July 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Google Swiffy & jQuery Conflicts
Not so long ago, google announced swf to html conversion with swiffy: http://swiffy.googlelabs.com/.
This is an excellent tool, but in production, it gets a bit touchy, particularly if you’re using a javascript framework like jquery.
This is all down to the swiffy runtime monopolising the $ symbol.
You might get an error like :
TypeError: Cannot call method ‘Ge’ of...
4 tags
APR Calculation with PHP.. 'ave It!
I couldn’t find a complete solution for what i needed, so wrote one.
Everyone shows you how to do it in excel, and excel uses its IRR() function which yes, is great, but still, not helpful in this scenario.
Anyway
Its rounding to one decimal place at the moment, i believe that’s what EU regulations require anyway.
Pastebin after the jump.
http://bit.ly/pHfdhH
June 2011
1 post
3 tags
Google Wave Failure
Ok.
I just want to say this out loud - because every time i read about google’s many failed social media experiments, people suggest that wave is one of them.
I’m sorry anyone whos written this in their blogs, but you are wrong. Wave was never a social media platform. It is an online collaboration tool. Ok, ok, collaboration is a social remit, but that is not reason to shove it in...
January 2011
5 posts
3 tags
Want to host little files quickly and easily?
You’ll kick yourself if this never occurred to you before.
Get Drop Box
Drop files into your ‘Public’ folder.
Once sync’d (file will have a green tick), you can right-click a file, and the Dropbox menu will tell you what the public URL to that file is.
Paste link into where you need it.
Enjoy a warm beverage (if the day is cold), or be refreshed by a cool beverage (if...
2 tags
Hide days from jQuery UI DatePicker...
Quite good this really.
Make a function to return false() for the relevant days.
Add it into your datepicker code.
An example:
$(‘#datepicker’).datepicker({ beforeShowDay: hideDays })
function hideDays(date){ if (date.getDate() == 24 && date.getMonth() == 6){ return false; } else { return [true, ”]; } }
How it works
Every time the datepicker code loops, it...
4 tags
PHP Tip of the Day: Serialized Data
Sometimes, you will have problems storing serialized data and unserializing it later. The solution is simple (tho may have some large system-wide impact for you…).
Serialized data sucks (for a variety of reasons, none of which im entirely clear on). Adversely, JSON rocks.
Upshot, instead of serialize($array), use json_encode($array). You’ll obviously want to use json_decode instead...
4 tags
HTML5 Video - A Reality Check...
From youtube.com/html5 (lets face it, the busiest video site on the web who have both new tech and user support in mind):
Supported Browsers
We support browsers that support both the video tag in HTML5 and either the h.264 video codec or the WebM format (with VP8 codec). These include:
Firefox 4 (WebM, Beta available here)
Google Chrome (WebM and h.264)
Opera 10.6+ (WebM, Available here)
...
6 tags
Devs: Never Use Flash Ever Again!
As web developers, we know, because we’ve been told, that flash must be stopped.
It is a closed system which is inefficient, and everything you’d want it for, you can do in html5 anyway, so what’s the point in using it!
Remember that a web developer is - or should be - an engineer. He looks at all the options available to decide on the best solution.
Nowadays, you’re...
November 2010
1 post
DesignAday: Economy →
designaday:
Eric Raymond’s Rule of Economy states “Programmer time is expensive; conserve it in preference to machine time.” But I’ve got a better one.
The user’s time is precious; conserve it in preference to programmer time.
It’s so easy for a development team to make decisions based on the schedule,…
October 2010
2 posts
Bash Shell Prompt Automation...
As a developer, i occasionally am asked to do something completely random as part of an automated process. Sometimes its easy to do, sometimes difficult.
Recently I had to automate a file download, to run as a feed automatically onto a site which unforunately has to be nameless for NDA reasons.
This was to access a secure file transport site which used a piece of software called tumbleweed.
...
5 tags
WebP: Think of the bandwidth!
So, theres been a couple of blog posts floating around today, viewpoints on WebP.
I was having a few tweets back and forth with @barryroodt, and we shared some thoughts on it.
Thought Id share my thoughts with you, whoever you are, if indeed there is anyone else reading it.
If you don’t know already, this is about the new image format Google announced: WebP (pronounced weppy).
Iv seen...
July 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Writer's Block
Its an awkward one this. We don’t like to admit it, but as developers or programmers sometimes we just pull a blank card.
You can’t shift into gear. You can’t quite pick yourself up. You’re neurons are just not firing right.
Other metaphors.
You’re trying to, but its just not kicking off for you.
Get off facebook You’re bored, because it’s not...
3 tags
Send Plain Text / HTML Combination Emails with PHP
Get PHPMailer.
Look, I know you want to do it yourself and make something cool, but this is one of those ‘why reinvent the wheel’ situations.
Be honest, it’s more important you get it done, than you do it with your own code.
Don’t faff around with mime headers, boundaries, encoding, or charsets. Let this great class handle it for you.
Download it, read the examples, get...
June 2010
3 posts
2 tags
How i got round my 'dynamic id' problem
Well, i was already using a custom package for the button in question, so i added an attribute.
It’s really easy.
This adobe docs page will help you, and if not, you can ask me and ill help!
1 tag
Flex Repeaters on Multidimensional Arrays
Something i’ve been working with led me to an unusual predicament; I needed to dynamically set layout and loop through a multidimensional array.
I found this great blog post by Jeffry Houser (@reboog711 on twitter), which explains why you need to use :ArrayCollection as a data provider to the repeater.
...
May 2010
1 post
2 tags
Air 2 RC Error: 'The application could not be...
Getting a REALLY annoying ‘The application could not be installed because the installer file is damaged’ error after upgrading to Air 2 RC?
Well the problem is likely because you still have an air2 beta application installed. You need to remove all current instances of the application manually.
This information was brought to you, courtesy of a poster ambiguously named ‘Mike...