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Sausage Sizzler - Webmaster Weekly |
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| Editorial - February 6th 2002 |
G'day Sizzlers!
Quite a few people have written in and asked what has happened to
the various people that worked for Sausage over the years. In a
quick run down here is where some of the former HotDog Team
members have ended up:
Steve Outtrim, who founded Sausage, runs a company called Pagan
Investments.
Rob Cumming (AKA Nugget), who was the original HotDog Product
Manager. He and a group of the original programmers now run their
own company called myretsu. See their site at:
http://www.myretsu.com
Mark Harbottle (AKA Dax), who was the Marketing Manager, along
with Jason Donald, who was the Customer Support Manager, and a
couple of the other ex-Sausages run SitePoint, at:
http://www.sitepoint.com
Of course there are a number of other individuals who are still
around, I will try to get them all on the new forums we are
currently working on. Yes new forums, that use the more popular
and easily customizable vBulletin Bulletin Board software
(available at:
http://www.vbulletin.com). Look for the new forums
sometime in the next month!
The poll results are in from last weeks question:
What operating system do you want to use HotDog Professional on?
Windows 95 1%
Windows 98 24%
Windows 2000 23%
Windows XP 19%
Windows NT 1%
Mac 1%
Linux 30%
Very interesting to see how high Linux polled. We will have to do
some more market research and see if this is true when a larger
sample of people is. Creating a Linux version may be something we
definitely should do.
Why not have you say in this weeks poll? Tell us what sort of Web
site hosting you use;
Take the poll!
Last week I featured a new product called Research-Desk. It has
only been on the market for a few months, yet is already popular
with people who use MS Office and the Web simultaneously. Why?
Well because it integrates all of your Office products and your
browser into one neat and useful workspace. It is well worth
having a good
look at.
Finally, keep your comments and suggestion coming in. I like reading them
and they help me to make a better newsletter for you all to
benefit from! This week thanks to your suggestions we are adding
book reviews to the newsletter.
Keep on sizzling!
Nathan Allan
Sausage Sizzler Editor
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| Dynamic Tip - PHP Tips 3 - Basic Interaction |
So far we've covered how HotDog can help you while writing PHP
and some resources that are available to you online. Now, it's
about time we get into some actual code. This issue I want to
cover basic interaction with a user using PHP. In this article
I’m going to assume a basic understanding of PHP ’s syntax and a
working installation of PHP (if you’d like to try these examples
yourself).
I’m going to skip over "Hello, World!" type scripts and get right
into GET and POST requests. Most web requests use the GET method;
an example of this is clicking a link. Most HTML forms are
handled through the POST method. In PHP 4.0.6 and earlier we
access the data submitted through the variables $HTTP_GET_VARS
and $HTTP_POST_VARS. In 4.1.0 and later the $HTTP_*_VARS
variables are still available, however you should use $_GET and
$_POST. Since the current version of PHP is 4.1.1 I’m going to
use the $_GET and $_POST variables.
Example 1 (URL: http://{your host or IP here}/your/path/here/example_1.php):
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>PHP: Hello, World</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<?php
if ( $_GET[‘name’] == ‘’ ) {
echo ‘Hello, World!’;
} else {
echo ‘Hello, ‘ . $_GET[‘name’];
echo ‘<BR>’;
echo ‘<A href="example_2.php?name=’ . urlencode($_GET[‘name’]) . ‘">Click
Here for Example 2</A>’;
}
?>
</BODY>
</HTML>
In the example above, it checks if a value has been passed to it.
If one has, then it outputs "Hello, " and the value, otherwise it
outputs "Hello, World!" For example, if we added "?name=Rich" to
the end of the URL it would output "Hello, Rich". The values
after the question mark in a URL are all GET variables in
key/value pairs.
So, in PHP you use the key from the URL to access the value in
the GET variable. GET variables can also be part of an anchor tag
(<A href=""></A>) to pass values to scripts. The last line in the
"else" block shows us an example of putting variables into links.
The urlencode() function should always be used on any values
being passed in the URL, this function is explained fully in the
PHP manual.
Example 2 (URL: http://{your host or IP here}/your/path/here/example_2.php):
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>PHP: Hello, World</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<FORM method="POST" action="example_3.php">
<?php echo $_GET['name']; ?>, enter your age:
<BR>
<INPUT type="hidden" name="name" value="<?php echo $_GET[‘name’]; ?>">
<INPUT type="text" name="age">
<INPUT type="submit" value="Submit" name="Submit">
</FORM>
</BODY>
</HTML>
There shouldn’t be anything new to you in the example above. This
is a basic HTML form and it uses PHP to output the name from the
first example.
Example 2 (URL: http://{your host or IP here}/your/path/here/example_3.php):
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>PHP: Hello, World</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
Hello, <?php echo $_POST['name']; ?>.
<BR>
You are <?php echo $_POST['age']; ?> years old.
</BODY>
</HTML>
This is all there is to getting values from forms and URLs. PHP
makes it all very easy. From there you could use PHP’s large
function library to verify and manipulate the data, then
eventually insert it into a database. We will cover all of that
in later tips.
Also, keep in mind, if you’re using an earlier version of PHP
replace $_GET with $HTTP_GET_VARS and replace $_POST with
$HTTP_POST_VARS.
Tip by Rich Cavanaugh
From - EnFlyer: The Email Marketing Experts
So far we have the basics for a Web page, that will also
hopefully be indexed nicely thanks to the META tags we included
last week.
This week we look at the BODY tag in a little more depth. You can
use this tag to assign specific colors you want to use for the
text, links and background color or image of the page. Of course
a lot of people now use Cascading Style Sheets for this (CSS)
however this section of the newsletter is titled HTML Basics, and
CSS is a little trickier, so we will cover that down the track.
The Document Properties dialog box (accessible through the Format
tab in HotDog Professional), makes assigning values to the BODY
tag extremely simple! There is even an easy way to use CSS here,
however lets overlook that for now.
If you are building a simple page all you have to do is go to
this dialog and you will be able to pick the colors and
background you desire. You will end up with code added to your
page that looks like this:
<BODY bgcolor="#C0C0C0" text="#000000" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#FF00FF" link="#0000FF">
- bgcolor - Background color
- text - text color
- alink - is what color an active link will be
- vlink - is the color a link that has already been visited will be
- link - is the color a unvisited link is
Really simple hey?
Tip by Nathan Allan
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|
| Sizzler Forum Spotlight - Rotating Images |
Creativity, it’s a marvelous thing. Interpretation of a
question, perhaps open to the way each mind thinks. Getting a
page readers attention. Cramming as much information into a
restricted space. Bringing virtual life to an area that was
filled with virtual boredom.
Creativity and design process are great tools to possess when
attacking these items. Do you need to add life to your page? Do
you have an ad to serve or multiple ads to serve all from one
spot on the page? What is the most efficient way to handle the
display of multiple images in one spot?
"How can you have 4 images rotating in the same position on a
page?", I read this question and what came to mind was the
insertion of various ads or ad serving. I read further and
realized the question was focused more perhaps on gif animation.
There are a variety of ways to animate a page. A gif is probably
the simplest way. Then one can get into Java Script of which
there are almost literally tons of free scripts readily
available. There is also Flash, a great way to have heavy
animation in a lightly weighted (file size) package. Then there
is what I consider ugly territory, JAVA!! In many talks with
quite experienced programmers, Java is terrible for a web page.
Even on high-speed access having to wait for Virtual Java Machine
to load can be tedious.
There are great opinions and thoughts shared this week by forum
regulars and newbies. No one should be intimidated about things
they don’t know. Life is a learning process and it’s never done.
Please, come read and contribute.
Read the forum on Rotating images.
Review by Bram Leland Scolnick
| Gear Grinders - What's your weapon of choice? |
For those of you that have been with Rip Van Winkle taking a nap,
PDAs or Personal Digital Assistants, come in all flavors, shapes,
and sizes. Long gone are the days of a simple phonebook
organizer. Now its either Palm, Pocket PC or Blackberry. Mlife.
Wallaware. Treo. M705.
What are your needs? Do you need to make meetings and have
notes? Do you need wireless access for browsing? Do you need to
have all day / everyday access to e-mail? Maybe you’re going
boating or flying and would like to check radar weather images or
you’re bored stiff in weekly meetings and you’d like to listen to
some tunes.
My first PDA was a Visor Prism. Cool toy, but bulky. I was able
to return it and now have a Palm m505. Again, cool toy. I’m a
real productivity freak and I’d love to have a PocketPC-based
PDA. I know how to use Windows so I’m sure figuring out a
Windows-based handheld would be a breeze, not to mention a
familiar working environment.
Various products have various coolness factors that also come
with increased pricing. I’ve read that Pocket PC devices are
more IT based and Palms are more for those that need some
organization. I know from use that Palms require the use of Hot
Sync. I’ve also read that PocketPCs sit in their cradles and are
constantly updating. Palms connect via USB now. PocketPCs can
be connected via Ethernet.
All these choices and a variety of needs; which is the deciding
factor? What do YOU use and why? Let me know. Let us all know.
Look in coming weeks for more about PDAs and how they can be
helpful as well as burdensome.
Send your experiences to Bram Leland Scolnick
Turn your clipart into Web-enabled graphics in seconds!
If you have a collection of clipart, or maybe just a group of
images that aren't quite right for the Web, do we have a tool for
you! ImageLab allows you to quickly manipulate an image and
optimize it for the Web. It allows you to save out to either the
gif or jpg format, allowing you to modify the amount of
compression and quality of the image. It has a collection of
different functions that will allow you to easily alter your
image to make it perfect for your web site. The functions
include:
- Rotating - Flip, mirror or rotate your image by degrees
- Resize - Resize your image, with the option of keeping the image size ratios intact. You are also given the ability to crop your image to a smaller size
- Effects - Blur or Sharpen your image.Alter the Brightness or Contrast
- Blend - You are given the ability to blend another image with your original
- Buttonize - Turn your image into a button, using a number of different optional effects
- Caption - Add text directly onto your image. You are able to select the font, color, size and position
ImageLab will let you view and then manipulate images with these
extensions, gif, jpg, bmp, pcx and tif. As a bonus ImageLab will
tell you the new file size after each alteration you make and
tell you how long it will take to download using different types
of connections to the Internet. ImageLab is perfect for the
Webmaster who doesn't have high end graphic designer tools, but
still wants to be able to modify images for their own Web site.
Name: Image-Lab
Version: 1.01
Cost: US$39.95 - 30 day Trialware
Website: http://www.sausagetools.com/supertoolz/imagelab.html
Download: ftp://ftp.sausage.com/pub/supertoolz/imagelab.exe
Review by Nathan Allan
| Book Review - Flash Web Design |
The author, Hillman Curtis, and this team are award-winning
designers in the world of motion graphics; both technically and
artistically. Their software know-how, combined with their unique
artistic sense, create a powerful combination - one that I'm
excited to share with you in their first book - Flash Web Design.
I find this book useful as either a reference or inspiration if
not both. The book is 10-chapters long and deals with the
deconstruction of various Internet Flash animations. This book is
not for beginners as the author assumes that the readers have
some knowledge and experience using Flash. But amazingly it
manages to find a place on the bookshelf of beginners since it
gives step-by-step instructions, which are fully explained by
screenshots and additional guides. In the beginning of each
chapter the author gives an overall overview of the project by
outlining the special effects used and why they are used.
This book's deconstruction of successful, real-world Flash
animations and interfaces has been chosen because they reveal
most clearly the techniques crucial to being a successful motion
graphics designer.
The first chapter (The Art Of Motion Graphics) explains the
creative philosophy behind motion graphics. Hillman explains how
he has learned to design for the web and explains the importance
of working towards a Global Visual Language. "The challenge for
designers is to move towards a global visual language comprised
of simple symbology and motion." Of all the chapters, I find the
first one most interesting because it opens your mind up to how
great designers think and how they give their approaches to
design.
Chapter 4 (Hillmancurtis.com Navigation Deconstruction) deals
mainly with working with movie clips. He uses Adobe Premiere as
the digital video editing program, but the technique and logic he
uses will allow anyone to work with any digital video editing
program. The end of the same chapter is about how to create
multi-state animated rollover buttons, including use of action
scripts.
Overall, this book is for anyone who is already significantly
familiar with Flash and can find his or her way around complex
Flash animations. If you are new to Flash, you will be better off
with a beginner's book, although you can use this book in
addition to that. In each deconstructing project, you will surely
be able to redo the animation by yourself. You will be well
guided throughout the process and you will be taught how to
optimize and test your projects. After reading this book, I'm
sure you will be among the greatest motion graphics designers.
Buy it cheaply!
Review by Ahmad Permessur
From - eDEVDAFE
To read the Sizzler Forums you do not need to be a member.
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you a few seconds to sign up!
- Go to: http://www.sizzlerforums.com
- Read the information and click on the REGISTER button
- Fill out the form
- You will receive an email that you simply reply to
- Hey presto! Your a fully fledged Sizzler Forums member!
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