Protothreads are a type of extremely lightweight threads - each protothread requires only two bytes of memory - that are usually used for embedded firmware programming, where memory is at a premium. Protothreads combine the low overhead with event-driven programming with the algorithmic clarity of threaded programming.
Larry Ruane from LeftHand Networks Inc. has written a protothreads library for Unix systems that, unlike Adam Dunkels' original library, contains a complete scheduler that allows several protothreads to run inside a regular thread. Ruane's protothreads are implemented in less than 400 lines of C code using gcc's labels-as-values feature. The project wiki has a thorough explanation of how protothreads work and how they are intended to be used. The open source code can be downloaded from the project's SourceForge page.
Read More...
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Joomla! 1.5 FAQ:Where is the Static Content Item?
Before Joomla! 1.5, the so called Mambo-Joomla connection version, there were two separate process of creating a content item.
Remember the two Types of Content Items for the “Mambo-Joomla connection version? They were known as Static Content Item usually used for About Us and the “Duh” Content Item which is associated with Sections and Categories …
Hands-on! exercise:
Create a Static Content Item? (About us | Mission Vision | Permanent Information
Create “Duh!” Content Item? (Ever changing contents, company updates)
With Joomla 1.5, the two entities have been combined. No more Static and no more “Duh” Content Item.
Read More..
Remember the two Types of Content Items for the “Mambo-Joomla connection version? They were known as Static Content Item usually used for About Us and the “Duh” Content Item which is associated with Sections and Categories …
Hands-on! exercise:
Create a Static Content Item? (About us | Mission Vision | Permanent Information
Create “Duh!” Content Item? (Ever changing contents, company updates)
With Joomla 1.5, the two entities have been combined. No more Static and no more “Duh” Content Item.
Read More..
How to Move Your Joomla! Site to a New Server
Why not use a fresh install?
In my case, I probably could have. I only had about 4 or 5 articles on the test site, and I am using relatively few 3rd party CMT's (JomComment, TagBot, and JoomlaXplorer). But, I decided it would be easier just to move the installation I had to the new server, so I did.
You will want to move your Joomla! installation rather than re-install if you fit one or all of the following parameters:
Your site has accumulated a large amount of data in the database over time (sections, categories, content items, contacts, newsfeeds, etc.).
Your site uses multiple 3rd-part extensions already configured and/or customized for your site.
You just feel like trying it out to see if you can do it.
Step 1: Backup everything!
The first thing you want to do is backup all files within your Joomla! installation. Create a folder on your local system, and download all files to that folder using your ftp client application. I used FileZilla as my ftp client application to download all of my files to a folder on my desktop I named "howtojoomla".
Step 2: Export your database
Note: For this step, it really helps if you have phpMyAdmin installed on your server. Most hosting companies have phpMyAdmin already installed. If you are unsure, ask your hosting provider.
The second thing you need to do is export your Joomla! database. The best thing to do is to export it into an SQL file, which makes importing it easier in a later step. An SQL file will contain all of the necessary SQL commands for creating your database tables and filling them with your data. Be sure you export the entire database.
Step 3: Modify configuration.php
This step is very important. Go to the folder on your local system to which you downloaded all of your Joomla! files. In the first level folder, you will find the file named "configuration.php". Open this file with a text editor and make the necessary changes. At the very least, you will probably need to change the following parameters:
$mosConfig_absolute_path: This is the absolute server path to your new Joomla! installation. It will probably look something like "/path/to/joomla/installation".
$mosConfig_cachepath: This is the absolute server path to the cache for your Joomla! installation. It will probably look something like "/path/to/joomla/installation/cache".
$mosConfig_live_site: This is your website's url. It will be something like "http://www.yoursite.com".
$mosConfig_host: This is the location of the server that hosts your MySQL database. For most instances, this value will be "localhost". If you are unsure, ask your hosting provider.
$mosConfig_db: This is the name of your MySQL database.
$mosConfig_user: This is the database user name. Make sure this user has all privileges on your database.
$mosConfig_password: This is the password for your MySQL database user.
Step 4: Upload all of your files to your new server
Using an ftp client application (like FileZilla), upload all of your files to the location on your new server where you want to install Joomla!.
Step 5: Import your database to your new MySQL server
Using phpMyAdmin (or console commands if you are an advanced database administrator) and the SQL file you generated in step 2, import your old database into your new database.
Step 6: Test your new installation
Your move should now be complete, but please don't take my word for it. Test your site to make sure that everything is in it's proper place and working the way you expect it to. For example, if you did not use relative url's for your links on your old site, they will not work properly on your new site.
Read More...
In my case, I probably could have. I only had about 4 or 5 articles on the test site, and I am using relatively few 3rd party CMT's (JomComment, TagBot, and JoomlaXplorer). But, I decided it would be easier just to move the installation I had to the new server, so I did.
You will want to move your Joomla! installation rather than re-install if you fit one or all of the following parameters:
Your site has accumulated a large amount of data in the database over time (sections, categories, content items, contacts, newsfeeds, etc.).
Your site uses multiple 3rd-part extensions already configured and/or customized for your site.
You just feel like trying it out to see if you can do it.
Step 1: Backup everything!
The first thing you want to do is backup all files within your Joomla! installation. Create a folder on your local system, and download all files to that folder using your ftp client application. I used FileZilla as my ftp client application to download all of my files to a folder on my desktop I named "howtojoomla".
Step 2: Export your database
Note: For this step, it really helps if you have phpMyAdmin installed on your server. Most hosting companies have phpMyAdmin already installed. If you are unsure, ask your hosting provider.
The second thing you need to do is export your Joomla! database. The best thing to do is to export it into an SQL file, which makes importing it easier in a later step. An SQL file will contain all of the necessary SQL commands for creating your database tables and filling them with your data. Be sure you export the entire database.
Step 3: Modify configuration.php
This step is very important. Go to the folder on your local system to which you downloaded all of your Joomla! files. In the first level folder, you will find the file named "configuration.php". Open this file with a text editor and make the necessary changes. At the very least, you will probably need to change the following parameters:
$mosConfig_absolute_path: This is the absolute server path to your new Joomla! installation. It will probably look something like "/path/to/joomla/installation".
$mosConfig_cachepath: This is the absolute server path to the cache for your Joomla! installation. It will probably look something like "/path/to/joomla/installation/cache".
$mosConfig_live_site: This is your website's url. It will be something like "http://www.yoursite.com".
$mosConfig_host: This is the location of the server that hosts your MySQL database. For most instances, this value will be "localhost". If you are unsure, ask your hosting provider.
$mosConfig_db: This is the name of your MySQL database.
$mosConfig_user: This is the database user name. Make sure this user has all privileges on your database.
$mosConfig_password: This is the password for your MySQL database user.
Step 4: Upload all of your files to your new server
Using an ftp client application (like FileZilla), upload all of your files to the location on your new server where you want to install Joomla!.
Step 5: Import your database to your new MySQL server
Using phpMyAdmin (or console commands if you are an advanced database administrator) and the SQL file you generated in step 2, import your old database into your new database.
Step 6: Test your new installation
Your move should now be complete, but please don't take my word for it. Test your site to make sure that everything is in it's proper place and working the way you expect it to. For example, if you did not use relative url's for your links on your old site, they will not work properly on your new site.
Read More...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Firefox -Features and advantages
Firefox 3 is relatively a new software. With recent improvements, the browser has gained immense popularity. The biggest advantage of using this software is that it has a small installation, multiple shortcuts features, tabbed browsing, integrated Google search, large viewing area, integrated popup ad blocking, friendly design, clean interface and no noticeable security holes. Firefox 3 will also work well with your Outlook email, browser plugins like Shockware. In spite of its small flaws, the browser is excellent.
Firefox pros: Firefox is amazingly lean: If you download and install Firefox , it will just take around 4.9MB of disk space. That is why many prefer Firefox when it comes to downloading a browser as it does not consume lot of disk space. In short, Firefox doesn't suffer from the flaw of being overweight. This 4.9MB install doesn't include plugins like Flash player, Shockwave, Java virtual machine, but these features can always be added through minimum effort.
Firefox supports user keystrokes and shortcuts: Both power users and novices find shortcuts like CTRL-Enter for completing URLs, “Type Ahead” and CTRL-T for launching new tabs. You will definitely find that Firefox is far better than its competitors.
Integrated popup blocking: With Firefox, you won't be able to see those popup ads as Firefox shuts down those advertisement for you. There is absolutely no need for installing 3rd party software. Just set the Firefox options to prevent pop-ups.
Firefox can also prevent those annoying Javascript code: Firefox prevents from moving or resizing your window and hiding the status bar.
Larger viewing area: With smaller toolbars, you can fit 10 percent more surface area. Isn't that amazing?
Nifty bookmarking features: If you like a particular site, you can always bookmark that site as well as organize multiple tabs.
The best feature of Firefox are as follows:
Tabbed browsing: This feature will allow to open multiple windows in one browser at once. Now there is no need to download 40 Megabytes of browser code every time, you want to open a new website. Just use this tabbed browsing feature to open a new website in the same window.
Each new tab will add less than 1 megabyte of overhead load. You have to just press Ctrl-T to open Google Window, a news window, a Hotmail window, multiple browsing screens and even Iceberggradio.com. This is especially useful for those on dial up who wish to multi-task. For instance you can check your email while waiting to open slow pages of some other website. Firefox also allows creation and saving of a large number of window tabs than any other web browser does. People who are professional web surfers find this feature extremely useful.
Firefox is a great browsing tool and there is ample evidence to prove it. Although, there are issues with Firefox, they are small and not serious. These deficiencies are negligible and your work will hardly get affected even if these issues are present in your Firefox. Even if these glitches are there, you can easily resolve them by following some simple steps.
Read MOre..
Firefox pros: Firefox is amazingly lean: If you download and install Firefox , it will just take around 4.9MB of disk space. That is why many prefer Firefox when it comes to downloading a browser as it does not consume lot of disk space. In short, Firefox doesn't suffer from the flaw of being overweight. This 4.9MB install doesn't include plugins like Flash player, Shockwave, Java virtual machine, but these features can always be added through minimum effort.
Firefox supports user keystrokes and shortcuts: Both power users and novices find shortcuts like CTRL-Enter for completing URLs, “Type Ahead” and CTRL-T for launching new tabs. You will definitely find that Firefox is far better than its competitors.
Integrated popup blocking: With Firefox, you won't be able to see those popup ads as Firefox shuts down those advertisement for you. There is absolutely no need for installing 3rd party software. Just set the Firefox options to prevent pop-ups.
Firefox can also prevent those annoying Javascript code: Firefox prevents from moving or resizing your window and hiding the status bar.
Larger viewing area: With smaller toolbars, you can fit 10 percent more surface area. Isn't that amazing?
Nifty bookmarking features: If you like a particular site, you can always bookmark that site as well as organize multiple tabs.
The best feature of Firefox are as follows:
Tabbed browsing: This feature will allow to open multiple windows in one browser at once. Now there is no need to download 40 Megabytes of browser code every time, you want to open a new website. Just use this tabbed browsing feature to open a new website in the same window.
Each new tab will add less than 1 megabyte of overhead load. You have to just press Ctrl-T to open Google Window, a news window, a Hotmail window, multiple browsing screens and even Iceberggradio.com. This is especially useful for those on dial up who wish to multi-task. For instance you can check your email while waiting to open slow pages of some other website. Firefox also allows creation and saving of a large number of window tabs than any other web browser does. People who are professional web surfers find this feature extremely useful.
Firefox is a great browsing tool and there is ample evidence to prove it. Although, there are issues with Firefox, they are small and not serious. These deficiencies are negligible and your work will hardly get affected even if these issues are present in your Firefox. Even if these glitches are there, you can easily resolve them by following some simple steps.
Read MOre..
10 Handy Video plugins for WordPress
1. Viper’s Video Quicktags
This plugin adds on new buttons to the rich text editor on WordPress. In order to embed a video, you just need to paste the video URL into the prompt box. With this plugin you can also fully configure the width, height, colors and alignment on the page.
2. Smart YouTube
The main function of the plugin is to correctly embed YouTube videos into your blog post. It’s designed to be small and fast with customizable options for colors, border, full screen etc.
Don’t worry about the visual mode messing it up.
3. Interactive Video Plugin
Apart from video embed this plugin also includes the ability to upload/ record/import videos directly to your post, edit and remix content with an online video editor. You can even enable video responses, manage and track your video content.
Includes custom sizing of the video player, advanced sharing options and allow readers and subscribers to add video and audio comments.
4. Embedded Video
Using this plugin the videos can be integrated from external sites or they can be uploaded to the web server or a remote server and integrated as well. Additionally, a corresponding link to the video on the particular video page or a download link to the local file can be generated automatically, if demanded.
5. Video Widget
In order to embed videos using this plugin only the video id is required and no HTML code to paste.
6. Flash Video Player
This plugin allows the addition of videos into WordPress by using a menu with post-level overrides for customization of size, background color etc.
7. Video Embedder
To embed a video using this plugin, all you need is the ID of the video. With this plugin you can manage the settings for all of your embedded movies from the WordPress settings for Video Embedder, the properties for all the movies will be updated instantly as soon as you save the settings.
8. EasyTube
This plugin allows you to easily embed YouTube and Google Videos using one simple tag and places a preview image of the YouTube videos in your RSS feed linked to the video.
9. Youtuber
This plugin lets you embed YouTube videos in your posts very easily using simple tags.
It also includes an option to set the width and height of the videos.
10. FLV Embed
This plugin supports video sitemap generation, includes options such as auto start and menu control bar. It also supports text only output for RSS that prompt readers to visit the original post for Flash content.
Read MOre..
This plugin adds on new buttons to the rich text editor on WordPress. In order to embed a video, you just need to paste the video URL into the prompt box. With this plugin you can also fully configure the width, height, colors and alignment on the page.
2. Smart YouTube
The main function of the plugin is to correctly embed YouTube videos into your blog post. It’s designed to be small and fast with customizable options for colors, border, full screen etc.
Don’t worry about the visual mode messing it up.
3. Interactive Video Plugin
Apart from video embed this plugin also includes the ability to upload/ record/import videos directly to your post, edit and remix content with an online video editor. You can even enable video responses, manage and track your video content.
Includes custom sizing of the video player, advanced sharing options and allow readers and subscribers to add video and audio comments.
4. Embedded Video
Using this plugin the videos can be integrated from external sites or they can be uploaded to the web server or a remote server and integrated as well. Additionally, a corresponding link to the video on the particular video page or a download link to the local file can be generated automatically, if demanded.
5. Video Widget
In order to embed videos using this plugin only the video id is required and no HTML code to paste.
6. Flash Video Player
This plugin allows the addition of videos into WordPress by using a menu with post-level overrides for customization of size, background color etc.
7. Video Embedder
To embed a video using this plugin, all you need is the ID of the video. With this plugin you can manage the settings for all of your embedded movies from the WordPress settings for Video Embedder, the properties for all the movies will be updated instantly as soon as you save the settings.
8. EasyTube
This plugin allows you to easily embed YouTube and Google Videos using one simple tag and places a preview image of the YouTube videos in your RSS feed linked to the video.
9. Youtuber
This plugin lets you embed YouTube videos in your posts very easily using simple tags.
It also includes an option to set the width and height of the videos.
10. FLV Embed
This plugin supports video sitemap generation, includes options such as auto start and menu control bar. It also supports text only output for RSS that prompt readers to visit the original post for Flash content.
Read MOre..
Friday, January 23, 2009
Google offers help transplanting your blog
Google on Friday released an open-source project, Google Blog Converters, intended to help people move their blogs from one service to another.
There are a number of popular publishing systems for housing blogs, some of them services and some of them software people can run on their own servers. But if you want to change infrastructure, it's rough going. Information isn't necessarily locked up and inaccessible, but the practical barriers of moving it to a new publishing system are high.
Google, which actually has a "data liberation team," announced the Blog Converters project to deal with the situation. It released a collection of libraries and scripts, written in the Python language, that converts between the export formats of LiveJournal, MovableType, WordPress, and Google's own Blogger service, said J.J. Lueck of the team in a blog posting about the Blog Converters project.
That means that a person could convert an exported file into a format another blog system comprehends, permitting the data to be imported into the new system. That could make it easier for a person to move to Google's own service--but also to move off it.
Of course, you'll have to be proficient in running Python scripts to use the technology. But it could get easier soon: Google said the scripts can be hosted on Google App Engine, its service for running Web-based applications written in Python, so perhaps somebody will set up some tools to make blog migration easier for the non-programmers out there.
Future versions of the technology will support the BlogML data format and a mechanism to synchronize blogs with services that have an API (application programming interface) for accessing data but not import-export abilities.
Read More...
There are a number of popular publishing systems for housing blogs, some of them services and some of them software people can run on their own servers. But if you want to change infrastructure, it's rough going. Information isn't necessarily locked up and inaccessible, but the practical barriers of moving it to a new publishing system are high.
Google, which actually has a "data liberation team," announced the Blog Converters project to deal with the situation. It released a collection of libraries and scripts, written in the Python language, that converts between the export formats of LiveJournal, MovableType, WordPress, and Google's own Blogger service, said J.J. Lueck of the team in a blog posting about the Blog Converters project.
That means that a person could convert an exported file into a format another blog system comprehends, permitting the data to be imported into the new system. That could make it easier for a person to move to Google's own service--but also to move off it.
Of course, you'll have to be proficient in running Python scripts to use the technology. But it could get easier soon: Google said the scripts can be hosted on Google App Engine, its service for running Web-based applications written in Python, so perhaps somebody will set up some tools to make blog migration easier for the non-programmers out there.
Future versions of the technology will support the BlogML data format and a mechanism to synchronize blogs with services that have an API (application programming interface) for accessing data but not import-export abilities.
Read More...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Basics of looping in PHP
Loops are an integral part of PHP, and many other programming languages for that matter, the basics covered here would apply to javascript as well, even the code is very similar. A loop is simply a block of code that executes multiple times, controlled either directly, by explicitly telling the script to execute “X” times, or by using a variable, telling the script to execute “as many times as the exact hour at the time of viewing” for example.
So why do we use loops? There are hundreds and hundreds of reasons, the widest usage is probably to cycle through values of some sort of data. For example, you might be writing a messaging system in PHP, which would allow users of your website to send private messages to each other once they register. You would write a MySQL query which would pull all the user’s letter from the database. To show all the letters you would use a loop to show all the rows of the query (all the separate messages) on a page.
To create a loop you need to add some rules which will dictate how the loop should behave. Usually we need to give three values, the starting value of the counter (which tells the loop how many times it has executed), an ending value (which tells the script to stop looping if it is reached) and an increment, which deals with changing the starting counter value in some way (so that it eventually reaches the end value, hence ending the loop).
Read More..
So why do we use loops? There are hundreds and hundreds of reasons, the widest usage is probably to cycle through values of some sort of data. For example, you might be writing a messaging system in PHP, which would allow users of your website to send private messages to each other once they register. You would write a MySQL query which would pull all the user’s letter from the database. To show all the letters you would use a loop to show all the rows of the query (all the separate messages) on a page.
To create a loop you need to add some rules which will dictate how the loop should behave. Usually we need to give three values, the starting value of the counter (which tells the loop how many times it has executed), an ending value (which tells the script to stop looping if it is reached) and an increment, which deals with changing the starting counter value in some way (so that it eventually reaches the end value, hence ending the loop).
Read More..
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Google Blog Converters 1.0 Released
Blog authors around the world, Google would like to remind you that it's your blog, your data. Now that Blogger allows users the ability to export all contents of their blog, the Data Liberation team would like to announce the Google Blog Converters project. This new Open Source project provides the ability to easily move blog posts and comments from service to service. This initial release provides Python libraries and runnable scripts that convert between the export formats of Blogger, LiveJournal, MovableType, and WordPress.
In addition, the source code includes templates for hosting these conversions on Google App Engine. Future additions to the project will include support for BlogML and synchronization tools between various services that do not provide a import/export feature but do provide APIs for accessing and modifying blog contents.
We're excited to provide this level of control for your personal blog data. Contributions to the project are always welcomed and encouraged, so check out our source code (download, 2.7 MB zipped) and let us know what you think. We look forward to your feedback in our discussion group.
Read More..
In addition, the source code includes templates for hosting these conversions on Google App Engine. Future additions to the project will include support for BlogML and synchronization tools between various services that do not provide a import/export feature but do provide APIs for accessing and modifying blog contents.
We're excited to provide this level of control for your personal blog data. Contributions to the project are always welcomed and encouraged, so check out our source code (download, 2.7 MB zipped) and let us know what you think. We look forward to your feedback in our discussion group.
Read More..
Monday, January 19, 2009
Google Helping Bloggers with Data Portability
Want to move your blog to another publishing platform? Well now Google has made it easier for you. Last Friday, the Data Liberation Team announced the Google Blog Converters project on their Open Source Blog.
Google made data portability a lot easier for Blogger users a month ago and with this announcement it appears they are offering easier portability solutions to WordPress, Movable Type, and LiveJournal users as well.
Friday's release provides Python libraries and runnable scripts that convert between the export formats of the above platforms. Future plans include synchronization tools between services that don't offer import/export features as well as support for BlogML.
Google has also released templates for hosting the conversions on Google App Engine.
Take a look at the examples hosted on Google App Engine:
- Blogger to WordPress
- WordPress to Blogger
- LiveJournal to Blogger
But beware the caveat noted in the readme file:
"There is a limit to the size of a downloaded file on appspot.com of 1 MB of data. Thus, these hosted applications should only be used for reference or for the conversion of small blog export files."
Read MOre...
Google made data portability a lot easier for Blogger users a month ago and with this announcement it appears they are offering easier portability solutions to WordPress, Movable Type, and LiveJournal users as well.
Friday's release provides Python libraries and runnable scripts that convert between the export formats of the above platforms. Future plans include synchronization tools between services that don't offer import/export features as well as support for BlogML.
Google has also released templates for hosting the conversions on Google App Engine.
Take a look at the examples hosted on Google App Engine:
- Blogger to WordPress
- WordPress to Blogger
- LiveJournal to Blogger
But beware the caveat noted in the readme file:
"There is a limit to the size of a downloaded file on appspot.com of 1 MB of data. Thus, these hosted applications should only be used for reference or for the conversion of small blog export files."
Read MOre...
Friday, January 16, 2009
Using WordPress For Web Sites And Blogs
How WordPress Works:
WordPress is a simple download from wordpress.org, where the latest version is always available. WordPress is used as a web application so it’s uploaded onto the Internet, and not installed on a user’s computer. The files are uploaded to any hosting service that provides PHP and MySQL databases, and can be configured in a matter of moments. Once installed, the program allows users to write posts or pages for their own web site by using their web browser. There are two design themes that come with the installation. And that’s the basics. But there’s so much more. Much more.
Simple for Simple Users, Powerful for Professional Developers
If someone wants a simple blog setup, all they need to do is configure one file for the database settings, upload the WordPress files to their hosting server, and start blogging.
Users can take advantage of features designed to make site management easier, such as “widgets” which give control over how items in a sidebar can be customized and rearranged. Custom features can added to WordPress through the use of “plug-ins”. Developers have created many easy to use plug-ins such as polling features, Flickr viewers, and more.
If the two included themes aren’t preferred, there are literally thousands of themes available from the WordPress site, or through the sites of many users. It’s a simple as downloading the theme, placing it in the appropriate folder on the server and choosing it on the “dashboard”, the WordPress control panel. Different themes offer options such as more columns, artistic backgrounds, fancy headings, clever type treatments, and virtually anything that can be imagined.
Professional developers use WordPress for many commercial web sites, as well. Many sites for large corporations have been developed using the powerful database-driven capabilities of WordPress. By understanding the coding languages of PHP, CSS, and XHTML, it’s possible to create just about anything with WordPress for a wide variety of applications.
Supported by an Avid Community
WordPress is Open Source software. What that means is that it’s open to development from anyone who wishes to contribute. It’s not produced by a commercial software company. A large community of users and developers work with the program to improve its features and make it better for everyone from developers to writers to readers.
A support forum exists on the WordPress site to help users and developers work through issues to get their sites working should any needs arise. There are many web sites devoted to WordPress development and use, so answers to most questions can be found in a number of ways.
Read More...
WordPress is a simple download from wordpress.org, where the latest version is always available. WordPress is used as a web application so it’s uploaded onto the Internet, and not installed on a user’s computer. The files are uploaded to any hosting service that provides PHP and MySQL databases, and can be configured in a matter of moments. Once installed, the program allows users to write posts or pages for their own web site by using their web browser. There are two design themes that come with the installation. And that’s the basics. But there’s so much more. Much more.
Simple for Simple Users, Powerful for Professional Developers
If someone wants a simple blog setup, all they need to do is configure one file for the database settings, upload the WordPress files to their hosting server, and start blogging.
Users can take advantage of features designed to make site management easier, such as “widgets” which give control over how items in a sidebar can be customized and rearranged. Custom features can added to WordPress through the use of “plug-ins”. Developers have created many easy to use plug-ins such as polling features, Flickr viewers, and more.
If the two included themes aren’t preferred, there are literally thousands of themes available from the WordPress site, or through the sites of many users. It’s a simple as downloading the theme, placing it in the appropriate folder on the server and choosing it on the “dashboard”, the WordPress control panel. Different themes offer options such as more columns, artistic backgrounds, fancy headings, clever type treatments, and virtually anything that can be imagined.
Professional developers use WordPress for many commercial web sites, as well. Many sites for large corporations have been developed using the powerful database-driven capabilities of WordPress. By understanding the coding languages of PHP, CSS, and XHTML, it’s possible to create just about anything with WordPress for a wide variety of applications.
Supported by an Avid Community
WordPress is Open Source software. What that means is that it’s open to development from anyone who wishes to contribute. It’s not produced by a commercial software company. A large community of users and developers work with the program to improve its features and make it better for everyone from developers to writers to readers.
A support forum exists on the WordPress site to help users and developers work through issues to get their sites working should any needs arise. There are many web sites devoted to WordPress development and use, so answers to most questions can be found in a number of ways.
Read More...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Facebook Connect Plugin for Drupal Launches
La Netscouande, a French internet agency, has released the first version of a Facebook Connect plugin for Drupal. I have a feeling that this is going to obtain a lot of traction. This is one of the first content platforms aside from Wordpress that has an easy to use Connect module. As far as I can tell it enables basic login/authorization capabilities via the module.
With this announcement, the number of Facebook Connect implementations will most definitely jump over the coming weeks. Drupal is one of the most popular open-source content management systems on the web. While I’ve developed Drupal sites in the past, I haven’t had the opportunity to implement this service myself so I’m not sure how easy to use it actually is for developers.
Read More...
With this announcement, the number of Facebook Connect implementations will most definitely jump over the coming weeks. Drupal is one of the most popular open-source content management systems on the web. While I’ve developed Drupal sites in the past, I haven’t had the opportunity to implement this service myself so I’m not sure how easy to use it actually is for developers.
Read More...
Monday, January 12, 2009
Push Your Web Design Into The Future With CSS3
There are exciting new features in the pipeline for Cascading Style Sheets that will allow for an explosion of creativity in Web design. These features include CSS styling rules that are being released with the upcoming CSS3 specification.
Realistically, you won't be able to use these on your everyday client projects for another few years, but for design blogs and websites aimed at the Web design community, these features can help you push the boundaries of modern Web design today, adding that extra spice to your design and helping the industry move forward. Here are five techniques snatched from the future that you can put into practice in your website designs today.
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Realistically, you won't be able to use these on your everyday client projects for another few years, but for design blogs and websites aimed at the Web design community, these features can help you push the boundaries of modern Web design today, adding that extra spice to your design and helping the industry move forward. Here are five techniques snatched from the future that you can put into practice in your website designs today.
Read More...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Microsoft launches into crowdsourcing
Even Microsoft embraced crowdsourcing as a business model. Task Market, a new crowdsourcing platform has been launched by Microsoft. The new service is aimed at businesses, and specifically buyers and suppliers of business-oriented services such as design, copywriting, website development etc.
The way it works is that buyers outsource a task to the crowd by way of posting a brief online. This, along with a price guide showing how much they are willing to pay, provides the call to action for potential suppliers.
The idea isn’t new, neither is the way the service has been designed, ie Software-as-a-Service. But we’ve a feeling that with the might of Microsoft behind it, we may be hearing about it more and more.
Read More..
The way it works is that buyers outsource a task to the crowd by way of posting a brief online. This, along with a price guide showing how much they are willing to pay, provides the call to action for potential suppliers.
The idea isn’t new, neither is the way the service has been designed, ie Software-as-a-Service. But we’ve a feeling that with the might of Microsoft behind it, we may be hearing about it more and more.
Read More..
Thursday, January 8, 2009
FreshBooks time tracking iPhone app is now open sourced!
Many an iPhone enthusiast (like this writer) have attempted to write a native iPhone app. But many of them (like this writer) have failed to do so due to the fact that there aren’t many native iPhone apps examples available.
Thankfully, there is now some hope for the otherwise hopeless iPhone programmer wannabes, since the folks behind FreshBooks, a time tracking app for the iPhone, have decided to give us all a gift for Macworld 2009 and have released the source code of their program. Now anyone can download the open source of FreshBooks and tinker with it, thus improving their iPhone programming skills and getting to modify an already working native iPhone app.
Read MOre..
Thankfully, there is now some hope for the otherwise hopeless iPhone programmer wannabes, since the folks behind FreshBooks, a time tracking app for the iPhone, have decided to give us all a gift for Macworld 2009 and have released the source code of their program. Now anyone can download the open source of FreshBooks and tinker with it, thus improving their iPhone programming skills and getting to modify an already working native iPhone app.
Read MOre..
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Bring me a Drupal add-on for Firefox
Why is it that Firefox has a debugging add-on that supports Drupal development but we yet have to see a Drupal add-on that supports writing for a Drupal site? It's in times like this I so wish I were a coder.
The problem arises with the myriad of input formats Drupal has just by default (forum, blog, story) that gets complicated when you then throw in the forms for Event and or Calendar, Image, Audio, Video, Storylink, Quotes, Recipes, and all the customized formats possible with the Content Construction Kit (aka, CCK).
And then there's the little detail of taxonomies.
ScribeFire works amazingly well just for the blog, page, story, formats AND only if you have a relatively small amount of categories (in the low hundreds). If you have more than 300 categories, the add-on is incapable of reading them all. Not only that, when it does read the categories it outputs them as selections --it really doesn't allow you to search through all your categories and choose only the ones you need. It neither allows you to add new ones on the fly.
This is the problem that arises from trying to make a tool that is something for everybody. It works well with WordPress and Blogger and Movabletype/Typepad blogs because they all have very similar information architectures. Drupal is a beast on its own and that's why it needs its own set of "off-site" blogging tools.
Read MOre..
The problem arises with the myriad of input formats Drupal has just by default (forum, blog, story) that gets complicated when you then throw in the forms for Event and or Calendar, Image, Audio, Video, Storylink, Quotes, Recipes, and all the customized formats possible with the Content Construction Kit (aka, CCK).
And then there's the little detail of taxonomies.
ScribeFire works amazingly well just for the blog, page, story, formats AND only if you have a relatively small amount of categories (in the low hundreds). If you have more than 300 categories, the add-on is incapable of reading them all. Not only that, when it does read the categories it outputs them as selections --it really doesn't allow you to search through all your categories and choose only the ones you need. It neither allows you to add new ones on the fly.
This is the problem that arises from trying to make a tool that is something for everybody. It works well with WordPress and Blogger and Movabletype/Typepad blogs because they all have very similar information architectures. Drupal is a beast on its own and that's why it needs its own set of "off-site" blogging tools.
Read MOre..
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
3 Reasons WordPress over Blogger
Their have been a lot of bloggers that started out using blogger as their blog platform. Soon after they got going they found that they were limited in capacity. Most decided they wanted something more and that was found in the WordPress blogging platform. Why WordPress? Well you can read more about the features on the official site WordPress.org but here are three great reasons:
1. Power: Oh more power! The full control you have with WordPress is totally amazing. You can design your own templates, customize existing ones, add third party plugins, and add with little work. Nothing will beat WordPress in terms of control and power.
2. Templates: The large amount of free templates for the WordPress platform is awesome. You can find new templates for free and upload them with no problem at all. Better yet, you can have multiple themes uploaded at once and switch between them with the click of a button.
3. Open Source: WordPress is open source and is constantly being improved by the community. You will never have to pay for the platform software and the updates can be made with ease (automatic).
Read More..
1. Power: Oh more power! The full control you have with WordPress is totally amazing. You can design your own templates, customize existing ones, add third party plugins, and add with little work. Nothing will beat WordPress in terms of control and power.
2. Templates: The large amount of free templates for the WordPress platform is awesome. You can find new templates for free and upload them with no problem at all. Better yet, you can have multiple themes uploaded at once and switch between them with the click of a button.
3. Open Source: WordPress is open source and is constantly being improved by the community. You will never have to pay for the platform software and the updates can be made with ease (automatic).
Read More..
How Can Wordpress Make You Money?
Wordpress is a publishing platform for open source blogs with emphasis on all web standards. It is easily available on internet. You can download Wordpress software and start blogging instantly. One attracting feature of this application is that it is available free of cost.
Wordpress provide you the flexibility that you can write either pages or Post. However, there is a some difference between the two. For example, while writing a blog you write a post which are displayed in reverse chronological order. In contrast to Post, pages are specially designed to collect information from you like your contact no, email-id, name etc. Pages are usually displayed apart from your normal post when someone want to know more about the author of the post.
To put up a blog post, you will need to log on to the software you downloaded. Once youave logged in, you can put up a new post in a couple of different ways. The first is to choose the Post tab and click on aadd new link.a A new window will open to add a new post. If youad prefer, you can also use the Quickpress module from the Dashboard. The third way is to choose the new post link from the Admin bar, and start writing.
There are in general many ways of adding a new post. The first one is that after logging in Wordpress, select the Post tab and click on add new link which will open a new window for adding a new post. Second option is to make use of Quickpress module available on the Dashboard.
Each post should be given a catchy title. You should also spend some time coming up with appropriate tags. Wordpress offers a multitude of categories. Put some effort into this because readers use these to search through posts and organize their reading.
A great trick many Wordpress users like is to schedule their posts. You can set Wordpress to put up a new post at whatever time you like. This is helpful if you write a bunch of posts at once. You donat have to put them all up right away. Stagger them over a day, or even a week. Add some information to your author profile, and you can also check to see if your posts have gone up. User plug-ins allow you to modify the appearance of your page.
Wordpress has an amazing feature. They call it their affiliate marketing program. You can earn money by writing good posts with links to Wordpress affiliates embedded in them. They pay you real money for the sales that come from this.
Get readers to start coming to your blog, and if a lot of people start coming to read your posts with affiliate links, you could start earning money. Many other Wordpress users have used this technique to start a home-based internet business. Itas easy. It can be fun. And if you do it right, it will be lucrative.
Read More...
Wordpress provide you the flexibility that you can write either pages or Post. However, there is a some difference between the two. For example, while writing a blog you write a post which are displayed in reverse chronological order. In contrast to Post, pages are specially designed to collect information from you like your contact no, email-id, name etc. Pages are usually displayed apart from your normal post when someone want to know more about the author of the post.
To put up a blog post, you will need to log on to the software you downloaded. Once youave logged in, you can put up a new post in a couple of different ways. The first is to choose the Post tab and click on aadd new link.a A new window will open to add a new post. If youad prefer, you can also use the Quickpress module from the Dashboard. The third way is to choose the new post link from the Admin bar, and start writing.
There are in general many ways of adding a new post. The first one is that after logging in Wordpress, select the Post tab and click on add new link which will open a new window for adding a new post. Second option is to make use of Quickpress module available on the Dashboard.
Each post should be given a catchy title. You should also spend some time coming up with appropriate tags. Wordpress offers a multitude of categories. Put some effort into this because readers use these to search through posts and organize their reading.
A great trick many Wordpress users like is to schedule their posts. You can set Wordpress to put up a new post at whatever time you like. This is helpful if you write a bunch of posts at once. You donat have to put them all up right away. Stagger them over a day, or even a week. Add some information to your author profile, and you can also check to see if your posts have gone up. User plug-ins allow you to modify the appearance of your page.
Wordpress has an amazing feature. They call it their affiliate marketing program. You can earn money by writing good posts with links to Wordpress affiliates embedded in them. They pay you real money for the sales that come from this.
Get readers to start coming to your blog, and if a lot of people start coming to read your posts with affiliate links, you could start earning money. Many other Wordpress users have used this technique to start a home-based internet business. Itas easy. It can be fun. And if you do it right, it will be lucrative.
Read More...
Monday, January 5, 2009
How to build your own Google Android app
Google's Android mobile development platform has rightly caused a stir.
Based on Linux and with built-in 3D, SMS and web browsing courtesy of WebKit, it's an entirely self-contained and free mobile operating system.
Though there are only a few devices that currently support Android out of the box, it's designed as an open, free platform to simplify the process of programming mobile applications on Java.
Getting started
The Android SDK is easily installed, though it's worth noting a couple of things before starting. The latest version can be found at http://code.google.com/android/download.html.
The Windows version is archived in a zip file. We'd advise extracting the archive to the root of your main hard drive, taking care to maintain its folder hierarchy. Once extracted, you'll have a folder named something like 'android-sdk-windows-1.0_r1'.
We'll be using an IDE – the open-source development environment Eclipse – to examine and develop apps, so keep the path and path name simple. Rename the main folder 'android-sdk'.
You'll be adding the SDK path to Eclipse when we install it, but you can protect against problems by adding the path to Windows' system settings. Right-click on the My Computer icon, choose 'Properties' and click 'Advanced'. Click the 'Environment Variables' button. In the 'System Variable' section, click 'New' and create a new variable named 'android', giving the path 'c:\android-sdk\ tools', where 'c' is your main drive.
Android's application programming framework sits on top of Java – so you'll need to install the Java SE Development Kit (JDK) 6 before you go any further. The specs call for Sun JRE 5 or 6 too. You'll find the full package for Windows and other OSes at www.developers.sun.com/javase/downloads. By default, the JDK will install into the Program Files folder. Simplify folder names and move to the root of your local machine to ensure that all of your command line tools work properly.
Google recommends Eclipse as the IDE for Android, and the tools it supplies for the platform provide tight integration with the SDK. To get started with the program, grab it from www.eclipse.org/downloads. There are several versions listed, but we suggest you use the Eclipse for Java EE Developers, because it includes WST (Web Standards Tools), a set of components for working with web scripting languages in Java.
Again, install Eclipse in the root directory of your hard drive rather than your Program Files folder; this makes it easier to set up paths to the IDE and reduces the likelihood of errors caused by calls to DOS-based SDK components. The archive simply extracts – there is no installer. You can create a shortcut to the Eclipse runtime by selecting 'eclipse.exe' and [ALT]+dragging a copy to your desktop or Start menu.
Once Eclipse is installed, you can add the Android tools that are required to develop and work with existing apps. These integrate some Android SDK components into Eclipse. Start the program, then go to 'Help | Software Updates'. Select the Available Software tab.
Choose 'Add Site', type in the full URL (https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse) and then click 'OK'. The 'Software Updates and Add-ons' window should update, showing the newly entered URL. Open the hierarchy by clicking the '+' sign and then check the box next to 'Developer Tools'. Click 'Install'.
In the next window, check both 'Android Developer Tools' and 'Android Editors', then click 'Finish'. Finally, restart Eclipse.
Read More..
Based on Linux and with built-in 3D, SMS and web browsing courtesy of WebKit, it's an entirely self-contained and free mobile operating system.
Though there are only a few devices that currently support Android out of the box, it's designed as an open, free platform to simplify the process of programming mobile applications on Java.
Getting started
The Android SDK is easily installed, though it's worth noting a couple of things before starting. The latest version can be found at http://code.google.com/android/download.html.
The Windows version is archived in a zip file. We'd advise extracting the archive to the root of your main hard drive, taking care to maintain its folder hierarchy. Once extracted, you'll have a folder named something like 'android-sdk-windows-1.0_r1'.
We'll be using an IDE – the open-source development environment Eclipse – to examine and develop apps, so keep the path and path name simple. Rename the main folder 'android-sdk'.
You'll be adding the SDK path to Eclipse when we install it, but you can protect against problems by adding the path to Windows' system settings. Right-click on the My Computer icon, choose 'Properties' and click 'Advanced'. Click the 'Environment Variables' button. In the 'System Variable' section, click 'New' and create a new variable named 'android', giving the path 'c:\android-sdk\ tools', where 'c' is your main drive.
Android's application programming framework sits on top of Java – so you'll need to install the Java SE Development Kit (JDK) 6 before you go any further. The specs call for Sun JRE 5 or 6 too. You'll find the full package for Windows and other OSes at www.developers.sun.com/javase/downloads. By default, the JDK will install into the Program Files folder. Simplify folder names and move to the root of your local machine to ensure that all of your command line tools work properly.
Google recommends Eclipse as the IDE for Android, and the tools it supplies for the platform provide tight integration with the SDK. To get started with the program, grab it from www.eclipse.org/downloads. There are several versions listed, but we suggest you use the Eclipse for Java EE Developers, because it includes WST (Web Standards Tools), a set of components for working with web scripting languages in Java.
Again, install Eclipse in the root directory of your hard drive rather than your Program Files folder; this makes it easier to set up paths to the IDE and reduces the likelihood of errors caused by calls to DOS-based SDK components. The archive simply extracts – there is no installer. You can create a shortcut to the Eclipse runtime by selecting 'eclipse.exe' and [ALT]+dragging a copy to your desktop or Start menu.
Once Eclipse is installed, you can add the Android tools that are required to develop and work with existing apps. These integrate some Android SDK components into Eclipse. Start the program, then go to 'Help | Software Updates'. Select the Available Software tab.
Choose 'Add Site', type in the full URL (https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse) and then click 'OK'. The 'Software Updates and Add-ons' window should update, showing the newly entered URL. Open the hierarchy by clicking the '+' sign and then check the box next to 'Developer Tools'. Click 'Install'.
In the next window, check both 'Android Developer Tools' and 'Android Editors', then click 'Finish'. Finally, restart Eclipse.
Read More..
Adventure PHP Framework 1.8 now runs under LGPL 3
A first release candidate for version 1.8 of the Adventure PHP Framework has been announced. The version released for production environments now runs under a new licence model, LGPL 3. The aim is to enable enterprise clients to use the framework for closed-source applications, or under their own licence.
Besides the revision of proven components and some bugfixes, new productivity tools have been added. These include the AdvancedLogger for advanced logging tasks, the taglib for the global reuse of template fragments, taglibs for delivering GUI elements directly from the application's namespace, and eZ-Style templates to allow template translation, using special tags and XML files. Further productivity tools can be found in the documentation in the Special taglibs section.
The Adventure PHP Framework is intended to help developers implement object-oriented, generic and reusable PHP web applications in compliance with known and approved OO design patterns.
Besides the revision of proven components and some bugfixes, new productivity tools have been added. These include the AdvancedLogger for advanced logging tasks, the taglib for the global reuse of template fragments, taglibs for delivering GUI elements directly from the application's namespace, and eZ-Style templates to allow template translation, using special tags and XML files. Further productivity tools can be found in the documentation in the Special taglibs section.
The Adventure PHP Framework is intended to help developers implement object-oriented, generic and reusable PHP web applications in compliance with known and approved OO design patterns.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Top 10 Joomla! SEO Tips and Tricks
This is the best ways to improve your Joomla SEO.
1) Don't install any sample data while you set up a Joomla! site.,
2) Your Site Name should be your site’s name,
3) Turn off your PDF links,
4) Don't waste your site's link juice includes lots of social bookmarking links,
5) Redirect the www and non-www versions of your site to the same place,
6) Turn on your cache,
7) Enter a full description for all your sections and categories,
8) Less is often more: fewer pp can have better SEO than too many junk pp.,
9) Empty your global configuration metadata,
10) Be confident of Joomla's capabilities.
1) Don't install any sample data while you set up a Joomla! site.,
2) Your Site Name should be your site’s name,
3) Turn off your PDF links,
4) Don't waste your site's link juice includes lots of social bookmarking links,
5) Redirect the www and non-www versions of your site to the same place,
6) Turn on your cache,
7) Enter a full description for all your sections and categories,
8) Less is often more: fewer pp can have better SEO than too many junk pp.,
9) Empty your global configuration metadata,
10) Be confident of Joomla's capabilities.
Uses for Joomla in Corporate America
The basic package for Joomla can be easily installed by people that are not knowledgeable of anything that deals with computers or the internet. Corporate America functions on numbers that are related to revenues, and the multimedia software programs can be modified to keep track of record sales if the need arises.
There is a large group of individuals that live their life creating programming codes that are based on the Joomla software, and these creative people want to share their creative endeavors with the rest of the world. The core management software team online mba course organizes and updates Joomla throughout the year, is not focused on profits but they are focused on making sure that the open source standing that Joomla is made from continues for many years to come.
Corporations work on some of the same concepts that the developers for Joomla do. They both have instituted training programs, and will routinely offer clients and guests the opportunity to use online mba course product free of charge. Joomla is very popular because it is free, and that is the way that the developers want to keep it. The training programs for Joomla ensure that every user has a positive experience.
Positive experiences can produce outstanding results in both worlds. Some of the best computer programming occurs online mba program a developer is relaxed and happy about the job he has undertaken. As evidenced by the surmountable amount of extensions that are available for download, the developers at Joomla are very happy.
This in turn makes Corporations very happy because they have more opportunities to take advantage of free extension programs that might help them with their inventory control systems, or help them online computer courses an exquisite product catalog that can be displayed on the internet and incorporated with the corporate ecommerce website.
Corporate America might not be aware of Joomla but they have been ready for the large number of choices that are offered by this outstanding content management system. The easy installation and user friendly online mba program might make some corporate shake their heads in wonder. Some corporations might feel that their requirements and needs can never be met through an online software application, and are jubilant when they find out that they have been wrong for a long time.
Some corporations use the Joomla templates to collect data on all of the visitors to their websites, and other areas of the corporation at a higher level might use the reporting tools to keep tabs on their bottom line and know in an instant if their quarterly projection on profits needs to be adjusted or left where they are online mba program another few months. They might choose one of the extensions files of Joomla as a banner advertising system that will increase their profits further than recent projections and corporations like that aspect of Joomla very well indeed.
Read MOre..
There is a large group of individuals that live their life creating programming codes that are based on the Joomla software, and these creative people want to share their creative endeavors with the rest of the world. The core management software team online mba course organizes and updates Joomla throughout the year, is not focused on profits but they are focused on making sure that the open source standing that Joomla is made from continues for many years to come.
Corporations work on some of the same concepts that the developers for Joomla do. They both have instituted training programs, and will routinely offer clients and guests the opportunity to use online mba course product free of charge. Joomla is very popular because it is free, and that is the way that the developers want to keep it. The training programs for Joomla ensure that every user has a positive experience.
Positive experiences can produce outstanding results in both worlds. Some of the best computer programming occurs online mba program a developer is relaxed and happy about the job he has undertaken. As evidenced by the surmountable amount of extensions that are available for download, the developers at Joomla are very happy.
This in turn makes Corporations very happy because they have more opportunities to take advantage of free extension programs that might help them with their inventory control systems, or help them online computer courses an exquisite product catalog that can be displayed on the internet and incorporated with the corporate ecommerce website.
Corporate America might not be aware of Joomla but they have been ready for the large number of choices that are offered by this outstanding content management system. The easy installation and user friendly online mba program might make some corporate shake their heads in wonder. Some corporations might feel that their requirements and needs can never be met through an online software application, and are jubilant when they find out that they have been wrong for a long time.
Some corporations use the Joomla templates to collect data on all of the visitors to their websites, and other areas of the corporation at a higher level might use the reporting tools to keep tabs on their bottom line and know in an instant if their quarterly projection on profits needs to be adjusted or left where they are online mba program another few months. They might choose one of the extensions files of Joomla as a banner advertising system that will increase their profits further than recent projections and corporations like that aspect of Joomla very well indeed.
Read MOre..
Ten Things To Do When Choosing a Web Designer
1.Surf the web. The odds are there are dozens of sites that you admire, or that do something similar to what you hope to achieve and do it well. Find them, study them, and take some notes. Write down what you like, and what you don’t like - and why. Keep a file.
2.As you surf these sites, make note of the credits at the bottom. See who designed them, and if possible check out those designer’s websites for a portfolio of their other work.
3.Cruise the premium Wordpress, Drupal, and Joomla theme sites if you choose one of these platforms. Find out what theme is in use on the sites you like, and who designed the theme. It may be that you will end up buying a theme you like and reducing the role of your designer to customizing it.
4.If you have friends who have web sites you admire, question them on their choice of platform, designer, theme, etc. Ask about functionality. If there is something you’d like to have that you don’t see, ask about that as well.
5.When you have settled on what you want to do, get at least three designers to look at what you have, and what you want, and provide you quotes. In the quotes make sure they include costs for training you on use and maintenance, for updates to the site, and for emergency troubleshooting. As you communicate with them, take note of how quickly they answer, and how helpful they are. You may be working with them for a while.
6.Avoid trying to be “too cool” with your website - particularly if you aren’t independely wealthy. Flash and crazy color schemes, and animated gifs all may seem like a “way-cool” idea when you first see them. In most cases they distract people from the focus of your site.
7.Keep it as professional as you can. Weigh each feature you intend to include for its usefulness and utility. It’s okay to have a few “fun” things but don’t let them overshadow your reason for having the site.
8.Build your site around your content. Whatever it is you intend to promote, sell, share, or advertise, try to put your mind in a place where you can imagine coming to the site as a user, customer, etc. and design it the way you would want to see it if someone else built it.
9.Your front page should provide access to every important aspect of your site, and should do so without the necessity of scrolling. Don’t hide anything you really want people to see, the average surfer won’t click through to something they have to work to find.
10.Do not be intimidated by your designer. It’s easy to let them make your decsisions for you, to make you feel inadequate for your inability to do things on your own, and in general to take over your project. You are hiring them to build YOUR site…remember that, while you are collaborating, you are in charge of the project, and it is - ultimately - your design and thoughts that should be reflected in the final outcome.
Read More..
2.As you surf these sites, make note of the credits at the bottom. See who designed them, and if possible check out those designer’s websites for a portfolio of their other work.
3.Cruise the premium Wordpress, Drupal, and Joomla theme sites if you choose one of these platforms. Find out what theme is in use on the sites you like, and who designed the theme. It may be that you will end up buying a theme you like and reducing the role of your designer to customizing it.
4.If you have friends who have web sites you admire, question them on their choice of platform, designer, theme, etc. Ask about functionality. If there is something you’d like to have that you don’t see, ask about that as well.
5.When you have settled on what you want to do, get at least three designers to look at what you have, and what you want, and provide you quotes. In the quotes make sure they include costs for training you on use and maintenance, for updates to the site, and for emergency troubleshooting. As you communicate with them, take note of how quickly they answer, and how helpful they are. You may be working with them for a while.
6.Avoid trying to be “too cool” with your website - particularly if you aren’t independely wealthy. Flash and crazy color schemes, and animated gifs all may seem like a “way-cool” idea when you first see them. In most cases they distract people from the focus of your site.
7.Keep it as professional as you can. Weigh each feature you intend to include for its usefulness and utility. It’s okay to have a few “fun” things but don’t let them overshadow your reason for having the site.
8.Build your site around your content. Whatever it is you intend to promote, sell, share, or advertise, try to put your mind in a place where you can imagine coming to the site as a user, customer, etc. and design it the way you would want to see it if someone else built it.
9.Your front page should provide access to every important aspect of your site, and should do so without the necessity of scrolling. Don’t hide anything you really want people to see, the average surfer won’t click through to something they have to work to find.
10.Do not be intimidated by your designer. It’s easy to let them make your decsisions for you, to make you feel inadequate for your inability to do things on your own, and in general to take over your project. You are hiring them to build YOUR site…remember that, while you are collaborating, you are in charge of the project, and it is - ultimately - your design and thoughts that should be reflected in the final outcome.
Read More..
Drupal Administration theme 1.0 released for Drupal 5 and 6
The Drupal 5 version gives you the possibility to use the administration theme when editing posts. This feature was introduced in Drupal 6 core and is with this module now available in Drupal 5.
Use the administration theme on more pages then possible with Drupal 5 or Drupal 6 core. You can allow the theme on a predefined set of pages and on a custom set of pages. The inverse is also possible: specifying a set of custom pages on which you don't want to use the theme. An example of this might be that you want to use the administration theme (all pages having a path starting with "admin" (admin/*)) but not on "admin/content/node".
Hooks! All modules can now add some pages to the administration theme settings page using the hook_admin_theme hook. By doing so you give inexperienced users the possibility to just tick a checkbox to use the administration theme.
A permission is introduced to allow or disallow certain users to use the administration theme.
Read More..
Use the administration theme on more pages then possible with Drupal 5 or Drupal 6 core. You can allow the theme on a predefined set of pages and on a custom set of pages. The inverse is also possible: specifying a set of custom pages on which you don't want to use the theme. An example of this might be that you want to use the administration theme (all pages having a path starting with "admin" (admin/*)) but not on "admin/content/node".
Hooks! All modules can now add some pages to the administration theme settings page using the hook_admin_theme hook. By doing so you give inexperienced users the possibility to just tick a checkbox to use the administration theme.
A permission is introduced to allow or disallow certain users to use the administration theme.
Read More..
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