Archive for June, 2009

Browser Refresh Automation (XRefresh)

Friday, June 19th, 2009

I normally don’t review programs that I have downloaded, but I feel XRefresh is one of those programs that will make your web development work flow that much faster.

The sole purpose of XRefresh is to refresh the browser as you modify source files. I hope you can see the benefits of this. The following are the steps you take to get it working:

  1. Download XRefresh (requires firebug)
  2. Once installed, you tell XRefresh which folders you want it to monitor.
  3. You open up your local file (PHP/HTML) in the browser as well as in your code editor of choice
  4. Change something in your file, and save it.
  5. Go back to your browser and it should have automatically refreshed. It does this by detecting the save commands!

The main purpose for this is when coding PHP locally you can have it automatically refresh to save you the same of switching windows all the time. Save what you’re doing in the IDE… look at the other monitor and have your change. No need to ALT-TAB and then hit Refresh!

One problem I have seen so far is that if you are changing a CSS file, something goes wonky with the images. If you have a solution for this please share it in the comments!

I recommend you get this software and try it out for yourself. Let me know what you think of it in the comments.

Posted in Software | 1 Comment »

Looking for Weekly Writers…

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Sorry that I have not been able to update this blog as much as I have liked lately. I have been extremely busy with client projects that I have not had the time to write articles, and tutorials.

Due to this fact, I am looking at getting someone to help out by posting one article a week. I have not yet decided if, and how much I am willing to pay. Please leave a comment with your email if you are interested, or go ahead and do up a tutorial and leave a link in the comments.

Remember this is great publicity for you personally as well as for your business as I will give full credit. Great for some SEO back links and getting some input from my well established RSS subscribers.

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Promoting the Winnipeg Web Industry

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

One thing that has been bugging me lately is the lack of interest there seems to be in the web industry in my area. It may be different in other areas, but speaking from my own experience.

I always love when people ask me, “What do you actually do for a living?. I simply respond by I develop websites for companies/individuals. Usually I hear a response something like, “You can make a living off that?”. Not sure how many of you developers / designers can feel with me, but the majority of the world doesn’t understand everything that goes into a website.

Another aspect of the web industry that I felt myself thinking in my younger years was, “I enjoy web design as a hobby, but can I make a career of it?. I think that a lot of youth sometimes feel this way, and feel that work has to be something you hate. I can say that I truly love what I do! I just sometimes shake my head at people who flat out reject going into the web industry. I currently have a dream job.

  1. I work at home, and set my own hours
  2. Make good money
  3. And most importantly, I enjoy my job!!

I feel the community, and myself included need to unravel some of the mystery surrounding the web industry. There is a great debate whether or not you should self teach yourself or go to University. I have achieved a bit of both. I suggest that you get some training in your area of interest, but when you leave the program always keep learning. We work in a fast paced industry, and you need to be constantly improving from project to project.

I’ll put in a plug now for the local university in Winnipeg, MB that has taught me well and can do the same for you! Please refer potential interested individuals to the Winnipeg Web Design Camp page.

I would love to know how you feel on this issue, and if you think the web industry gets the respect it deserves! Also, what would you do to get students interested?

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

 
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