Programming

Never Lose Any File Ever Again, SVN Compare!
by Paul Davis - 09-Nov-09
Reader Level:

When working with a repository, you can do a compare on prior versions of a file to see what has changed. It isn't difficult to do and you can check on changes in prior versions pretty quickly.

The SVN Tools Series:
Never Lose Any File Ever Again!
Never Lose Any File Ever Again, SVN Compare!

Preventing Infinite Redirect Loops with Apache mod_rewrite Free!
by Steven Seiller - 12-May-09
Reader Level:

When writing rewrite rules for URLs without a trailing slash, an infinite redirection loop will be your likely result. To prevent this problem, create a preceding rewrite condition which adds the trailing slash to the requested URL. This tutorial will show you how.

Self-Documenting Code
by Tom Muck - 25-Mar-09
Reader Level:

As a programmer, it makes sense to create code that is readable by other programmers. If you are on a team, or have people that will need to integrate with or modify your code, the easier it is to read the more efficient the process will be. This article will use examples in PHP, but the concepts apply to any language. The samples are not meant to be run, but just examples of coding styles.

Processing Submitted HTML Form Data - Part 1 Free!
by Steven Seiller - 06-Aug-08
Reader Level:

This tutorial will walk through the essentials of processing submitted HTML form data. Whether you are processing information submitted through a contact form, a blog or a content management system, you must understand the essential components of submitted form data in order to process the submitted information. You might process the submitted data with ASP, ColdFusion, PHP or Perl but regardless of the scripting language you choose, the data submitted through the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) remains the same.

In Part 1 of this tutorial, we will review the CGI process and the two methods of submitting form data via HTML. Additionally, we will look at the range of form controls at your disposal and the nature of the data returned by each control. In Part 2 of this tutorial, I will use PHP to demonstrate the structure and values of typical form data with sample processing routines.

The Processing Submitted HTML Form Data Series:
Processing Submitted HTML Form Data - Part 1
Processing Submitted HTML Form Data - Part 2: PHP

Five Simple Guidelines to Improve Your Coding
by Rob Williams - 16-Jul-08
Reader Level:

One of the largest problems with web coding today is the lack of proper coding techniques and practices. The web is fairly unique in that most developers have come from various backgrounds and learned based by example and demand rather than through formal training, and so the lessons and best practices that traditional coders developed years ago (after many headaches!) are largely unknown by online coders. Today we're going to take a few minutes to run through some of the very simple but extremely important practices that will help to make your code much easier to work with both now and in the future.

Tracking Most Recently Read Content
by Tom Muck - 09-Oct-07
Reader Level:

Community MX has a feature that shows the most recent items you viewed. This is quite easy to do, but requires a few things to be in place. This article will show how we do this. The article will use ColdFusion, but the technique can be applied across the board to any server language, like PHP or ASP.NET. We'll assume for this article that you have a user login system and content management system already in place. We'll focus on the functionality to store the content id of the user reading the content.

Is it read yet?
by Paul Davis - 28-Sep-07
Reader Level:

When you browse the Community MX articles, have you noticed the details where it tells you if you've read it before or not? Do you want to do that on your site? Read on...

Hybrid Applications: AIR, Silverlight, et al in Perspective Free!
by Rob Williams - 27-Sep-07
Reader Level:

Recently there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the idea of "hybrid" applications; programs and sites built for and delivered across the internet, but that act and operate as if they were independant standalone programs. The idea, as we'll explore in this article, really isn't that new but it's receiving a great deal more focus than in the past, due to some key technologies being developed and pushed out by some of the major players in web development. This is not by anymeans an "Adobe VS Microsoft" debate, but rather an investigation into the concepts, technologies and possibilities that surround hybrid applications.

Server-Side Includes in PHP - Part 1
by Rob Williams - 08-Feb-07
Reader Level:

Server-side includes are one of the most important concepts for web developers today. They not only save you time but also make sites easier to update and maintain while reducing redundancy and duplicate pieces of code. The cavet that most new developers run into is that although the idea of server-side includes in general seems quite simple, often the implementation can be quite frustrating if not planned out correctly. In this article we'll talk about not only the theory, but also some practical examples, of how to properly implement server-side includes using PHP.

The Server-Side Includes in PHP Series:
Server-Side Includes in PHP - Part 1
Server-Side Includes in PHP - Part 2: Relative Paths Coming Soon

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 6: Resource Pointers and One Last Trick
by Rob Williams - 31-Jan-07
Reader Level:

One of the key components of any scripting or programming language are control structures; statements that tell a language interpretter to stop reading code in a linear line-by-line fashion and start to make more complex operations based on simple logic. While most developers are aware of the common "if else" and "for" structures, there are many others available in PHP (and other languages I might add) that allow you to save a great deal of time and make your coding more efficient and easier to understand.

In this series we're going to take a look at some of those "forgotten" structures and some practical examples of how they can be used to clean up your coding techniques. In the final part of this series we'll tie up some loose ends and take a look at one last neat little trick: resource pointers.

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures Series:
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 1: Switch Statements
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 2: The Break Command
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 3: Advanced Loops and Arrays
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 4: Internal Array Pointers
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 5: Variables by Reference
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 6:Resource Pointers and One Last Trick

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 5: Variables by Reference
by Rob Williams - 15-Jan-07
Reader Level:

One of the key components of any scripting or programming language are control structures; statements that tell a language interpretter to stop reading code in a linear line-by-line fashion and start to make more complex operations based on simple logic. While most developers are aware of the common "if else" and "for" structures, there are many others available in PHP (and other languages I might add) that allow you to save a great deal of time and make your coding more efficient and easier to understand.

In this series we're going to take a look at some of those "forgotten" structures and some practical examples of how they can be used to clean up your coding techniques. We're going to take a bit of a detour from our usual control structures discussions today to explore a slightly more basic but extremely useful technique called variable referencing.

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures Series:
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 1: Switch Statements
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 2: The Break Command
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 3: Advanced Loops and Arrays
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 4: Internal Array Pointers
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 5: Variables by Reference
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 6:Resource Pointers and One Last Trick

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 4: Internal Array Pointers
by Rob Williams - 14-Dec-06
Reader Level:

One of the key components of any scripting or programming language are control structures; statements that tell a language interpretter to stop reading code in a linear line-by-line fashion and start to make more complex operations based on simple logic. While most developers are aware of the common "if else" and "for" structures, there are many others available in PHP (and other languages I might add) that allow you to save a great deal of time and make your coding more efficient and easier to understand.

In this series we're going to take a look at some of those "forgotten" structures and some practical examples of how they can be used to clean up your coding techniques. This time around we'll explore array and resource pointers to see how they work and just how useful they can be.

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures Series:
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 1: Switch Statements
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 2: The Break Command
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 3: Advanced Loops and Arrays
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 4: Internal Array Pointers
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 5: Variables by Reference
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 6:Resource Pointers and One Last Trick

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 3: Advanced Loops and Arrays
by Rob Williams - 04-Dec-06
Reader Level:

One of the key components of any scripting or programming language is control structures - statements that tell a language interpreter to stop reading code in a linear line-by-line fashion and start to make more complex operations based on simple logic. While most developers are aware of the common "if else" and "for" structures, there are many others available in PHP (and other languages I might add) that allow you to save a great deal of time and make your coding more efficient and easier to understand.

In this series we're going to take a look at some of those "forgotten" structures and some practical examples of how they can be used to clean up your coding techniques. This time around we'll be looking at some more advanced looping techniques that will allow you to make your code more powerful and easier to read.

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures Series:
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 1: Switch Statements
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 2: The Break Command
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 3: Advanced Loops and Arrays
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 4: Internal Array Pointers
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 5: Variables by Reference
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 6:Resource Pointers and One Last Trick

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 2: The Break Command
by Rob Williams - 15-Nov-06
Reader Level:

One of the key components of any scripting or programming language are control structures; statements that tell a language interpretter to stop reading code in a linear line-by-line fashion and start to make more complex operations based on simple logic. While most developers are aware of the common "if else" and "for" structures, there are many others available in PHP (and other languages I might add) that allow you to save a great deal of time and make your coding more efficient and easier to understand.

In this series we're going to take a look at some of those "forgotten" structures and some practical examples of how they can be used to clean up your coding techniques. This time around we're going to take a look at the all-important break command.

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures Series:
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 1: Switch Statements
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 2: The Break Command
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 3: Advanced Loops and Arrays
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 4: Internal Array Pointers
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 5: Variables by Reference
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 6:Resource Pointers and One Last Trick

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 1: Switch Statements
by Rob Williams - 03-Nov-06
Reader Level:

One of the key components of any scripting or programming language are control structures, statements that tell a language interpretter to stop reading code in a linear line-by-line fashion and start to make more complex operations based on simple logic. While most developers are aware of the common "if else" and "for" structures, there are many others available in PHP (and other languages I might add) that allow you to save a great deal of time and make your coding more efficient and easier to understand.

In this series we're going to take a look at some of those "forgotten" structures and some practical examples of how they can be used to clean up your coding techniques. First up in the spotlight: the switch structure.

The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures Series:
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 1: Switch Statements
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 2: The Break Command
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 3: Advanced Loops and Arrays
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 4: Internal Array Pointers
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 5: Variables by Reference
The Lost Art of PHP Control Structures - Part 6:Resource Pointers and One Last Trick

Computer Math 0101 Free!
by Tom Muck - 27-Sep-06
Reader Level:

One of the very first things that you should learn if you are dealing with programming of any variety is the concept of binary and hexadecimal number systems. The foundation of computers is based in binary—1s and 0s—and its cousin hexadecimal Everything from HTML/CSS color codes to URL encoding to IP addresses to memory/hard drive capacity and everything in between exposes the concept of binary and hexadecimal With a basic understanding, working with computers is a bit easier.

Regular Expressions By Example
by Rob Williams - 26-Sep-06
Reader Level:

Regular expressions are a powerful pattern-based tool for searching and manipulating text. Unfortunately for newcomers they can also seem quite complicated and often times be simply overwhelming.

In this article we'll take a bit more of a hands-on approach to regular expressions and see how some of the various symbols and characters of regular expressions can be combined to form patterns that have real world practical uses.

Introduction to Regular Expressions Free!
by Rob Williams - 11-Sep-06
Reader Level:

One of the most common tasks as a programmer that you'll end up coming across is string manipulation. You can run from it, you can hide from it, but eventually you're going to have to end up doing it (and usually on a fairly frequent basis!). Fortunately, a special set of tools commonly called "regular expressions" can often save you a great deal of time and effort, helping you achieve goals that you never thought possible. The downside, of course, is that you have to learn how to use these "expressions", and they can be quite confusing at times.

In this article we'll take a beginner's look at what regular expressions are and see through examples how they can help you in your day to day tasks.

Getting Started with Atlas Free!
by Heidi Bautista - 06-Sep-06
Reader Level:

Just about everyone has heard of AJAX, right? The acronym stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. One of the problems with AJAX is that many people found it difficult to use. Microsoft developed Atlas, in part, to address that issue. Atlas is an extension of ASP.NET. You don't have to use ASP.NET to leverage Atlas functionality, but I think you'll find that it's convenient to do so. In addition to the server-side controls, Atlas also comes with sophisticated client script libraries, saving you the labor of writing your own JavaScript.

In this first tutorial we'll download and install Atlas. Later tutorials will explore using Atlas to perform asynchronous postbacks (via the UpdatePanel). This is arguably the best feature of Atlas. You can have a form on your page and when the user hits the submit button, instead of the entire page posting back, just the form does. That means that the page's contents are still visible. The only disruption to the page is the contents of the form. A lot more user-friendly, eh? Atlas boasts other cool features, too, that will be explained in later installments.

Content Control with .htaccess - Part 2
by Rob Williams - 31-Aug-06
Reader Level:

In the first part of this article we looked at how a rather unique feature of the Apache web server, called the .htaccess file, could be used to grant and deny permission to content based on a variety of conditions (IP address, etc).

In this article we'll see how we can take those access conditions and apply them to specific files and file groups on our site to make things more secure and easier to manage.

The Content Control with .htaccess Series
Content Control with .htaccess - Part 1
Content Control with .htaccess - Part 2

ASP.NET Application Folders
by Heidi Bautista - 25-Aug-06
Reader Level:

If you've worked with ASP.NET version 2.0 sites, you've probably seen folders like App_Themes and App_Data. But what are they and how are they used? Read on to find out.

Making Sure Your Visitor is Using SSL
by Ray West - 23-Aug-06
Reader Level:

You have built your site. It includes great features. Some of them (like account maintenance, or shopping) require the protection of a secure sockets connection (SSL) via https. Other parts are more generic and run faster without the overhead of the secure connection. How do you make sure that your user’s browser switches to a secure connection when they access those sensitive portions of your site?

Fundamental Fusebox: Part 1 - An Overview
by Thomas Pletcher - 18-Aug-06
Reader Level:

Fusebox has long been the leading ColdFusion web application framework, noted for its use of the model-view-controller (MVC) architecture. Now Fusebox 5 has been released, and this introductory article provides an overview, including a review of changes from the previous version. The article also takes a look at the new "skeleton" application provided for Fusebox 5.

The Fundamental Fusebox Series:
Fundamental fusebox: Part 1 - An Overview
Fundamental Fusebox: Part 2 - A Fusebox 5 Follow-up

Content Control with .htaccess - Part 1 Free!
by Rob Williams - 11-Aug-06
Reader Level:

There are many different ways to approach access control on web sites; although the most common idea is to protect content based on user names and passwords, this is certainly not the only criteria that can be used. In this article we'll explore some of the other options that you can use to control who is allowed to access different types of content on your site.

The Content Control with .htaccess Series
Content Control with .htaccess - Part 1
Content Control with .htaccess - Part 2

Learning PHP - Part 5: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
by Thomas Pletcher - 03-Aug-06
Reader Level:

This article provides an introduction to object-oriented programming (OOP) in PHP 5, as well as a brief overview of the new object-oriented (OO) features introduced since PHP 4. You'll learn how to define classes, instantiate objects and pass object references, and also how to use PHP 5's new clone operator. Additional OO techniques and topics, including inheritance, will be covered in a follow-up article.

The Learning PHP Series:
Learning PHP - Part 1: A Gentle Introduction
Learning PHP - Part 2: All About Arrays
Learning PHP - Part 3: Basic Content Management
Learning PHP - Part 4: Focus on Functions
Learning PHP - Part 5: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming

Using Timeouts in JavaScript
by Rob Williams - 31-Jul-06
Reader Level:

Web sites, like many technological devices these days, can often be regarded as having a "hurry up and wait" type of experience. That is, the user clicks a link, waits for the page to load, finally gets all of the relavent information and then takes their time going through the entire page until they find another link to follow, repeating the process once more. Unfortunately, this type of approach can be quite limiting for web developers, especially when trying to create a site where time and updated information can be critical to the overall experience.

In this article we'll take a look at some simple JavaScript that can give you the ability to keep the events and "action" on your web page going, even when the user is not following a link or refreshing the page.

File Uploading in ASP.NET - Part 3
by Heidi Bautista - 12-Jul-06
Reader Level:

The File Uploading in ASP.NET series has covered the following aspects so far:

Part 1 - upload three files at the same time and allow the user to change the filename before the upload occurs.
Part 2 - upload a single file and then insert the name of the uploaded file into the database.

In Part 3 we'll upload a single file again but this time we'll automatically rename the file after uploading it. We'll use the Stored Procedure server behavior rather than the Insert Record server behavior (used in Part 2) so that we can insert the row and change the filename in a single round trip to the database.

Along the way you'll get a chance to use the File and Path classes, both from the System.IO namespace and you'll see another example of controlling the execute of the MM:DataSet using its Expression attribute.

The File Uploading in ASP.NET Series:

File Uploading in ASP.NET - Part 1
File Uploading in ASP.NET - Part 2
File Uploading in ASP.NET - Part 3

Extract Links from a Web Page Using ColdFusion
by Tom Muck - 06-Jul-06
Reader Level:

ColdFusion provides a lot of functionality in the form of tags, but some of the more powerful features require a bit of programming knowledge, like the use of regular expressions, XML functions, and the recursive function construct.

This tutorial will show how to use a regular expression to find all given elements in a string, then use an XML function to extract HTML attributes, and use a recursive function (calling a function from within the function until finished) to streamline the coding. In this case, we'll be searching for all links within a page, but the technique could be used to find email addresses, HTML tags, phone numbers, or other formatted pieces of text.

CMX SendEmail User Control for ASP.NET Sites
by Heidi Bautista - 05-Jul-06
Reader Level:

This article introduces you to the CMX SendEmail user control. Drop the control on your .aspx page and you immediately have a CSS-styleable contact form for your website.

The CMX SendEmail user control's ease of use is especially convenient when you're working with designers who are comfortable using tags but may not be familiar with code. Even if you're a hardcore programmer you may still find the control convenient since it effectively separates presentation from business/logic.

Using GUIDs to Verify Registration in ColdFusion: Part 2
by Ray West - 23-Jun-06
Reader Level:

This is Part Two of this article and it explains the use of the verification page to accept a GUID and verify a users account. In the previous article, we created a registration page that accepted a registrants name and email address, generated a strong password, and created and emailed a GUID used to verify that the email address is valid and the person intended to register at your site.

Using GUIDs to Verify Registration in ColdFusion: Part 1
by Ray West - 23-Jun-06
Reader Level:

In a previous article, we talked about Globally Unique IDs (GUIDS) and their use in uniquely identifying records across disconnected databases. Another useful aspect of GUIDs is that they are sufficiently complex enough that they are not easily guessable and care be used for processes like verifying that the information (especially the email address) you received in a user registration is valid. In this article, we will take a look at some code that done just that... plus a little more.

File Uploading in ASP.NET - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 16-Jun-06
Reader Level:

In this tutorial, we'll extend the file uploading paradigm to include simultaneously updating the database to record the name of the uploaded file. Of course, it only makes sense to update the database if the file upload was successful. So we'll first upload the file and then update the database, if appropriate, using the Insert Record server behavior. Code is presented in C# and VB.

The File Uploading with .NET Series:
File Uploading with ASP.NET
File Uploading in ASP.NET - Part 2
File Uploading with ASP.NET - Part 3

Converting from C# to VB
by Heidi Bautista - 05-Jun-06
Reader Level:

Face it. All programmers have a favorite language. And, we're usually pretty vehement about why it's the best choice, too! But it can be a real problem when you're searching for examples and all you find is code written in the other language! This article introduces you to a free online (and downloadable) tool that does a pretty good job of converting C# code into VB. The article also includes general and DW-specific tips to keep in mind when converting code by hand.

Using the asp:Panel Control to Simplify Complex Forms
by Heidi Bautista - 26-May-06
Reader Level:

In this tutorial you'll learn an easy method to break up long, tedious forms so that the user finds them easier to fill out and you have just a single file to maintain. The form elements are nested inside of asp:Panel controls so that you can show one panel at a time and hide the rest. The best part of this approach is that you don't have to worry about maintaining state. The ASP.NET Framework takes care of that for you. Even across multiple post backs. That allows you to refer to controls nested in hidden panels. Very convenient.

JavaScript 101 - Part 4: Loops
by Rob Williams - 24-May-06
Reader Level:

Description: One of the primary aspects of effective web experiences is interactivity. Although most Flash developers will try to state otherwise, the reality of the fact is that the majority of non-standard interactivity, that is interactivity beyond what the broswer provides automatically, is driven by JavaScript.

Over the last few years the acceptance of both standards and some new JavaScript technologies such as XMLHttpRequest, or AJAX to the masses, has opened up a whole new realm of possibilites that have helped to bring JavaScript back into the mainstream focus as an important and leading-edge technology.

The purpose of this series of articles is to introduce newcomers to the concepts and fundamentals of JavaScript, so that you can begin to leverage the power of this technology in your own web projects. In Part 4 we'll be taking a look at Loop structures and the benefits of using them.

The JavaScript 101 Series:
JavaScript 101 - Part 1: The Basics
JavaScript 101 - Part 2: Operators
JavaScript 101 - Part 3: Control Structures
JavaScript 101 - Part 4: Loops

Another CSS Picker in ASP.NET
by Heidi Bautista - 10-May-06
Reader Level:

This article will show you an easy way to dynamically link to different CSS stylesheets based on practically any criteria you wish, for example, you can specify one stylesheet for IE users, another for FireFox users, and still another for all other browsers. This technique is particularly useful if your page renders differently in the various browsers and you need to make them consistent.

JavaScript 101 - Part 3: Control Structures
by Rob Williams - 08-May-06
Reader Level:

One of the primary aspects of effective web experiences is interactivity. Although most Flash developers will try to state otherwise, the reality of the fact is that the majority of non-standard interactivity, that is interactivity beyond what the broswer provides automatically, is driven by JavaScript.

Over the last few years the acceptance of both standards and some new JavaScript technologies such as XMLHttpRequest, or AJAX to the masses, has opened up a whole new realm of possibilites that have helped to bring JavaScript back into the mainstream focus as an important and leading-edge technology.

The purpose of this series of articles is to introduce newcomers to the concepts and fundamentals of JavaScript, so that you can begin to leverage the power of this technology in your own web projects. In Part 3 we'll continue our exploration of the fundamentals by looking at programming logic and control structures.

The JavaScript 101 Series:
JavaScript 101 - Part 1: The Basics
JavaScript 101 - Part 2: Operators
JavaScript 101 - Part 3: Control Structures
JavaScript 101 - Part 4: Loops

Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 7: Using the PasswordRecovery Control
by Heidi Bautista - 01-May-06
Reader Level:

In this installment, we'll look at using the PasswordRecovery control. As you might guess this control is handy for users who have forgotten their passwords. The functionality baked into this control is fully integrated with the membership provider we've been working with all along. For example, the user registration page discussed in Parts 1 and 5 uses the CreateUserWizard control, which includes a security question and answer. The PasswordRecovery control uses that security question/answer in conjunction with the username to verify the identity of the user and then emails the password to the user.

This tutorial will show you how to use the PasswordRecovery control with passwords that hashed, encrypted, or stored as clear text. Along the way you'll learn how to how to set up the mail settings in the web.config so that the password can be emailed to the user.

The Exploring ASP.NET v2 Series:
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 1: Membership Tags, VWD, and Cassini
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 2: VWD's ASP.NET Web Site Administration Tool
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 3: Graduate to SQL Server 2000 and IIS
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 4: Customizing the asp:Login control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 5: Customizing the asp:CreateUserWizard control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 6: Customizing User Registration Requirements
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 7: Using the PasswordRecovery Control

Creating Dreamweaver Extension Packages
by Tom Muck - 25-Apr-06
Reader Level:

This article will show how to create an extension package for Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver extensions are basically HTML and JavaScript files stored in a user's local configuration folder. To move an extension to a different machine or share it with other users, you can create an extension package. Dreamweaver comes with a free Extension Manager, which also includes a built-in packager for extensions.

JavaScript 101 - Part 2: Operators
by Rob Williams - 25-Apr-06
Reader Level:

One of the primary aspects of effective web experiences is interactivity. Although most Flash developers will try to state otherwise, the reality of the fact is that the majority of non-standard interactivity, that is interactivity beyond what the broswer provides automatically, is driven by JavaScript.

Over the last few years the acceptance of both standards and some new JavaScript technologies such as XMLHttpRequest, or AJAX to the masses, has opened up a whole new realm of possibilites that have helped to bring JavaScript back into the mainstream focus as an important and leading-edge technology.

The purpose of this series of articles is to introduce newcomers to the concepts and fundamentals of JavaScript, so that you can begin to leverage the power of this technology in your own web projects. In Part 2 we'll continue our exploration of the fundamentals by looking at operators.

The JavaScript 101 Series:
JavaScript 101 - Part 1: The Basics
JavaScript 101 - Part 2: Operators
JavaScript 101 - Part 3: Control Structures
JavaScript 101 - Part 4: Loops

Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 6: Customizing User Registration Requirements
by Heidi Bautista - 17-Apr-06
Reader Level:

The previous installment of this series described how to customize the control. You learned how to use editable templates to reorganize the textboxes, submit buttons, and other information presented by the control. Notably absent was how to modify the requirements for registration. For example, by default, the password must be at least seven characters long and contain one special character (e.g., one non-alphanumeric character). But what if you want more or less strict requirements? This tutorial will show you how to modify the web.config to get the requirements you want.

The Exploring ASP.NET v2 Series:
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 1: Membership Tags, VWD, and Cassini
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 2: VWD's ASP.NET Web Site Administration Tool
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 3: Graduate to SQL Server 2000 and IIS
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 4: Customizing the asp:Login control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 5: Customizing the asp:CreateUserWizard control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 6: Customizing User Registration Requirements
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 7: Using the PasswordRecovery Control

Create a Cross-Platform Yahoo! Widget
by Thomas Pletcher - 14-Apr-06
Reader Level:

This tutorial will show you how to build a cross-platform Yahoo! Widget that you can use to promote your site, using JavaScript and XML. Included in the tutorial is a fully functioning CMX RSS feed reader widget, which you'll use as the starting point for creating a widget of your own.

Approximate download size: 376k

JavaScript 101 - Part 1: The Basics Free!
by Rob Williams - 12-Apr-06
Reader Level:

One of the primary aspects of effective web experiences is interactivity. Although most Flash developers will try to state otherwise, the reality of the fact is that the majority of non-standard interactivity, that is interactivity beyond what the broswer provides automatically, is driven by JavaScript.

Over the last few years the acceptance of both standards and some new JavaScript technologies such as XMLHttpRequest, or AJAX to the masses, has opened up a whole new realm of possibilites that have helped to bring JavaScript back into the mainstream focus as an important and leading-edge technology.

The purpose of this series of articles is to introduce newcomers to the concepts and fundamentals of JavaScript, so that you can begin to leverage the power of this technology in your own web projects.

The JavaScript 101 Series:
JavaScript 101 - Part 1: The Basics
JavaScript 101 - Part 2: Operators
JavaScript 101 - Part 3: Control Structures
JavaScript 101 - Part 4: Loops

Creating a ZIP File Backup of Your Website in ASP.NET
by Heidi Bautista - 05-Apr-06
Reader Level:

This tutorial will show you how to backup a web site by creating a zip file that contains all files in the site. This task is made considerably simpler because of a cool, open source library available from ICSharpCode called #ziplib (pronounced sharp zip lib). I originally used this library to automate the backup for a bank site but there are endless possibilities when you stop to consider that this library allows you to create and add to an archive, as well as unpack the archive. This tutorial creates a ZIP file, but the library supports other formats, too, including GZip, Tar and BZip2.

The sample application automatically creates the zip file such that it contains every file in the website. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to use the DirectoryInfo and FileInfo classes to recurse through the site and then use the #ZipLib classes to add the files to zip archive.

Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 5: Customizing the asp:CreateUserWizard Control
by Heidi Bautista - 28-Mar-06
Reader Level:

In this tutorial you'll learn about the CreateUserWizard control. Specifically, you'll see how this control is part of Microsoft's answer to handling navigation and state management in multi-step forms. You'll learn how to customize the contents in each of the two steps of the CreateUserWizard control, as well as how to customize the submit buttons in both steps. You'll see a real-life example of styling these forms using CSS. And you'll learn how to use many of the CreateUserWizard control's attributes; how to incorporate ASP.NET validator controls to ensure that the user enters proper information in each textbox; how to require a unique user name (a common feature of registration forms); how to automatically generate strong passwords (always a good idea); and how to create disabled user accounts and then enable those accounts using VWD's ASP.NET web site administration tool.

The Exploring ASP.NET v2 Series:
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 1: Membership Tags, VWD, and Cassini
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 2: VWD's ASP.NET Web Site Administration Tool
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 3: Graduate to SQL Server 2000 and IIS
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 4: Customizing the asp:Login control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 5: Customizing the asp:CreateUserWizard control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 6: Customizing User Registration Requirements
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 7: Using the PasswordRecovery Control

Using SourceGear Vault for Source Control Free!
by Joel Martinez - 23-Mar-06
Reader Level:

I was busy finishing up a feature on our company's intranet while the rest of the IT department scrambled to do a full backup in anticipation of a hurricane. I just had a few more lines of code to write before I could finish up and go home to prepare. As I typed the last few characters and did some testing, I declared the feature done! Gushing with happiness that I was finally ready to go home, I checked the relevant files into Visual SourceSafe.

But elation was not what the fates had planned for me. No, panic ... panic was the order of the day. The check-in process threw some error which my brain has long since purged at this point. The check-in operation was a failure, along with every subsequent attempt to try it again. As I went back into Visual Studio to look at my code, to bask in the warm glow of success, I was horrified to find the files empty ... completely devoid of content.

Nooooooooooooo!

In desperation, I figured I would simply get the code from the repository again and re-implement my changes. Sadly, all history for the files were nowhere to be found in SourceSafe. Turns out that at the exact moment that I tried to check-in my code, IT was backing up that server. Because Visual SourceSafe is a file-based source control tool, it apparently was not happy about trying to change the files while the backup was in process.

Needless to say, I suggested we migrate to another source control tool ASAP. This is a review of SourceGear's Vault, a source control tool designed to be a compelling replacement for Visual SourceSafe.

ASP.NET v2.0 - Using the SqlDataSource and GridView Controls
by Heidi Bautista - 17-Mar-06
Reader Level:

In this tutorial you'll learn how to connect to the SQL Server database using VWD and how to get the connection string needed for the web.config. You'll learn how to use the SqlDataSource control to retrieve data from a SQL Server database. You'll see how the SqlDataSource can be used with a SELECT statement and with a stored procedure. And you'll learn how to create a SqlDataSource with or without parameters. You'll learn how to tell data-bound controls (DropDownList and GridView) where to get the data with which to populate the controls. Last but not least you'll learn how the process of getting data and binding the data to controls in ASP.NET v2.0 (and VWD) differs from the way you did it in DW with ASP.NET v1.1.

AJAX Applied: PHP Contact Forms - Part 2
by Rob Williams - 10-Mar-06
Reader Level:

In the first part of this article we explored how to take a standard PHP-driven contact form and convert it to an AJAX-driven one. Although the AJAX version was better than the original, the conversion over to client-side validation also opened the door for some new and unexpected possibilities.

In this article we're going to explore one of those new concepts and refine our form a bit further by adding form validation that occurs in real-time as the user completes each field.

The AJAX Applied Series:
AJAX Applied: PHP Contact Forms
AJAX Applied: PHP Contact Forms - Part 2

Convert an Existing Site to Use ASP.NET Master Pages and Themes
by Heidi Bautista - 22-Feb-06
Reader Level:

One of the great advantages in ASP.NET v2.0 is the introduction of master pages and themes. This tutorial presents a practical example of converting an existing site to use master pages and themes. Our example site is the Community MX North Pole JumpStart. You'll learn how to chop up the code to create the master page, where to put the theme files and how to modify the existing css file so that it works well with the theme. It's actually a very quick process and one that can be adapted to any JumpStart offered by Community MX.

Approximate download size: 320k

Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 4: Customizing the asp:Login Control
by Heidi Bautista - 16-Feb-06
Reader Level:

In this part of the Exploring ASP.NET v2 series you'll learn how to customize the asp:Login control using VWD's built-in "chrome" feature, which allows you to convert the control to use a layout template. This allows for much greater flexibility in the look of the login form. Plus you can replace the auto-generated table markup with more accessible and css-friendly code that you provide. This article also discusses several of the login control's attributes, such as the "Remember me next time" checkbox, pages to redirect to upon success of failure, and form validation error messages.

The Exploring ASP.NET v2 Series:
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 1: Membership Tags, VWD, and Cassini
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 2: VWD's ASP.NET Web Site Administration Tool
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 3: Graduate to SQL Server 2000 and IIS
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 4: Customizing the asp:Login control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 5: Customizing the asp:CreateUserWizard control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 6: Customizing User Registration Requirements
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 7: Using the PasswordRecovery Control

Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 3: Graduate to SQL Server 2000 and IIS
by Heidi Bautista - 03-Feb-06
Reader Level:

Ready to deploy your v2 app? This article will show you how to graduate to SQL Server 2000 and IIS.

In this part of the Exploring ASP.NET v2 series you'll learn how to use SQL Server 2000 instead of SQL Server 2005 Express to store the data needed for membership, roles, profiles, and personalization. The Express edition is great for development but it's not appropriate for deployment. This article shows you how to create the database, configure and populate it. In addition, you'll learn how to use IIS instead of Cassini to test and debug your pages.

The Exploring ASP.NET v2 Series:
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 1: Membership Tags, VWD, and Cassini
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 2: VWD's ASP.NET Web Site Administration Tool
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 3: Graduate to SQL Server 2000 and IIS
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 4: Customizing the asp:Login control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 5: Customizing the asp:CreateUserWizard control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 6: Customizing User Registration Requirements
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 7: Using the PasswordRecovery Control

Approximate download size: 506k

Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 2 Free!
by Michelle Kempner - 02-Feb-06
Reader Level:

In the second article of this series, you'll learn how to install Eclipse plug-ins for ColdFusion, PHP, and ActionScript.

The Getting Started with Eclipse Series:
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 1
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 2
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 3

Automating An Image Gallery with PHP and Your Local Server: Part 1
by Rob Williams - 27-Jan-06
Reader Level:

Many developers have local testing servers running on their development machines to allow for quick offline tests of materials before they are sent to the live server. If you happen to be running a local server on your development machine though there's no reason that it's functionality should be limited to mere page testing. In this article we'll take a look at how you can utilize your local server as a scripting engine to increase your efficiency and perform common tasks more quickly then ever before.

The Automating an Image Gallery with PHP and Your Local Server Series:
Automating An Image Gallery with PHP and Your Local Server: Part 1
Automating An Image Gallery with PHP and Your Local Server: Part 2 Coming Soon

All About GUIDs
by Ray West - 12-Jan-06
Reader Level:

If you are familiar with databases you have probably used an autonumber field in Access or an Identity column in SQL Server to have the database assign a unique numerical ID to each record that gets inserted into a table. That works great when there is one table in one database responsible for keeping track of those records. But what if you are eBay or Amazon with database servers strewn across the world to increase reliability and availability? What if you need to take records collected by several databases and merge them back into one dataset and still maintain a unique identifier for each record?

Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 1: Membership Tags, VWD, and Cassini
by Heidi Bautista - 09-Jan-06
Reader Level:

This is the first article in what promises to be a long and fruitful series focusing on the ASP.NET 2.0 membership tags. Along the way you'll learn about Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition (VWD), the Cassini web server, and Sql Server 20005 Express.

The v2 membership tags greatly simplify what in v1.1 was a relatively complicated task. With a handful of controls you get the user interface, event handling, and database needed for all types of user authentication scenarios. This article includes registration and login pages written in C#.

The Exploring ASP.NET v2 Series:
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 1: Membership Tags, VWD, and Cassini
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 2: VWD's ASP.NET Web Site Administration Tool
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 3: Graduate to SQL Server 2000 and IIS
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 4: Customizing the asp:Login control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 5: Customizing the asp:CreateUserWizard control
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 6: Customizing User Registration Requirements
Exploring ASP.NET v2 - Part 7: Using the PasswordRecovery Control

Calculating Age In ColdFusion
by Ray West - 06-Jan-06
Reader Level:

Calculating a person’s age from their date of birth seems like a fairly straightforward proposition; subtract the date of birth year from the current year and bam, there is the age. But it is can be trickier than that, especially if your application requires accuracy in the person’s age. Which month they were born in becomes important, as does those pesky little leap years.

PHP and the Filesystem - Part 2: Basic File Control
by Rob Williams - 02-Jan-06
Reader Level:

PHP provides a wide variety of ways to work with the filesystem of the server upon which it is running. In the second part of this series, Basic File Control, we'll explore how to get information about and move/copy/delete files from within a PHP script.

The PHP and the Filesystem Series:
PHP and the Filesystem - Part 1: Directories
PHP and the Filesystem - Part 2: Basic File Control
PHP and the Filesystem - Part 3: File Contents

Checking For Strong Passwords in ColdFusion
by Ray West - 16-Dec-05
Reader Level:

Most applications allow users to change their password. It does not do much good to assign a strong password if your user can just change it to ‘fluffy’ at their first opportunity. The function in this article will allow you to check a submitted password to see if it qualifies as strong before allowing it to be saved in the user’s profile.

Generating Strong Passwords in ColdFusion
by Ray West - 15-Dec-05
Reader Level:

If users of your site get their information stolen because they used weak passwords and left themselves open to attack, they will still blame you for the breach. Because of this, you need to seriously consider requiring the use of strong passwords if your site deals with any kind of sensitive information.

This article will show you how to generate strong passwords for your users to protect them and you.

Code is shown in ColdFusion.

The Meaning of ~ (tilde)
by Heidi Bautista - 02-Dec-05
Reader Level:

The inventors of ASP.NET took a different approach to solving the problems inherent in using absolute and relative URLs. They introduced the concept of tilde. The simplest, briefest definition of tilde is that it is the root of the application. The root of a website is, by definition an application root, but not all application roots are site roots. Huh? Yeah, the explanation gets a little hairy, but once the concept sinks in, I think you'll agree you'll begin to wonder how you ever lived without tilde.

Reading Flash Metadata with PHP
by Rob Williams - 21-Nov-05
Reader Level:

Flash 8 is the first version of the SWF file format to support standardized, native metadata. This is a great new feature that has the potential to make SWF files easier to manage, organize, and even locate through search engines. Unfortunately there's one small catch; although Flash 8 has made adding metadata to your SWF files extremely simple, at the time of writing there are very few applications/scripts/bots outside of Flash itself that actually have the ability to read that metadata!

In this article we'll take a look at a custom PHP class that can be used to read SWF metadata, and how it can be used to realize some of these great new potentials.

Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 1 Free!
by Michelle Kempner - 02-Nov-05
Reader Level:

Eclipse is an open-source IDE widely used for Java development and developed by the Eclipse Foundation. Eclipse, in conjunction with plug-ins, can be used as an environment for any number of programming languages. There are plugins for ColdFusion, .NET, PHP, and even Ada and LISP. In addition, Macromedia is joining the Eclipse Foundation and has built a Flex IDE, formerly code-named Zorn, based on the Eclipse editor.

In this article, you'll learn how to download and install Eclipse, define a workspace, and create and debug a "Hello world!" application in Java.

The Getting Started with Eclipse Series:
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 1
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 2
Getting Started with Eclipse - Part 3

Try/Catch and Exception Handling
by Heidi Bautista - 16-Sep-05
Reader Level:

Using try/catch blocks in your code is easier than you might think. Plus, it's good coding practice. Pairing try/catch with proper exception handling can help to make your application more reliable, robust, and easier to maintain. This article introduces the concepts of exception handling and the try/catch using C#, but the principles apply to all .NET languages.

Understanding ASP.NET's ViewState - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 31-Aug-05
Reader Level:

ViewState is one of the great things about ASP.NET. It is responsible for keeping track of the values of the controls in your form such that when the page is posted back to the server, the values in the controls are retained. To fully appreciate the usefulness of viewstate, cast your memory back to when you used classic ASP to code web pages with forms. You had to explicitly set the values for the form elements in order for them to display the same values they had when the form was submitted. ViewState automatically handles this chore for us. By default, no less!

Of course, it's not as simple as that. Nothing, it seems, in ASP.NET is. In this article, we'll begin exploring the nuances.

Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 3
by Heidi Bautista - 16-Aug-05
Reader Level:

Further exploration of the asp:Calendar control. This part in the series shows you how to set up the calendar to allow the user to select a whole week or the entire month. You'll learn how to get the date(s) selected by the user. Plus, you'll learn quite a bit more about styling this versatile control.

The asp:Calendar Control Series:
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 1
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 2
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 3
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 4

Introducing Recursive Functions in PHP Free!
by Rob Williams - 01-Aug-05
Reader Level:

One of the basic building blocks of any object-oriented programming language is the function. Functions allow you to reuse blocks of code and perform common tasks from other points within a script. In addition to straight calls though, functions can also be created to act recursively, adding a whole new dimension and power to this basic programming building block. In this article we'll take a look at what recursion is and why it's useful. We'll also create a recursive function to convert PHP arrays to JavaScript ones.

Controlling Indexing with the robots.txt File
by Adrian Senior - 29-Jul-05
Reader Level:

In this tutorial we will look at how we can prevent the indexing of specific parts of our site. We will learn how to secure folders and individual files, we will also see how we can filter indexing privileges to specific search engines by passing information to their bots.

Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 25-Jul-05
Reader Level:

Further exploration of the asp:Calendar control. This part in the series places the calendar in a popup window and shows you how to transfer the selected date to the main window by handling the SelectionChanged event.

The asp:Calendar Control Series:
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 1
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 2
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 3
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 4

Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 13-Jul-05
Reader Level:

The asp:Calendar control provides tons of built-in functionality that's quick and easy to leverage. Make your web pages even more professional-looking by allowing your users to input dates by selecting from a user-friendly calendar. Here in Part 1 you'll get a solid introduction to the control: how to add it to your page, how to customize the look of it, and most importantly, how to use the selected date.

The asp:Calendar Control Series:
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 1
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 2
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 3
Using the asp:Calendar Control - Part 4

Base64 Encoding
by Joel Martinez - 12-Jul-05
Reader Level:

Your boss comes up to you, says that the requirements on the latest project have changed. You are now required to include an employee badge photo along with your company's replication feed. "But sir, the replication feed is an XML file ... how are we going to get an image into that?".

Enter Base64 Encoding. Though it doesn't come up every day, it's usefulness is undeniable, and your toolbox will be all the better for containing it. Code presented in this article will be in ASP.NET, Coldfusion, and PHP. We will discuss some situations where Base64 encoding will come in handy.

Dynamic CSAs - Part 3: Bringing It All Together
by Rob Williams - 01-Jul-05
Reader Level:

Dynamic Client-Side Applications are an exciting and new way of developing for the web. In the previous articles of this series we've looked at the concepts behind Dynamic CSAs, explored the various technologies involved, and built a few isolated examples; the time has finally come though to bring all of those new skills together to create our first true Dynamic CSA!

The Dynamic CSAs Series:
Dynamic CSAs - Part 1: Interactivity Events
Dynamic CSAs - Part 2: Client/Server Communication
Dynamic CSAs - Part 3: Bringing it All Together
Dynamic CSAs - Part 4: Completing the Notepad

Using the ASP.NET Insert Record Server Behavior - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 10-Jun-05
Reader Level:

This article picks up where Part 1 left off. You'll get a better understanding of how to use the Insert Record server behavior with datatypes other than just strings and you'll learn how to add the necessary modifications to the MM:Insert tag so that it handles the ASP.NET validators that have been added to the form. The sample pages are provided in C# and VB.NET.

Dynamic CSAs - Part 1: Interactivity Events
by Rob Williams - 09-Jun-05
Reader Level:

Although many aspects of web development have changed over the years, one that seems to have remained "untouched" has been the way in which users interact with web sites. The introduction of Flash has caused many web developers to begin to think about new and different ways to allow the user to "experience" a web site, but having to abandon most of your current web skills in order to "start again in Flash" has deterred many developers from really exploring these new interactivity options in mainstream projects. Thanks to some recent browser and web technology developments though it's now possible to create rich interactive web sites by expanding upon, rather than replacing, your current web skills. This is the brave new world of Dynamic Client-side Applications. In the first part of this series we take a look at Interactivity Events.

The Dynamic CSAs Series:
Dynamic CSAs - Part 1: Interactivity Events
Dynamic CSAs - Part 2: Client/Server Communication
Dynamic CSAs - Part 3: Bringing it All Together
Dynamic CSAs - Part 4: Completing the Notepad

Using the ASP.NET Insert Record Server Behavior - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 31-May-05
Reader Level:

This article shows you how to use the Insert Record server behavior to take data collected with a form and insert it into a table in a SQL Server database. It's fast and easy. You're likely to spend more time styling the form than doing the coding!

ASP.NET Snippet - ShortenString
by Heidi Bautista - 13-May-05
Reader Level:

Snippets on ASP.NET pages are great time-savers. This tutorial uses a snippet called ShortenString. The snippet contains a function wrapped in a server-side script block. ShortenString takes a long string and shortens it to a practical length. The tutorial includes the snippet (in C# and VB.NET) plus sample pages that use the snippet in an editable DataGrid. Rather than displaying a long cumbersome text block, the DataGrid shows abbreviated versions of the strings. Thus, the DataGrid takes up less space on the page and is easier to read. In edit mode, the DataGrid shows the complete, unabbreviated string in a multi-line textbox.

Verbatim Strings in ASP.NET
by Heidi Bautista - 02-May-05
Reader Level:

Working with verbatim strings in your ASP.NET C# pages makes life a lot easier when you've got to deal with pathnames or long cumbersome strings. Read on to learn how. And at the same time, learn more about string escape sequences.

Learning PHP - Part 1: A Gentle Introduction Free!
by Thomas Pletcher - 20-Apr-05
Reader Level:

A basic introduction to PHP, placing the language in context vis-a-vis its competitors, and providing syntax and usage examples — including connecting to, and displaying data from, a MySQL database.

The Learning PHP Series:
Learning PHP - Part 1: A Gentle Introduction
Learning PHP - Part 2: All About Arrays
Learning PHP - Part 3: Basic Content Management
Learning PHP - Part 4: Focus on Functions

AppleScript: A Mini Introduction
by Thomas Pletcher - 13-Apr-05
Reader Level:

AppleScript has long been one of the distinguishing features of the Macintosh, and it's better than ever in OS X. This mini introduction to Apple's scripting language will show you how to set up and use Script Editor, and walk you through a few example scripts.

Formatting Dates, Numeric Values, and Text on Your ASP.NET Pages - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 08-Apr-05
Reader Level:

Formatting strings in ASP.NET - without help from Dreamweaver. DW offers several built-in formatting options for many common formatting patterns for dates, numbers, and text, but sometimes you need uncommon formatting. That's when it's convenient to know how to apply your own standard and custom formats. In the second half of this two-part series, you'll learn how to create custom formatting for numbers and date/time values.

CMX MP3 Player (Flash Extension)
by Paul Newman - 07-Apr-05
Reader Level:

The CMX MP3 Player component enables you to load external MP3s from an XML playlist. Features include track info display (title, artist), elapsed and remaining time, audio scrubber, volume slider, and playlist navigation.

Preview MP3 Player

Requirements: Flash MX 2004 (pro or standard), Flash Player 7

Formatting Dates, Numeric Values, and Text on Your ASP.NET Pages - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 30-Mar-05
Reader Level:

Formatting values on your ASP.NET pages is easier than you might think. Dreamweaver offers built-in formatting options for many common formatting patterns for dates, numbers, and text. But sometimes you need uncommon formatting or maybe it's just plain easier to bypass DW and do it yourself in code view.

Learn when and how to use DW's built-in formatting options in Part 1. Part 2 will explore customizing your own date/time, number, and text formats.

CMX Slideshow (Flash Extension)
by Paul Newman - 24-Mar-05
Reader Level:

This extension for Flash MX 2004 loads external JPEG and SWF files to create a Flash slideshow. The CMX Slideshow component is very customizable and includes support for hyperlinks, captions, padding, resizing, transitions, controls, and much more.

You can also access CMX Slideshow's methods, properties, and events using ActionScript. The support files demonstrate how to create your own custom controls, and how to load a list of images from an external XML file.

DOM: Scripting to the Standard - Part 3
by Rob Williams - 04-Mar-05
Reader Level:

The third part of this series focuses on how to change and manipulate a document using DOM methods and properties. We also explore how these techniques can be used by JavaScript's DOM implementation to add some real flexibility to your web pages without having to constantly force the user to wait for page reloads and server-side scripts.

The DOM: Scripting to the Standard Series:
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 1
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 2
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 3

BlueDragon, an Alternative ColdFusion Platform: Part 2 - Installing the Standalone Server
by Arman Danesh - 02-Mar-05
Reader Level:

The first article in our series on BlueDragon provided an overview of BlueDragon as it compares with ColdFusion MX. In this, the second article of our series, we look at installing the stand-alone version of BlueDragon 6.1 Server (the free version) on Linux with an Apache 2 Web server as well as installing on a Mac OS X workstation to serve as a development system.

The Blue Dragon Series:
BlueDragon, an Alternative ColdFusion Platform: Part 1 - Overview
BlueDragon, an Alternative ColdFusion Platform: Part 2 - Installing the Standalone Server
BlueDragon, an Alternative ColdFusion Platform: Part 3 - Installing the J2EE Server
BlueDragon, an Alternative ColdFusion Platform: Part 4 - Administering BlueDragon

DOM: Scripting to the Standard - Part 2
by Rob Williams - 18-Feb-05
Reader Level:

In the first part of this series we took a look at what the DOM standard was and how important it is to modern web development. This time around we take those concepts and begin to apply them to a practical application: browser-based scripting.

The DOM: Scripting to the Standard Series:
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 1
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 2
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 3

DOM: Scripting to the Standard - Part 1
by Rob Williams - 01-Feb-05
Reader Level:

Client-side website scripting lost many of its faithful supporters during the infamous "browser wars" when writing cross-browser compatible scripts became nearly impossible. Thanks to support for web standards though, those days are nearly gone. In this, the first part of this series, we'll take a look at the Document Object Model standard, how it affects web scripting, and how learning to work with it will benefit both you and your web-based projects.

The DOM: Scripting to the Standard Series:
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 1
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 2
DOM: Scripting to the Standards - Part 3

Preventing Caching in Flash Player Free!
by Paul Newman - 24-Jan-05
Reader Level:

In this article, you'll learn how to use CacheManager, an ActionScript 2.0 class, to prevent Flash Player from caching external images, XML, and text files in your applications.

Using Source Code Management Software: Part 5
by Arman Danesh - 18-Jan-05
Reader Level:

This is the final article in our series on source code management systems. In this article we look at using ColdFusion RDS for basic source code management.

The Using Source Code Management Series:
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 1
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 2
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 3
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 4
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 5

JEdit 4.2: Cross-Platform Perfection Free!
by Thomas Pletcher - 11-Jan-05
Reader Level:

If you program on more than one platform, you probably already know about JEdit--the free, open source, Java-based programmer's text editor that gives you the same great interface and functionality on every platform. If not, now's the time to find out (even if you're on just one platform)!

CMX Flash Video Player (Flash Extension)
by Paul Newman - 06-Jan-05
Reader Level:

This Flash MX 2004 extension enables you to play back progressive Flash video (FLV) files in your Flash movies. Features include play/pause button, FLV download progress bar, real-time scrubbing, volume slider, and mute button.

Because this extension uses the NetConnection and NetStream classes, the resulting SWF file is only 5K in size, so it doesn't require a preloader. In addition, the methods, properties, and events of the component can be manipulated using ActionScript 2.0. There's even an event that broadcasts FLV metadata!

Preview CMX Flash Video Player

Includes: CMXFlashVideoPlayer.mxp, demo files, sample videos

Optimizing Your Windows Services for Web Development
by Robert Reinhardt - 05-Jan-05
Reader Level:

Typically, web developers have many services installed on their main workstations that will automatically start in the background when the computer powers up. In this article, you learn how to change the default settings of Macromedia and Microsoft services related to web development and how to control the starting or stopping of such services with BAT files.

Using Source Code Management Software: Part 4
by Arman Danesh - 03-Jan-05
Reader Level:

This is the fourth article in our series on using source code management software. In this article we look at the basic use of the Subversion to manage your Web development work and take a quick look at some options for Subversion from within Dreamweaver.

The Using Source Code Management Series:
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 1
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 2
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 3
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 4
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 5

Extensioneering 101: Objects Part 2
by Danilo Celic - 29-Dec-04
Reader Level:

Objects are probably the most basic of extensions; their single-minded purpose is to place a small portion of code where the user has made a selection, or has positioned their insertion point. Objects had their own panel through Dreamweaver 4,while Dreamweaver MX introduced the Insert bar where you now access all the available built-in, as well as third-party, Object extensions. Of course, Objects, like many of the other extension types that we'll cover throughout the Extensioneering 101 series, can do more, much more, if you really want them to.

In this part of the series, we'll step off from where we left off in Objects Part 1 and we'll take a look at using insertObject API call to allow for better error trapping. We'll also take a look at how to provide help to our users, as well as limit when a Object can be used.

The Extensioneering Series:
Extensioneering 101: Objects - Part 1
Extensioneering 101: Objects - Part 2
Extensioneering 101: Objects - Part 3 - Coming Soon

Creating Mozilla and Firefox Sidebar Tabs
by Danilo Celic - 27-Dec-04
Reader Level:

This tutorial will cover creating a Sidebar Tab for Mozilla and Firefox. By the end of the article, you will have learned what the Sidebar is, and how to create a page that will be usable within a Sidebar. You will also be able to add code to a page on your web site that will allow your visitors to add your Sidebar Tab to their own browser.

Using Source Code Management Software: Part 3
by Arman Danesh - 20-Dec-04
Reader Level:

This is the third article in our series on using source code management software. In this article we look at the basic use of the Concurrent Versions System (CVS) to manage your Web development work and take a quick look at some options for using CVS from within Dreamweaver.

The Using Source Code Management Series:
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 1
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 2
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 3
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 4
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 5

Automatically Add Headers and Footers to Every Page Using ASP.NET - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 13-Dec-04
Reader Level:

Say it with me - "No more cloning!" That's right, you can add the same header and footer to every page in your ASP.NET website by modifying just the Global.asax. This article is the second in a series. You'll learn how to create a custom filter, which is used to insert the header and footer text in every .aspx page. This technique is better than the one described in Part 1 in that each page retains its own distinctive head section. And as an added bonus, you'll learn about a handy C# concept called verbatim literal strings.

Automatically Add Headers and Footers to Every Page Using ASP.NET - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 30-Nov-04
Reader Level:

Learn how to add the same header and footer to every page in your site. You're probably already aware of several techniques, including using server-side includes and Dreamweaver templates. The problem is they all require you to clone code, which oftentimes creates a maintenance nightmare. In this series of articles, you'll learn how to leverage the Context object in ASP.NET to accomplish the same goal - without having to clone any code!

Using Source Code Management Software: Part 2
by Arman Danesh - 18-Nov-04
Reader Level:

In the second part of our series on using source code management software we look at how SCM affects your workflow both as an individual developer as well as in team development environments.

The Using Source Code Management Series:
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 1
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 2
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 3
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 4
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 5

Generating Random Strings With .NET
by Heidi Bautista - 17-Nov-04
Reader Level:

Learn how to create randomly generated usernames and passwords with .NET.

This article uses the the Random and RNGCryptoServiceProvider classes to generate random numbers, which in turn are used to create strings suitable for usernames and "strong" passwords. That is, passwords that pass the test of: at least eight characters long, containing letters, numbers, and special characters.

Pair this article with the series on Forms Authentication to help you create a truly secure site.

And, as an added attraction, this article uses the modulus operator. If you've never used it before, this article will give you a clearer idea of its usefulness.

eCommerce and ASP.NET - Part 1: Create a Product Catalog and Use PayPal's Shopping Cart
by Heidi Bautista - 02-Nov-04
Reader Level:

eCommerce is easier than you might think - when you have help from Dreamweaver and PayPal.

This is the first in a series of articles that describe how to use ASP.NET to develop eCommerce sites. In this installment, you'll learn how to build a simple, but effective, product catalog based on products in the Northwind sample database and hook your product catalog into PayPal to take advantage of their payment processing systems as well as their shopping cart.

In future articles we'll explore:

Adding features to your catalog (e.g., displaying one or more product images and using a paged catalog),
Taking advantage of other PayPal features (e.g., Instant Payment Notification and subscription services), and
Building your own shopping cart instead of relying on PayPal's cart.

Using Amazon's ECS 4.0: An Overview
by Joey Lott - 29-Oct-04
Reader Level:

Want to use Amazon.com's web service? Want to learn more about what it does and how it works? Read this overview of ECS 4.0, Amazon.com's web service. The first in a series, this article introduces you to the basics, including the fundamentals of Web services in general.

Protect .zip and .exe Files on Your Server Using an HttpHandler - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 18-Oct-04
Reader Level:

Forms authentication is a clever way to protect resources within specified folders of your web site. The problem is, by default only ASP.NET resources (e.g., .aspx, .asmx, .ascx, .asax, .config files plus a couple others) are protected. But what if you have .zip files or .exe files in those folders as well? If not explicitly protected, users who know the location and name of the .exe or .zip file can simply browse to the file and download it from your server. Not a happy situation. Fortunately, there's a solution. In this two-part article, you'll learn how to protect non-ASP.NET resources. By the end of Part 2, you should be able to extend the paradigm to protect other types of files as well.

Using Source Code Management Software: Part 1 Free!
by Arman Danesh - 12-Oct-04
Reader Level:

This article is the first in a series about source code management systems, how they can be used even by individual developers, and how to use them in your Macromedia MX workflow. This first article provides an overview of source code management systems and how they work.

The Using Source Code Management Series:
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 1
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 2
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 3
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 4
Using Source Code Management Software: Part 5

Basic String Manipulation
by Rob Williams - 01-Oct-04
Reader Level:

Working with text, or "strings", is one of the most important skills a new developer can learn. In this article we'll take a look at strings, how and why they are so useful, and get a feel for working with them in PHP. Beginning with the basics of creating strings and converting from other data types, to gathering more information and doing some basic manipulation using the native PHP string functions, this article will give you a good base for working with strings in PHP.

Fundamentally VB.NET: Part 5 - Conditional Branching
by Val Tobin - 28-Sep-04
Reader Level:

In Part 1 of this series, you were introduced to VB.NET built-in data types. In Part 2, you learned how to create variables for these data types. Part 3 in this series on VB.NET taught you about Enumerated Constants, what they are and how to use them. Part 4 discussed the operators at your disposal. This article, Part 5 in the series, will cover Conditional Branching using If...Else and Select Case.

Fundamentally VB.NET - Part 4: VB.NET Operators
by Val Tobin - 15-Sep-04
Reader Level:

In Part 1 of this series, you were introduced to VB.NET built-in data types. In Part 2, you learned how to create variables for these data types. Part 3 in this series on VB.NET taught you about Enumerated constants, what they are and how to use them. Now, in Part 4, you will learn about the various types of operators VB.NET provides for your use. This series is meant to be a growing reference guide to VB.NET.

CMX Blog Scroller
by Paul Newman - 08-Sep-04
Reader Level:

This Flash component enables you to display one or more RSS feeds in Flash Player 7 with a number of customizable options. CMX Blog Scroller automatically parses the XML and displays the latest blog entries.

Includes: CMXBlogScroller.mxp, ColdFusion proxy script, sample FLA file, PDF

Fundamentally VB.NET - Part 3: VB.NET Enumerations
by Val Tobin - 02-Sep-04
Reader Level:

An alternative to regular constants, enumerations allow you to declare a list of constants. This article explains how to create and use them in VB.NET and explains why they are so useful. This is Part 3 in a series of articles on the mechanics of using VB.NET. Part 1 of this series introduced VB .NET built-in data types. Part 2 discussed how to create variables for these data types. This series is meant to be a growing reference guide to VB.NET.

Guarding Against Cross-site Scripting Attacks
by Heidi Bautista - 25-Aug-04
Reader Level:

Cross-site scripting (aka, XSS) attacks are nasty. Using a variety of techniques, hackers can steal sensitive data like usernames and passwords, steal or poison cookies, or simply deface the site. Read on to learn how to determine if your site is vulnerable to this type of attack and how to protect against it.

Working with Times and Dates In PHP
by Rob Williams - 24-Aug-04
Reader Level:

One of the most common tasks to perform with server-side scripting is the automation of management and site maintenance over time. In this article we'll take a look at how PHP handles time and date values and how they can be used to make your PHP projects more automated and self-reliant.

Fundamentally VB.NET - Part 2: VB.NET Variables and Constants
by Val Tobin - 20-Aug-04
Reader Level:

In Part 1 of this series, you were introduced to VB.NET built-in data types. In this article, you'll learn how to create variables for these data types. You'll learn the syntax for declaring variables and assigning values to them. The entire series of articles will take you through the VB.NET mechanics that you'll need in order to use it. Once you've learned all the key concepts, we'll go through tutorials that put all that learning to work.

BBEdit: The Basics and Beyond - Part 2
by Thomas Pletcher - 11-Aug-04
Reader Level:

In Part 1 of this article, we toured BBEdit's basic setup and core capabilities and learned why it's widely regarded as a great HTML editor. Part 2 takes BBEdit to the next level, showing you how to leverage its extensibility with AppleScript to create a lean, mean PHP-coding machine, and a perfect partner for Dreamweaver on the Mac.

Flash Your Cookies
by Paul Newman - 11-Aug-04
Reader Level:

Have you ever wanted to store persistent information in your Flash movies? Shared objects are the answer. You can use them to save login information, shopping cart data, user preferences, even complex objects like arrays.

This extension for Flash MX 2004 adds an ActionScript 2.0 class called "Cookie" to your global classpath. The Cookie wrapper class provides a more intuitive way to write, read, edit, and remove Flash "cookies" in your applications.

Conditionally Show and Hide the Contents of a DataGrid Cell
by Heidi Bautista - 09-Aug-04
Reader Level:

Subscribers, thanks for giving us ideas for tutorials! This question popped up on the PL -.Net forum recently:

"Is it possible to conditionally show the contents of a cell? I have a cell that can be either true or false. I only want to show the contents of the cell if it is false."

Yes, indeed, that's possible, and this tutorial will explain how. Plus, you'll learn how to conditionally show the contents of one cell based on the true/false value in another cell.

Dynamic Graphic Menus with PHP
by Rob Williams - 06-Aug-04
Reader Level:

The trade-off in web design has always been beauty or ease of maintenance. Graphical navigation systems tend to look more appealing than straight text, but are also much more difficult and tedious to maintain and update. However, by utilizing PHP's built-in image manipulation functions, we can now effectively create a graphical navigation system that is both easy to maintain and simple to update...

Fundamentally VB.NET: Part I - VB .NET Built-in Data Types
by Val Tobin - 04-Aug-04
Reader Level:

Are you a Java developer wishing to expand your repertoire of skills to include VB .NET? It's easier than you might think. You have an understanding of the programming principles involved; you already know what try-catch-finally means, and garbage collection, and Object Oriented Programming. You only need to learn the syntax and a few incidentals, and you're there. This is the first in a series of articles that covers the fundamentals of VB .NET syntax. This theory will then be followed by a tutorial series that puts all your learning to practical use.

BBEdit: The Basics and Beyond - Part 1
by Thomas Pletcher - 28-Jul-04
Reader Level:

Everyone knows BBEdit is a great HTML editor, and a long-time favorite on the Mac platform. But did you know that BBEdit can be extensively customized to work with various web programming languages? Or that BBEdit is thoroughly integrated with Unix, Perl and Python? Part 1 of this two-part article walks you through BBEdit's basic set-up and core capabilities. In Part 2, you'll learn how to use AppleScript and Unix to turn BBEdit into a lean, mean PHP-coding machine (with techniques you can apply to other languages as well).

Sending WebPage Information Directly to a Pager or Cellular Phone
by Ray West - 23-Jul-04
Reader Level:

Sending information collected on your website directly to a clients pager or cell phone is easier than it sounds, and it just might be the extra wow factor you need to impress.

Yes Comment
by Val Tobin - 22-Jul-04
Reader Level:

Not every Java developer enjoys the peace and serenity that can be found in creating documentation for an application. If you are one of those developers, then you might want to take a look at Javadoc, a tool provided by Sun in the Java 2 Standard Development Kit (J2SDK) that generates documentation for you, using comments from your source code. All you have to do is comment that code appropriately, and, like magic, you get documentation that describes your classes and interfaces, and more. Furthermore, it generates it in the form of an HTML document, so you can actually view it using a browser and make it available to others, if you so choose.

Case Study: Using the New Flash Remoting Classes
by Paul Newman - 15-Jul-04
Reader Level:

Recently, one of our subscribers made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He created a ColdFusion component (CFC) that sends mail using CFMAIL, and queries an Access database. But he was having difficulty getting the data into Flash, and sending the results of a contact form to the CFC. He offered to send me the database, CFC, and FLA source file if I could use the new Flash Remoting classes to tie it all together.

In this article, you'll learn how to call methods on a Flash Remoting service and return the results to Flash MX 2004 components. Includes coverage of the following Flash Remoting classes: Service, PendingCall, RelayResponder, ResultEvent, FaultEvent, Log, RecordSet, DataGlue.

Support Files: ColdFusion component, Microsoft Access database, Flash document, ActionScript file.

Using Dreamweaver and .NET For Batch Updates - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 14-Jul-04
Reader Level:

The Update Record server behavior is convenient and easy to use when you need to update a single row of a table using values collected from a form. But what if you want to update many rows simultaneously and don't want to bother with filling out a form for each and every item? In this tutorial you'll learn how to modify Dreamweaver's Update Record server behavior to perform a batch update. With a bit of hand-coding you can still take advantage of Dreamweaver's built-in server behavior.

ASP.NET and Dreamweaver's Application Panel
by Heidi Bautista - 01-Jul-04
Reader Level:

As an ASP.NET developer, you've undoubtedly used the Application Panel. But if you're like me, you probably explored it only to the extent necessary to get the current job done. In this article, we'll explore the features in the Application panel more thoroughly. Perhaps you'll find something really useful that you didn't know about before.

Go With The Flow
by Val Tobin - 29-Jun-04
Reader Level:

Flowcharts are not only a useful tool for planning a software application, but they are also handy for planning web sites and web applications. This article explains what flowcharts are, why they should be used, how to use them, and then provides an example of how a flowchart for a registration component for a web site might look.

Communicating Between PHP and JavaScript
by Rob Williams - 25-Jun-04
Reader Level:

One of the great mysteries of web coding seems to be trying to figure out how, if possible, you can pass information from a server-side scripting lanuage (PHP) to a client-side language (JavaScript); and even more elusively, how to pass information back again. In this article, we're going to solve the age old riddle and discover several possible solutions to the problem.

SmartNavigation in ASP.NET
by Heidi Bautista - 17-Jun-04
Reader Level:

Just how "smart" is Smart Navigation? Well, if you want to persist the page's scroll position, persist control focus and stop the page from flashing between post backs, or keep the history uncluttered, then this is the ASP.NET feature for you. Just beware the known pitfalls!

CMX Insert Shared JavaScript Extension
by Danilo Celic - 10-Jun-04
Reader Level:

When you're working within the Dreamweaver Configuration folder, there are quite a few JavaScript files that are useful for building extensions within the Shared folder. You may need to link to one or more of them in order to complete that fabulous extension that you're working on. Good news is that Dreamweaver makes it relatively easy to link to JavaScript files that are within the same site that you're working on (you do have a site defined for each of your Configuration folders on your system, right?). Unfortunately, the Shared JavaScript files can be located within multiple folders in several areas of your system. If you wanted to link from your HTML file within the user's config folder, but needed to link to a JavaScript file that comes standard with Dreamweaver, such as the ListControl class file, you'd then have to go traipsing around your hard drive to locate, and link to that JavaScript file. No more...

Cookieless Session State in ASP.NET
by Heidi Bautista - 09-Jun-04
Reader Level:

Need to maintain session state but can't use client-side cookies? Read on to learn how to implement cookieless session state in ASP.NET.

A Nice Package
by Val Tobin - 07-Jun-04
Reader Level:

If you've ever programmed with Java, you're already familiar with the various packages that are provided by Sun for your use and convenience. It's a good idea to organize your own classes into packages as well. This article will explain what packages are, why they should be used, and how you can use them to organize your classes within your applications.

Extensioneering 101: Getting Started
by Danilo Celic - 03-Jun-04
Reader Level:

Dreamweaver is arguably the most extensible application in the web development field. One great thing for a budding extension developer is that you can leverage your existing skills to create Dreamweaver extensions. To create many extensions, all you really need to know is HTML to create the user interface (UI), and have a basic understanding of JavaScript. However, before you get going, there are a few things that you should do to get yourself and Dreamweaver prepped for extension development. Read on, to get the scoop on what you need to do to get started...

ASP.NET Session State and the web.config - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 03-Jun-04
Reader Level:

ASP.NET session state made simple. In this 2-part article you'll learn how to set and use session variables; why session state management in ASP.NET is superior to classic ASP; and what to do with your web.config file to make it all work. Part 2 covers how to enable StateServer and SQLServer session state storage and the pros and cons of all three types of session state management.

ASP.NET Session State and the web.config - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 21-May-04
Reader Level:

ASP.NET session state made simple. In this 2-part article you'll learn how to set and use session variables; why session state management in ASP.NET is superior to classic ASP; and what to do with your web.config file to make it all work.

Part 1 covers the basics of session state managment and the web.config.

Creating a Simple Server Behavior - Part I
by Bill Horvath - 18-May-04
Reader Level:

Server behaviors insert bits of code into your page at the touch of a button. That code performs a function such as creating a recordset or a repeat region, or almost any other server-side task, although they are not limited to using server-side code. Some server behaviors require input from the user, and some do not. If you've ever used any of Dreamweaver's built-in server behaviors, you know that they can insert a lot of (sometimes very involved) code that you would have otherwise had to type in by hand. For a good idea of the kinds of tasks you can perform with 3rd party server behaviors, check out http://www.basic-ultradev.com/extensions/index.asp.

Many people create server behaviors and distribute them to others, while other people create server behaviors for themselves that are only meant to help facilitate their workflow. Quite a few server behaviors are created because someone decided they were tired of creating a particular function on their web page over and over, and wanted an automatic way of inserting that code into their page - without cutting/pasting it from another page - while still allowing the flexibility of adding new parameters to the code on the fly.

The basic idea behind building a server behavior is knowing what code you want it to place on the page, and where it should go. Dreamweaver makes the task of building a server behavior simpler by providing a tool that does much of the hard work for you: the Server Behavior Builder. In this tutorial, we will explore the basics of the server behavior builder, and we will expand on our knowledge with each subsequent part of this series.

Using An asp:CheckBoxList Control With Dynamic Data - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 24-Mar-04
Reader Level:

In Part 1 of this series, we learned how to populate an asp:CheckBoxList control with data from a SQL Server database. Part 2 covers how to update the database using a stored procedure that takes as input the selections made in the CheckBoxList control.

Using An asp:CheckBoxList Control With Dynamic Data - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 17-Mar-04
Reader Level:

Learn how to populate an asp:CheckBoxList control with data from a SQL Server database in Part 1. Part 2 covers how to update the database using a stored procedure that takes as input the selections made in the CheckBoxList control.

Using the asp:CheckBoxList control and determining which items are selected
by Heidi Bautista - 04-Mar-04
Reader Level:

Learn how to create an asp:CheckBoxList control, configure its display characteristics, and determine which check boxes were selected. Along the way learn about creating an OnClick event handler and get a first hand look at the benefits of view state preservation in ASP.NET.

Server Behaviors: DataSet, Repeat Region, DataSet Paging, and Show Region
by Heidi Bautista - 27-Feb-04
Reader Level:

Harness the power of Dreamweaver's built-in server behaviors. In this tutorial you'll learn how to: - retrieve data with the DataSet server behavior - display it with the Repeat Region server behavior - add paging links with the DataSet Paging server behavior - and show/hide the paging links using the Show Region server behaviors

VB's IIf Function vs C#'s Ternary Operator
by Heidi Bautista - 23-Feb-04
Reader Level:

What's better? C# or VB? It depends on a lot of factors. You can nearly always accomplish your objectives in either language but sometimes one is better suited than the other. Read on to learn about the similarities and differences between VB's IIf function and C#'s ternary operator.

Customized ASP.NET DataGrid: Making One Column Dependent Upon Another
by Heidi Bautista - 10-Feb-04
Reader Level:

Learn how to use Dreamweaver to customize the display and functionality of your DataGrid. Along the way you'll learn about these other useful techniques:using the DataSet tag's Expression attribute to control when it gets executed; using a Free form column in a DataGrid; using a ternary expression (C#) / IIf function (VB) to control logic flow; using the MM:If server behavior to control what gets displayed.

Using the Hash Function
by Arman Danesh - 26-Jan-04
Reader Level:

The Hash function is a handy tool for many purposes. You can use it to protect passwords in databases, or track changes to files. This article introduces how to use the function and shows some practical examples.

Nesting Query Driven cfoutput Tags
by Ray West - 07-Jan-04
Reader Level:

ColdFusion provides great functionality right out of the box, but what happens when it won't accommodate exactly what you need to do? Sometimes there is a simple, if not obvious, answer.

Dynamically Add a Watermark to an Image Using ASP.NET
by Heidi Bautista - 06-Jan-04
Reader Level:

Learn how to dynamically add a copyright notice (e.g., watermark) to an image before it's sent down to the browser. This technique is particularly useful when you have many, many images that you want copyright notices to appear on, but you don't want to take the time to add the notice to each and every image by hand.

Protecting Your Images on the Internet
by Bill Horvath - 05-Jan-04
Reader Level:

If you ask a handful of web designers if they know of a way to prevent someone from taking pictures off of your web page, you'll get a grab-bag of answers. To my knowledge, none of these answers is an actual solution, and will not actually prevent someone from getting your images, one way or another. Put simply, if you have any graphics displayed on your standard html page, they can be taken if someone wants them bad enough.

Deciphering ASP.NET's web.config File
by Heidi Bautista - 12-Dec-03
Reader Level:

Learn how to get the most out of the ASP.NET web.config file. Set up custom error handling, store connection information, get tracing information, and more ...

Securing Dreamweaver MX 2004 Applications
by Ray West - 11-Dec-03
Reader Level:

There are many things to consider when putting sensitive data on the web, and Dreamweaver introduces a couple of security concerns that you may not have realized. Learn more about Dreamweaver's default behavior and how you can compensate for it.

Reading From and Writing To Files Using ASP.NET
by Heidi Bautista - 04-Dec-03
Reader Level:

Learn about file I/O with ASP.NET: using streams, the System.IO namespace, stream readers and writers, plus some security concerns to keep in mind when you're working with files.

Tracing - A Better Way to Debug Your ASP.NET Applications
by Heidi Bautista - 28-Nov-03
Reader Level:

Tracing: a debugging tool that's easy to enable and disable. Get information about your page's execution - control hierarchy, session state, and application state - as well as form values, query string variables, and header info.

Making the Log In User Server Behavior Case-Sensitive
by Bill Horvath - 27-Nov-03
Reader Level:

The Log In User Server Behavior is handy, for sure. But it does not deal with case-sensitivity with regard to passwords. This tutorial will will cover how to add three lines of simple code to the Server Behavior to achieve case-sensitive passwords. Find out how easy it can be to modify Macromedia's "stock" server behaviors and make them do what you want them to.

Whidbey: New ASP.NET Tags for Member Management
by Heidi Bautista - 20-Nov-03
Reader Level:

Microsoft introduced the newest version of ASP.NET, code-named "Whidbey" at last month's PDC. Didn't attend? No problem. Read on for an overview of the new login, membership, and role classes. Get an early look at how Microsoft plans to simplify the ubiquitous task of member management.

The Principles of Programming - Boolean Logic
by Ray West - 13-Nov-03
Reader Level:

Programming all comes down to a few basic principles that apply no matter what language you use. This series of articles will teach you the foundation of programming one concept at a time.

Programming boils down to a series of decisions that you ask a computer to make based on the input it is provided. Computers tend to think in absolutes, defining things as either true or false. This is the essense of Boolean Logic.

Making asynchronous Web service calls in ASP.NET
by Heidi Bautista - 23-Oct-03
Reader Level:

Asynchronous web service calls aren't nearly as difficult to implement as they sound, which is nice because they offer the .NET developer a true performance boost. Read on to take advantage of this powerful technology.

Community MXtra for Flash 2004 Free!
by Paul Newman - 21-Oct-03
Reader Level:

This Floating Panel for Flash MX 2004 enables you to search for articles on CommunityMX.com, or browse content using a calendar. Now you don't have to leave Flash to find the latest articles on Community MX.

The Rules of Distributed Development – Introduction
by Ray West - 15-Oct-03
Reader Level:

Web applications are geting more complex. If you are going to survive you have to learn how to create good software. That means following a few simple (yet generally ignored) rules.

Using Dreamweaver to access a web service from an ASP.NET page - Part 2
by Heidi Bautista - 14-Oct-03
Reader Level:

Take the mystery of out web services - Dreamweaver's built-in functionality will help you quickly and easily use web services.

Part 1 is a no-frills tutorial demonstrating the use of a web service on an ASP.NET page.

Part 2 will include the details left out of Part 1 regarding implementing web services with Dreamweaver and how to extend your knowledge from this one example to all kinds of web services.

Using Dreamweaver to access a web service from an ASP.NET page - Part 1
by Heidi Bautista - 07-Oct-03
Reader Level:

Take the mystery of out web services - Dreamweaver's built-in functionality will help you quickly and easily use web services.

Part 1 is a no-frills tutorial demonstrating the use of a web service on an ASP.NET page.

Part 2 will include the details left out of Part 1 regarding implementing web services with Dreamweaver and how to extend your knowledge from this one example to all kinds of web services.

SSI's Versus Templates
by Heidi Bautista - 04-Sep-03
Reader Level:

What's better? Dreamweaver templates or server side include (SSI) files? As with so many questions in life, the answer is "it depends... ." This article will explain the pros and cons of both approaches and let you decide for yourself.

Unicode and International Character Sets in Coldfusion MX: Part 1
by Arman Danesh - 14-Aug-03
Reader Level:

ColdFusion MX is fully Unicode compliant but making everything work properly for international character sets from the browser through to the back end database requires a firm understanding of Unicode and how to use it in ColdFusion MX. This article is the first in a series of three articles that show you how to work with Unicode and international characters sets in ColdFusion.

The Unicode & International Character Sets Series:
Unicode and International Character Sets in Coldfusion MX: Part 1
Unicode and International Character Sets in Coldfusion MX: Part 2
Unicode and International Character Sets in Coldfusion MX: Part 3

ASP.NET Validator Controls
by Heidi Bautista - 25-Jul-03
Reader Level:

Form validation has never been easier thanks for the new validator server controls included in the ASP.NET framework. Learn how to check for required entries, the expected data type, values within a specified range, patterns, etc. Plus, learn Dreamweaver tips and tricks for dropping these controls on your aspx page.

Using a database to display images dynamically Free!
by Bill Horvath - 21-May-03
Reader Level:

Let's say you have a repeat region and you want to display a unique picture with each record. There's really no way you can do that without using your database to hold information about the image you want to use. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to use your database and a repeat region to dynamically display your images. We'll even go over how to display an alternate image if there is no reference to it in your database.

Flash Remoting with .NET - Using the Custom Control
by Peter Ladka - 19-May-03
Reader Level:

Flash Remoting for .NET provides a powerful tools to allow you to use .NET to power you "Rich Internet Applications". This article will show you how to use the Flash custom control when passing data back and forth between your flash movies and .NET applications.

Using the Google API from ColdFusion
by Arman Danesh - 13-May-03
Reader Level:

Learn to build Google searches right into your own ColdFusion applications using the Google Web Service API.

Forms Authentication & Authorization Series: Part 2
by Peter Ladka - 28-Apr-03
Reader Level:

.NET has a bunch of excellent built in concepts and objects commonly needed in dynamic websites. Authentication and authorization is a big issue for many web designers and developers. This is an area in which ASP.NET provides many tools for the developer to sculpt their security strategies to take whatever form they desire. In part 2 we will investigate using the web.config file as the trusted source as well as how to encrypt your passwords in the web.config file.

Creating a clickable wireframe navigation for site testing
by Jim Babbage - 15-Apr-03
Reader Level:

Proving your navigational structure before you dig deep into the graphical design of your site is very important. Creating a clickable wireframe can help point out problem areas in navigation, or may prompt you - or the client - about a missing hyperlink. A little up front work can save you tons of time at the production stage.

ASP.NET - Object Oriented Programming Basics
by Peter Ladka - 02-Apr-03
Reader Level:

ASP.NET brings Object Oriented Programming to web application development. This article explores the difference between interpreted languages like ASP, PHP and Cold Fusion and an true OOP language in ASP.NET

XML In Flash Free!
by Matthew David - 30-Mar-03
Reader Level:

XML is the backbone to web services across the Internet. In this article you will learn how to pull and extract XML files into Flash MX.

Past Week's New Content

Search CMX

Latest Free Content

View All
Free Content

Accessibility

CMX Learning Guides

Programming

Member's Sign In

Current Articles
and Tutorials

Most Recent JumpStarts

CMX Suite

RSS Feed

Past Week's New Content

Search CMX

Latest Free Content

View All Free Content

Accessibility

CMX Learning Guides

Programming

Member's Sign In

Current Articles and Tutorials

Most Recent JumpStarts

Newsletter

CMX Suite

RSS Feed

View All
Free Content

Current Articles
and Tutorials