Entries from 2012
Simple Bar Graphs Made Dynamic with PHP
The simple bar graph shown last week could be utilized to generate charts on the fly. This is great for showing responses from an online survey and other data collection methods. All that's needed is a scripting language such as PHP and direct access to the data. [Continue reading]
Creating Simple Bar Graphs with HTML
Looking for a quick and dirty way to make bar charts? While digging through old code, I stumbled across some simple HTML code for generating bar charts. I'm sure there are better ways to make fancier graphs, but I thought it would be fun to share this old-school technique. [Continue reading]
Software Update Reset My Dreamweaver Workspace
Last week my Dreamweaver was patched via the Adobe Updater. After restarting, I noticed that my workspace had changed. Panels were in the wrong place. My custom code color options were removed—along with my Snippets. Well, it turns out that the fix was quite simple. So I thought I would take a few minutes to share. Note: the information presented is based Dreamweaver CS5.5 (Version 11.5 Build 5366) for Windows 7. [Continue reading]
Hiding Browser Windows with Chrome Toolbox
The more I use Google Chrome, the more it bothers me that the browser doesn't prevent windows with multiple tabs from being accidental closing. Other browsers have a warning before the window closes. At least there are browser extensions, such as Chrome Toolbox, to make up for the shortcoming. As an added bonus, Chrome Toolbox adds shortcuts for hiding browser windows. [Continue reading]
Sorting Two MySQL Table Columns as One
How do you sort database entries chronologically when there are two different date fields? One shows when the entry was updated. The other indicates when it was created. If the developer didn't have the hindsight to set both fields to the same date when an entry is created, how do you work with the fields for sorting? [Continue reading]
Advanced Uses of Google Forms: Customizing and Pre-population
As mentioned in last week's post, Google provides very few options for customizing their forms. However, with a little extra work, the form can look anyway we want. All the extra space between questions can be removed. Labels can appear on the same line as the corresponding form field. Let's look at customizing Google forms and other advanced usage of the service. [Continue reading]
Rapidly Developing Forms with Google Docs
If you develop surveys or data collection forms online, have you given Google Docs a spin? This free service is more than just creating spreadsheets and documents. It also provides a form builder which simplifies the development of online forms. The form responses are stored in a Google spreadsheet which can easily be exported to Microsoft Excel, CSV, etc. Plus, the forms can be embedded in your own website. [Continue reading]
Removing Excess Information from URLs Prior to Publishing
Before posting links online or in printed materials, do you clean them up? They may contain things that can be removed while still having functional links. They will be shorter. Plus, removing some parts may help future-proof the URL. Now I'm not talking about removing the "http://" and "www" portion. There are other things to consider. [Continue reading]
Are Skinny Scroll Bars Worth the Hit to Website Usability?
When it comes to interface design, what's with websites (and applications) switching to the skinny scroll bar. Okay, it saves space. But are the usability drawbacks worth the few extra pixels? Since downloading and trying out Rockmelt a few weeks back, I've been asking myself this question. [Continue reading]
Naming Your HTML Form Fields with an Associative Array
When using database entries to dynamically build HTML forms, how do you go about naming the form fields? Do you name them "Field1", "Field2′, etc.? Or do you have a more efficient way to access the fields when processing the form submissions? If you haven't tried using an array as the name, you may be missing out. [Continue reading]
