monday 12th may 2008
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categories/tags:
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techie stuff:
shameless plug:
7th march 2007
wow. clonefish.
currently doing a site with *a lot* of forms on it, and as i'm using php i had a look around for something that could help me out a bit. came across a product called clonefish and i have to tell you, i'm very, very impressed.
put basically, this is a php form class that takes all the tedium out of producing, often very repetitive, html forms. as well as obviously being able to produce the necessary form elements, it easily adds any optional html to your tags (class attributes, title attributes, whatever), can add code before or after each element (e.g. "required", "password must be 6 characters long", etc) and - best of all - adds validation right there and then. you can use ready made validation techniques ('required' tells the class that user input on that element is... well, required), or your own custom validation in - get this - *either* javascript or php! does it get any better? well, maybe - it can also hook up to your mysql database - using native php/mysql connectors, pear db or, my current favourite, adodb - to do things like outputting a select options depending on records from your db, or db validation ("select password where user ..."). you can style everything in the normal way, and it's down to you - not the class - whether you output valid xhtml.
more than that, the clonefish support has been fantastic. i've had a couple of queries/requests and they've done everything to help me out, even sending over new, updated files to suit my needs. better than "look, that'll be available in the next release, ok!?!".
if you're messing about with php and loads of forms, i really recommend you take a look.
- related:
- javascript,
- php,
- sites,
- web dev
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/07/03/07/wow-c...
24th july 2006
blimey, javascript powered css hacks
rafael lima has created a js library that allows for browser specific css classes. it means that you can prefix your style classes with a browser code (it covers ie, ie5, ie6, gecko, opera, konqueror and safari), and that specific css will only be picked up by that specified browser. i guess this is still a hack, and it obviously won't work if javascript is disabled, but it's still a cool idea.
why not take a look for yourself?
- related:
- javascript,
- web dev
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/06/07/24/blime...
28th june 2006
look at this beast
tom lee, on his blog at tl on pl, has come up with a way of faking the css property max-width in internet explorer - ie5.5 and ie6, in strict mode, to be exact.
it uses microsoft's dynamic properties and it's possibly the most ugly thing you'll ever see - and i know ugly, you should see some of the clubs i've been in - but looking at his test page, it seems to work.
i've had varied success using:
width: expression(document.body.clientwidth > [insert width]? "[insert max width]": "auto" );
for a couple of years now, but it looks like this may be better.
anyways, you can read about it at max-width in ie using a css expression.
- related:
- web dev
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/06/06/28/look-...
20th june 2006
<sup>er line height fix
firstly, sorry for not posting for ages, but there is a football tournament going on in germany that it's fair to say i'm relatively interested in.
secondly, mzajac of - the fountain of knowledge that is - wikipedia has come up with a very nice way of preventing <sup> and <sub> text from completely ruining our nice line heights. i did an online annual report for a major pharmaceutical company a few weeks ago, and some of the chemical names, will all those <sup> or <sub> 2, 3 and 4s, really messed up some of the presentation. looks like this will fix it nicely.
take a look at mzajac/monobook.css/superscript fix for yourselves.
- related:
- web dev
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/06/06/20/ltsup...
5th june 2006
oh lordy, it's the scrutinizer
the scrutinizer has 'bookmark' written all over it. it's a home for all of the tests that we - developers - should be doing on everything we build. these tests include code validation tests, accessibility, search engine optimization and browser compatibility. very, very handy.
just try to ignore the design as it screams "web2.0!!!" at you continuously.
visit the scrutinizer.
- related:
- accessibility,
- standards,
- web,
- web dev
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/06/06/05/oh-lo...
20th april 2006
would hide a stain on your wall
when the thecssweblog wrote this week of a poster that "conveys the importance of web standards visually" i saw myself printing several out and sticking them all over my work's office, but...
i don't want to sound awful, but does anyone else see any kind of rhyme or reason in taking the time out to create something like the standards in a nutshell" poster? i'm sure natalie jost is a very nice person, and her site is very nice too, but c'mon. thecssweblog states that it "may be the key in driving home the point to those who have seemed unable or unwilling to grasp the concept". how exactly does it do that? imagine taking that into your next project pitch, and saying "you really should consider us because all our sites are developed with web standards in mind, observe...", and holding your "standards in a nutshell" poster up.
again, i really don't want to sound awful, but at least just present it as a quirky, humorous little poster to stick on your wall rather than "how to best explain web standards to someone unfamiliar" or something that "conveys the importance of web standards visually" (thecssweblog, not natalie).
if only zeldman had thought of this, 'designing with web standards' could have been a flyer.
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/06/04/20/would...
31st march 2006
i can't believe it's not javascript
this is beautiful. stu nichols has created a css only image gallery that you won't believe is... well, css only.
so very, very simple, but so bloody clever, cool and nice.
take a look at this thing of beauty.
- related:
- web dev
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/06/03/31/i-can...
29th march 2006
css = cadaverous style sheets?*
your style sheets looking a bit... well.. fat? no problem. css tweak is a personal trainer for your styles which will have them looking fitter, leaner and more athletic than ever before.
just browse for you css file, tell the tool what to tweak, and away you go. best to leave 'leave my layout alone!' blank though.
* apparently cadaverous means corpse like, or gaunt. it was the closest think i could get to skinny, beginning with a "c". so sue me.
- related:
- web dev
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/06/03/29/css--...
24th march 2006
for cool geeks. like me. obviously.
some superb t-shirts over at cascadingstyleshirts.com. apparently they are the "fashion home of the discerning web builder", and i'm not going to argue.
the copy is as good as the clothing. they tell us that their "asynchronous screened cotton messaging system improves user experience and ensures compliance". as for my favourite shirt, 'respect the dom':
"this is the best shirt. because people will ask you what the dom is. and you'll sort of know but you'll have trouble describing it. so you'll just sort of sneer and get defensive and act superior."
brilliant. i gotta get me one. and practice my sneer.
- permalink:
- http://www.oneplayer.co.uk/06/03/24/for-c...