Balsamiq Mockups

Posted by steiner on Apr 30, 2010 in Site & Application Reviews | 0 comments

I recently applied for a “do-gooder” license, as the folks at Balsamiq Studios have dubbed it, and had been given a chance to put their product Balsamiq Mockups through the ringer with no limitations…. YAY!

The tool is designed to help create User Interfaces for web, applications and even phones (namely the iPhone, lol). It feels like a UML (Dia, Visio, etc) but instead of database or classes diagrams and datagrams you get fluid structures and shapes to help put your ideas to “paper”.

So if you at least familiar with UML or Visio style tools than you’ll love applying this to your interface concepts.

My initial thought was “There aren’t enough mockup sprites”… quickly proven false by the overwhelming customizations most of the sprites have.

Test Mockup

Obviously downsized,lol. This is a great tool for freelancers, project managers and overall any group or individual that has high-standards for their concepts and would like to have their ideals easily conceptualized.

GET EET!

LINK-> Balsamiq Mockups

GOT IT YET?

lol

SnipVaults.com Overview

Posted by steiner on Apr 12, 2010 in SnipVaults | 0 comments

I’m a long time user of Snipplr.com and I loved it for all of its simplicity… however it has recently become bombarded by adverts and tracking obtrusive JavaScripts.

Now, I know there are many different solution I could have used to avoid this, NoScript or GreaseMonkey just to show I know there are tools out there to avoid being “attacked” or tracked by these obtrusive scripting tactics… however, I’m not a minimalist like 90% of the web-dev world (self ascertained, for give me if you feel I’m wrong about that).

I do not like having to go out of my way to run tools that make my visit on a site “safer”, is should be safe as a mindset… not a policy.

Regardless… I’ve given up trying to navigate that site with javascript on, and being as stubborn as I am I refuse to have to turn it off or get tools to do it for me, lol.

SO BLAH! I decided to create SnipVaults.com. It will be free to use and have a lot more features the other snippet repository sites do not offer!

Such As:

• Custom color schemes for your code (separate schemes for private and public as well)
• Sub-Domain usernames (http://usename.snipvaults.com) will bring you to your profile page (not forward, bring) where you will be able to your dashboard edits and snippet adds/categorization/etc.
• $10.00 Perpetual Licensed .NET Desktop application to bring the snippets on the site to your IDEs and Text Editors! (Much to the degree of Mac’s Snippet)
• Absolutely NO obtrusive javascript of any sort… EVER as long as I’m owner!
  • However, I do plan on having an affiliates program, using image/text only advert from sources I know and trust NOT using javascript.
• Fully recursive API. All snippets will be available via the API whether public or private (will require oAuth or some other form of secure API user-based credentials)
  • SOAP Webservice to start (.NET, lol)
  • RESTful Webservice is next (in all your favorite flavors: xml, json, etc)

And a lot more I can’t seem to put “pen to paper” for because I still want there to be some surprise!

I know you all think I’m some kind of .NET sychophant by now… truth is I am and I’m not. I program .NET professionally and opensource languages like PHP/Javascript and the-like as an obsession-sized hobby that started far before my .NET experience. So I’m trying my best to provide what I can to serious developers and social coders everywhere. And by providing a site/service which makes it easier to do the simple things that are involved with development… I can only hope it catches on and becomes a common practice for us all.

Keep posted to find out new developments on the site! I’ll be sure to write any progress here.

Apache 2.x userdir_mod

Posted by steiner on Oct 24, 2009 in Random Scripts/Ideas, Scripts | 0 comments

Well, Titan Network has been using a method to fix/update/create sites within the same LAMP environment as the server the live sites are on… So Dan Da Cunha implemented a brilliant idea using apache’s symbolic links (symlinks).

We’d log into the server without respective user-names and passwords, and once in we’d simply go to our user-named subdomain folder and do the following.

$ cd ~/svn
$ ln -s project_name active

However, the back-end of it was a bit of headache. First we had to create a CNAME in our DNS records for each developer, then create vhosts for each individual user-based sub-domain.

That wasn’t as big a deal as I’m making it out to be… but I’m a fan of SIMPLER, lol. Plus the ultimate con to this setup is that you only get to point ONE folder to your active project. So if you want to have someone check out your progress and move onto another project in the interim… you couldn’t.

So I had an idea to utilize the userdir_mod Apache2 uses; Create one CNAME in the DNS.

CNAME: *
Alias To: your domain

That’s called a wildcard CNAME. It lets us use pretty much anything for a sub-domain without having to create multiple records for each one. And with a few tweaks to the default vhost record and the userdir_mod, we were running each project folder we had from our /home/usename/public_html directory in a 2 part sub-domain.

http://<project_name>.<username>.domain.com

Yea, I know… you’re asking why don’t we just edit them from the folder root… well because all the sites we make are for domain root… and that would mess up a lot of CSS and image linking.

Step 1
Open /etc/apache2/sites-available/default in your favorite text editor.

Step 2
Sadly, now that we have a wildcard CNAME, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.domain.com will bring up your site’s default vhost location’s directory listing (given you have autoindex_mod enabled)

TAKE NOTE, whether your VirtualHost file is headed like this <VirtualHost *:80> or something else, because step 3 is going to need the same structure.

Either put a faux index.php file in the “DocumentRoot” location
– OR –
Edit the first <Directory /> node to have Options Indexes changed to Options -Indexes so the directory won’t list and it will just reply with a HTTP/1 403 error.
– OR –
Put DirectoryIndex /path/to/file/name.php in your first line under the first <Directory /> node and point it to a php script that forwards them off to the main site or something, use your imagination!

Step 3
Open /etc/apache2/mods-available/userdir.conf in your favorite text editor.
Slap a # in front of each line in the orignal text to comment it out, and copy and paste the snippet below (make your edits post-paste).

<VirtualHost *:80>
	<IfModule mod_userdir.c>
			UseCanonicalName Off
			ServerName	  *.domain.com
			ServerAlias	 *.*.domain.com
			UserDir /home/*/public_html
			UserDir disabled root
			VirtualDocumentRoot /home/%2/public_html/%1
			<Directory />
					Options +Indexes FollowSymLinks
					DirectoryIndex index.php index.html index.htm
					AllowOverride All
			</Directory>
			ServerAdmin support@domain.com
	</IfModule>
</VirtualHost>

Obviously you can change some things around to your likings.

%1 is the first segment of your URL/URI
%2 is the second segment of your URL/URI

The reason we don’t put the user-name first in the URL is because if there is an already existing subdomain with the same name is your home directory’s public_html sub-directory, they will conflict and return a server error.

All underlying info can be found at http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/mod_vhost_alias.html.

From here you simple enable your userdir mod (if you haven’t already) and give it a test.

NOTE: DNS records take about an hour to propagate, so if it doesn’t work right away to be surprised.

Titan Network Project(s)

Posted by steiner on Aug 7, 2009 in Titan Network | 0 comments

Well… I’ve been part of a really cool community called the Titan Network since October of 2008. It’s a webring of great sites and services for the City Of Heroes players.

I was brought in to help SuckerPunch/Dan Cunha make his original script known as “SuckerPunch’s Online Planner” even better than it was before by bringing in a series of useful calculations that would normally only be found in an application.

Well… a few months pass and Titan founders Sean, Terry and Dan all go into “semi-retirement” and leave the network to TonyV, the founder of ParagonWiki.com, and myself.

With that said, let’s get to the point I’m posting this.

Current Titan Projects:

• PvPEC (Titan Events)
  • Changing the name from the PvPEC to Titan Events, because I plan on making it to support more than just the PvP aspect of the game
  • It will be a script the utilizes the characters listed in City Info Tracker and allow users to start events, T/S Forces, tournaments, etc…
  • And very to user calender script to export into what ever application or device they wish to use this information in
  • Possibly a module on Glycerine to let people know that there is an event they’re signed up to about to start(?)
• TNA Revamp
  • Well, my first script on Titan was the TNA “Titan Network Administrator” which was literally me just attempting my first stab at using and utilizing the CodeIgniter Framework, so it didn’t work as well as I (and everyone else) had hoped.
  • This new version features an array of ajax scripts and much friendlier navigation and UI for the moderators and admins to administer different aspects of the network.
• Flagship Revamp
  • The main site (http://cohtitan.com) has been in dire need for an upgrade for awhile… although the basic look and feel are relatively the same… there was a complete overhaul made to the code behind it.
  • Includes full PayPal Donation support and keeps track of every penny donated by each invisual user to see within their own account settings
  • Will include a full-blown FAQ and Tutorial module for users still wildered on how to use our sites and service
• COHFaces
  • My least favorite site on the Network, but the most traffic and used site… lol
  • It’s code is pretty solid, however it needs an overhaul as it is coded on what seems like a php4 mindset.
    • Needs __construct() functions instead of calling the function by the class name
    • Need to change out all $_POST with CodeIgniter XSS checks for ajax calls
    • Condense ajax controllers into one master controller with multiple functions.
    • Update the authentication class to create a faces session (currently creating cit session… don’t ask, lol)
    • Migrate authentication class to database session as cookies have  a limit and we’re getting dangerously close.
• COH Online Planner
  • Eventually finish Dan’s handy work and get a online version of a comprensible library of builds
  • Somehow link this and Mids’ Hero & Villain Designer (MxD) to talk to each other.
• MxD
  • Address my issues with it
  • Update to make fully current with all the right numbers and attributes
  • Address old issues with it
  • Luckily we have Fleeting Whisper who is creating a Cross-Operation System version of the script in Java, which will be nice and eventually force the original source into retirement.

There is more, but it’s smaller stuff and just haven’t gotten around to it is all.

FUN!

Welcome!

Posted by steiner on Aug 5, 2009 in Miscellaneous | Comments Off

Just a bit of a welcome to the new and improved Stei{nerd}.com website.

This is my little stock-pile of helpful code snippets, ideas and other thoughts that I believe should be public knowledge.