivity at the office.  If you work twelve hours a day instead of ten hours a day, you’re not necessarily getting anymore work done.  You may also be unbalancing your life by spending too much time at the office.  Instead of spending all your extra time at the office, find the happy balance between life and work.  If you’re happy in life, your work will be of better quality and you will be more efficient at the office as you won’t be burning yourself out.  Often scaling back the overtime a little bit will allow you to get more work done in less time. Your employer is going to notice that you’re happier at the office. You’re working smarter, more efficiently and spending more time with friends and family. Keeping life and work balanced can go along way to ensuring you’re not burning yourself out every couple of months or years. 

It’s a win-win situation.