Remote Coder Blog

A brief respite from my coding closet

Wow, look at all these cobwebs

January12

It’s amazing what happens when you don’t spend any time writing new articles.

-Absolutely nothing!

I am on my last year of my computer programming degree and my class loads have lightened up a bit. Along the way I’ve purchased a new house with my wife, had a meager 3 week Christmas break (not nearly long enough), and managed to acquire 2 internships doing web development.

Those are just a few of the things I’ve done.

Upon reflection of where I started this journey and where I am now I’ve learned that what I want to do MORE THAN ANYTHING is web development. I love designing websites, helping people put their brand out, and along the way learning more about myself, and my capabilities. This doesn’t mean I don’t like application development, but certainly with web design/development, I have more creative freedom and it’s that freedom I enjoy most.

My computer programming degree hasn’t covered (in my opinion) 2/3rds of what I believe I need to know to become a good web developer as far as web technologies go. I’ve covered html, javascript, xml, php and mysql. Those languages are a good basis for most sites, but in reviewing what other web developers out there are covering (thinks like JSON, JQuery, MooTools, CSS) I think I am not as prepared to handle all of the requests that might come to me.

So what can I do?

My wife was amazing in that for Christmas she got me a copy of the Smashing Book which has been a good start.

The Smashing Book is chocked full of tips and ideas about good site design and characteristics that I believe will help me be a better Web Developer. But while learning this, I have this deep sense that I need to learn more.

So, this is where you come in (if you even read this): I need to find out what current market trends are in web development and determine if those tools/skills are something I can acquire by reading, or if I should continue my education and find a school geared for Web Development.

I am so fried on education that I want to suppress the college route for awhile and see what I can do before that. I realize that this market is BLEAK, but certainly some one some where can use a developer (let alone pay one)

This is what I want to do for the rest of my life, so the question is, how to insure that happens.

:)

posted under Blogging, HTML, XHTML, CSS, AJAX, Javascript, Lifestyle, MYSQL, PHP, Programming, School, XML | Comments Off

Java Timer Applet

November17

I am not certain whether or not it’s taboo to post your code on the internet. There are several sites out there that do this, and I know without some code examples every now and then to look at, I might never understand certain elements.

It was hard to find any thing that closely related to what I’m about to post here. Basically, I was looking for some example that would illustrate for me how to use the Javax.swing.timer method.

I could understand that I needed to create the method by using:
timer = new Timer(1000, new TimerListener); which initializes a variable called timer as a new Timer method, counting by seconds, and called using the TimerListener class (inside class I had to create).

The reason why I was trying to create this java class was so I could imbed it into an applet for use on an html page.

This is the html code I used to call the applet:
<.html>

<.head><.title>Timer Applet<./timer><./head>
<.body><.applet code="timer.class" width="300" height="100"><./applet><./body><./html>
<./code>

Basically, the applet tag calls the java class and puts it in a predetermined sized window. When you load the html page in your browser (with Java enabled) it will call the java class, and run it.

So my Java code is as follows:
//Name: David Nick
//Date: 11.16.2009
//Purpose: To create a Java Timer Applet

import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;

public class timer extends JApplet
{

private JTextField tLabel;
private JPanel tPanel;
private JPanel bPanel;
private JButton startBtn;
private JButton stopBtn;
private Timer timer;
private int x = 0;

public void init()
{
timer = new Timer(1000, new TimerListener());
getContentPane().setBackground(Color.black);

//building the panels
buildTpanel();
buildBpanel();

//add panels to content pane
add(tPanel);
add(bPanel);

//setting the panel layout
setLayout(new GridLayout(2, 1));
}

private void buildTpanel()
{
//create the panel
tPanel = new JPanel();

//create Textfield that goes into the tPanel
tLabel = new JTextField("000000");

//add textfield to panel
tPanel.add(tLabel);
}

private void buildBpanel()
{
//create the panel
bPanel = new JPanel();

//create the buttons
startBtn = new JButton("Start");
stopBtn = new JButton("Stop");

//create the button listeners
startBtn.addActionListener(new StartListener());
stopBtn.addActionListener(new StopListener());

//add buttons to the panel
bPanel.add(startBtn);
bPanel.add(stopBtn);
}

//creating a listener for the start button

private class StartListener implements ActionListener
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
timer.start();
}
}

//creating a listener for the stop button

private class StopListener implements ActionListener
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
timer.stop();
}
}

//creating a timer listener
private class TimerListener implements ActionListener
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
x++;
tLabel.setText("000000"+(x));
}
}
}

One of the difficulties for me was nailing down how to increment the counter once I hit the start button. The Timer method has only timer.start(); and timer.stop();. There is no timer.reset(); method. It is in poor taste to try and force the timer to set itself to all zeros because in clicking start it continues where you hit stop.

And so there you have the Java Timer Method used in an HTML applet.

posted under HTML, XHTML, CSS, AJAX, Java, Programming, School, Source Code | Comments Off

Facebook, styles for FireFox, and killing that annoying status spam

May30

Recently one of my Twitter “reads” mentioned using a plug in for FireFox called Stylish to kill all of the spam on the right hand side of FaceBook.

If you are a frequent user of FaceBook, you know that it’s pretty annoying to constantly see a list of whatever “applications” your friends are using. (I.E.: List 5 things you hate, blah blah blah)

What Stylish is, is an add-on for FireFox that essentially modifies a websites formatting, and lays over the top of what ever site you’re viewing. So if something particular annoys you with a site, Stylish will allow you to remove the offending piece of code, thus making the site more enjoyable for your tastes.

Using Stylish for FaceBook turned off the notifications but still left other spam like the suggestions window, and other notifications.

So this is the code that stylish created for facebook:

@namespace url(http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml);

@-moz-document domain("facebook.com") {
.UIHotStream {display:none;}

}

and I added the following line to completely block/hide everything on that right side:

.UITitledBox {display:none;}

and so altogether you have:

@namespace url(http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml);

@-moz-document domain("facebook.com") {
.UIHotStream {display:none;}
.UITitledBox {display:none;}
}

I hope that my tip was helpful if you are as tired of looking at that garbage as I am. Now I am going to see what other sites I can use Stylish for because there is certainly plenty of spam/garbage out there I don’t want to look at.

posted under Blogging, General Writing, HTML, XHTML, CSS, AJAX, Java, Lifestyle, PHP, Programming, Source Code, XML | Comments Off

Wow, the end of May is already here

May27

And you thought you were busy? :)

Just a quick update to my last post. I completed my spring semester and passed all of my classes. So I’ve successfully navigated through Java 1, Agile Programming Methodology (Using Ruby on Rails), XML (DOM, SAX, XHTML), and PHP/MYSQL!

I am by far not finished learning ANY of these languages as they are all excellent and have their uses. Let’s just say this semester was getting my feet wet.

In retrospect, I certainly have a ton of work to do to master each of these. Along with working them, I also dusted off my HTML, graphics work, javascript, and picked up a new skill (CSS).

I have all of my textbooks for next semester, but I need to also find time to dive into them and get some of that knowledge under my belt before the semester starts. I’d like to do better this semester than I did the last one.

Now, as for this summer and blogging…. Mid June is going to be terrible for me as I am leaving for a 4 day excursion w/family. July is looking slightly better, and August I am taking another trip w/family. That means to you (the few of you there are) that I am going to continue my sporadic blogging.

I did want to pass along a link that I received for an IDE geared for MAC OS X called Coda. For a VERY limited time, Panic Inc (the company that makes Coda) is offering their products for 50% off what they normally sell them for.

If you go here, you’ll find more about it. I am about to download the demo and see for myself what the fuss is all about. I have also recently picked up Komodo Edit and I love their Windows IDE product. It’s worth finding something you like and sticking to it.

posted under Blogging, HTML, XHTML, CSS, AJAX, Java, Javascript, Lifestyle, MYSQL, PHP, Programming, Ruby, School, XML | Comments Off

The Crazy month of April

April2

I have been so overwhelmed these last few weeks that I had to begin writing on the calendar, all of the appointments for each day that I needed to make.

According to my calendar, April will be very busy.

One shining bright spot is that last night, at my SkyWarn meeting, there was a need to create a document that would track storm reports. Not only did I take charge of creating that document, I decided that the first step would be to see if I could duplicate it in an application.

Which you can. :)

So I wrote a PHP app form that would take the data in, spit it out to a text file, tab deliminate it, and then reset the form so you can continue to take more reports.

I will of course create a new storm reporting document, but I want to test this electronic version in a live scenerio.

(College is paying off, YAY!)

posted under HTML, XHTML, CSS, AJAX, PHP, Programming, SkyWarn | Comments Off