I just read an extremely funny article from the States about 'securing' websites using javascript, with the username, the password, and the 'secure' page URL written in the clear: 'So you hacked our site?!'.
Tag Archive for 'javascript'
Part 1: Applications
Part 2: Code Libraries/Resources
6. Smarty
Separating form from content is a holy grail in web design - it allows you to update the user interface of a website without altering how it works. You can even have different colour schemes or skins. Smarty is a template engine for PHP which forces you to separate form and content. It is easy to use, quick to master, and has good documentation.
7. jQuery (not Prototype)
Writing JavaScript can be frustrating at best. Using a JavaScript framework (there are many available) makes things quicker and easier, and they often include simple to use Ajax funcionality. The most common (thanks to Scriptaculous) is Prototype, but I prefer jQuery. It is much smaller, and has similar effects to Scriptaculous (although, admittedly, not as many). It also (I think) has a more logical structure.
8. WYMeditor
WYSIWYG text editors are the scourge of web developers. They often create hideous code and don't work properly, no matter what they claim, and allow users to define what their text looks like, rather than your template. Cue WYMeditor, an What-You-See-Is-What-You-MEAN editor, which creates perfectly structured XHTML code. It allows the user basic formatting tools (bold, italic etc) but not font, size, colour etc. Instead, the user chooses a style type (heading, paragraph, list etc), which can fit into your template easily.
Added to that, it works extremely well, and uses jQuery. It's brilliant!
9. Behaviour
Adding JavaScript events to HTML is as simple as CSS with the Behaviour framework. It is faster than any full JavaScript framework, and works like a charm. I use it in all my projects, and highly recommend it. The script file is small as well, especially if you pack it.
10. JavaScript Packer
If you include JavaScript files in your websites, you'll want to reduce their size as much as possible. Enter Dean Edwards' JavaScript Packer. It hugely reduces the size of JavaScript files, without losing any functionality. I love it.
That's it for now - there may be a part 3, in which I will add any new tools. I hope that someone at least has found these two useful!
Part 1: ApplicationsPart 2: Code Libraries/Resources
There are various tools that are indispensable to me, and I thought I'd share them with the world! A lot of them are fairly standard, but this is my blog, so these are my thoughts on them!
1. Eclipse with PDT
I write my code using the Eclipse open source IDE. I settled on this after many years of using a simple text editor, Textpad. I decided I needed a text editor with real syntax highlighting, autocompletion, variable recognition - features found in Zend Studio, a hideous and slow program.
However, for a long time Zend was the best PHP syntax highlighter I could find - until I discovered PHPEclipse, and later Zend's own PHP IDE (now PDT) plugin for Eclipse. I have never looked back. Eclipse is one of the few Java programs that actually works well, and fast. PDT is still in development, but 0.7 RC3 has just been released, is very stable (it has never crashed on me), and works well.
If you want Smarty syntax highlighting, that's a bit tricker. PDT doesn't support it, but PHPEclipse has some basic Smarty syntax highlighting, so I have two Eclipse workspaces - one with PDT, the other with PHPEclipse.
2. XAMPP
XAMPP is amazing. If you are a web developer using IIS or some other web server, stop immediately and download XAMPP. It is far easier to set up and use than IIS. And, it is contained entirely within a folder. That means, if you move around from computer to computer, you can stick your Eclipse, website and XAMPP files on a memory stick and have your website anywhere. All you need to ensure is that the memory stick is given the same drive letter everywhere you plug it in.
3. Firefox with Firebug
Javascript and Ajax debugging is revolutionised with Firebug. You can even use it to optimize the objects on your pages, as it details each page request, how large it is and how long it takes to load. You can use it in design, inspecting DOM elements and displaying their style information, even the layout, with margins/padding etc. It is simply amazing.
4. Colour Scheme Picker
If, like me, you find colour scheme inspiration difficult, you'll love this tool. Simply pick a random colour that you like, and it will give all kinds of suggestions for a colour scheme. I highly recommend it. Colour Scheme Generator 2.
5. Font Picker
Similar to the previous tool, but this one allows you to compare different fonts side-by-side. It also groups the fonts by operating system, so you can choose fonts that are included in all major operating systems. Typetester.
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