Author Archive
Using Yii Framework Validators Outside of a Form
The Yii Framework comes bundled with a large collection of validation methods used to validate user input data in a form. In some situations you might want to validate data outside of a form, and instead of rolling your own validation methods it is best to hook into the existing Yii ones. For example, in [...]
Phone Number HTML Links for Visitors on Mobile Devices
Displaying mobile numbers as clickable links on mobile devices can be a very easy task. If your numbers are formatted in any of the following ways, the vast majority of your mobile visitors (iPhone and Android) will automatically see the phone number as a clickable link: (555) 555-5555 555 555 5555 555.555.5555 If your phone [...]
Website Crashes Only in Internet Explorer 8
Internet Explorer continues to be the most frustrating browser to develop websites for. The most recent bug I encountered with IE8 took hours to track down. While working on a website I noticed in IE8 the site would crash the entire browser before the site even had a chance to render any content. The website [...]
Debugging Javascript using the Browser’s Console
Avoid using alert() to debug your Javascript, and instead use the browser’s built in console. It is an unobtrusive way to view the status of variables and events throughout your code. For example: Please visit “How to debug Javascript” for more information
Exposed to the Elements – Grand Haven Event Recap
The Exposed to the Elements snowboard and ski competition at the Ski Bowl at Mulligan’s Hollow in Grand Haven on Sunday provided the opportunity for several children to showcase their winter sports skills on the slopes. The event, sponosored by Buffalo Bob’s and Element Design, was a part of Grand Haven’s Winterfest. Exposed to the [...]
How to Fix Timthumb using a Virtual Directory (URL contains tildes (~))
The timthumb tilde issue has been discussed for almost a year now on the official timthumb site, and the developers have yet to do anything to provide a fix for users in development environments. The issue is that when developers are developing sites using a URL structure such as: http://127.0.0.1/~mysite/images/dog.jpg, timthumb does not correctly parse [...]
Re-enable Vertical Tabs (Side Tabs) on Google Chrome 16
My previous post “Using Side Tabs on Chrome and Firefox” outlined steps to switch website tabs from stretching horizontally across the top of your browser to a vertical stack on the side. The post outlines the many benefits of using this layout of tabs, however recently the Chrome team decided to take this feature off [...]
The Best Web-Based Online Image Cropper
Element Design has recently released a brand new version of it’s online image cropping service, Croply. Using the latest HTML5 specifications, Croply is the fastest and most accurate image cropping service available online. Other web-based image cropping services have you upload an image to their server before you can begin working on it. One major disadvantage [...]
How to Add Horizontal Padding to a Website for Mobile Devices
I recently completed a client’s website when an issue was brought to my attention. When viewing the full site on a mobile device (Android, iPhone, or iPad) the site extended to the corners of the screen. There was no padding on the left or right of the site which looked awkward with parts of the [...]
Contact Form 7: Get Parameter from URL into Form Plugin
There are times when using the Contact Form 7 WordPress plugin where I need to pass a parameter from the URL and into a hidden field into the form. This is great for passing things such as order numbers, selected packages, or even security information. Download GetParam Here Installation Copy the getparam.php file into: /wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/modules/ [...]
