Archive for June 2nd, 2006
PHP Developer - June 2nd, 2006
The LAMP package (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) is great for a lot of the developer world out there, but sometimes needs change and people (and their software) just need to adapt to a different environment. It’s nice to know, though, that there are good alternatives to these four pieces of software and this new article from Informit.com will put you in tune with them.
Most Free Software users are familiar with the Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP stackĀthe LAMP configurationĀa widely deployed set of software used for a large number of Internet and intranet applications. Although the LAMP configuration is the most frequently used, it’s not always the best tool for any given job. This article proposes some alternatives.
Here’s some of the alternatives they mention:
- Linux - OpenBSD, Solaris, FreeBSD, and NetBSD
- Apache - LightTPD, Yaws, and Tux
- MySQL - PostgreSQL, SQLite, Firebird, Apache Derby
- PHP - CGI/FastCGI, Seaside/Smalltalk, Ruby on Rails, GNUstepWeb
For each of the alternative technologies, they mention briefly what it is and how it can be use to replace that one of the “final four”.
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PHP Developer - June 2nd, 2006
The templating system in Drupal, a popular PHP-based content management system, is powerful and Nick Lewis wants everyone to know it. In his latest post, he starts off a series looking to help developers harness this power in their own sites.
This introduction provides the reader with details on a few different topics - making a custom template for the user login form, pass an “editable node” into said form, alter the values in it, and make the page easily accessible for the template file.
Being a tutorial, he steps you through every bit of the way, complete with code and explainations (and screenshots) to make the lesson easier. You’ll need to know some PHP before getting into this - it’s more than just a simple HTML template change.
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PHP Developer - June 2nd, 2006
From WebMonkey, there’s a new article for all of the bloggers out there that just don’t know where to get started with the look and feel of their site. Tim Ziegler wants to help, and in “Get Your Feet Wet with WordPress” he provides everything from day one.
The best thing about WordPress (apart from it being free) is that plug-ins are available to do all manner of things, from inserting tag clouds into your blog to adding surveys and shopping carts to integrating YouTube videos. Not to mention the fact that you have serious control over the design of each section of your site.
But here’s the rub: WordPress’ system for messing with your blog design and site functionality is powerful, but can be confusing and awkward until you figure out how all the pieces fit together.
This article will pull apart the templating system and make you a WordPress Grand Wazier or your money back! (Not really on the money back.)
He covers a few different topics, including installing custom templates, how WordPress template files work together, working a bit with PHP to pull in remote content (or local, for that matter), and the best places to grab some of those handy WordPress plugins.
The one thing he doesn’t cover is the installation, so you’ll need to have it up and working before you tackle this tutorial. He suggests starting with a good base theme and going from there - changing settings, modifying the HTML, and using plugins to your advantage to enhance the functionality of your site.
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PHP Developer - June 2nd, 2006
On BarelyFitz Designs, there’s a handy tutorial that’s been posted to help developers out there combine the powers of PHP and CSS to form a sort of color management system for their site.
While many web sites use powerful programming environments to create HTML, these same tools are usually ignored when it comes to creating Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). This article describes how to take control of your colors in CSS using PHP. You will learn how to:
- Centralize your color definitions using variables.
- Separate presentation and content by referring to colors using abstract names such as base and highlight.
- Automatically generate a color gradient from a single base color:
- Automatically adjust the contrast of foreground colors so they can viewed on top of your background colors
They follow the steps to making a CSS file with PHP - generate the header and output the CSS - as well as examples of its usage. They create a range of colors based around a central one, five levels in either direction. The file they’ve created to accomplish this is also available for download.
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PHP Developer - June 2nd, 2006
In this new post on Tim Priebe’s blog today, he looks at a variety of the content manage ment system offerings out there on the web today, including several PHP-based options.
The list includes:
- PHPNuke (general)
- Drupal (general)
- Coppermine (images)
- WordPress (blogging)
- phpBB (forums)
For each, there’s a brief description, but not much more. There’s no real comparison here - just giving information on what they are (not even any links to their websites). It’s interesting to have a summary of some of the more major offerings lined up like this, however - a starting place to branch from for other CMS research.
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