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Mick

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Everything posted by Mick

  1. You would take style= and all its attributes out of the HTML file. HTML is just for structure and content. CSS is for display. Your best bet is to start at the beginning of the video series and follow along step-by-step. That means pause the video and do each step yourself. It's a great way to learn.
  2. You would also want to add the following to the CSS file right at/near the top: /*html5 display rule */ address, article, aside, canvas, content, details, figcaption, figure, footer, header, hgroup, nav, menu, section, summary { display: block; } As mentioned in a previous post, Google html5 shiv (or shim) and copy/paste the code in the head section. The current (Oct. 2012) code is this: <!--[if lt IE 9]> <script src="dist/html5shiv.js"></script> <![endif]--> I learned the above from Ben Falk in a PHP class.
  3. Sorry that I can't help, but just wanted to say I enjoyed your description of how you, as a cook, communicate by "grunting and throwing pots". Great for you for enjoying programming, seeking a career change, and saving thousands by teaching yourself with the help of Killersites! Best of luck to you. Flash is about dead in the water, and I am not going to bother learning it. The reason is because Apple does not use it on any of its recent mobile devices, from the iPhone on. Other manufactures will be following suit or already have. In websites, Flash is replaced by newer (or expansion of existing) technology. I''m not sure if your track is Web Designer or Web Programmer (called Front End Engineer in the job listings), but if it's the latter, then concentrate on HTML, CSS, Javascript, and PHP. I got halfway through the basic Dreamweaver course and then decided it's much easier to "hand code" using a good editor, such as Sublime Text 2 (free download, would like you to pay after a trial period, but you can still use), or even Notepad for that matter, than to use Dreamweaver. I guess it's a matter of personal preference.
  4. Sometimes the word of mouth advertising you get from an ecstatic, well-satisfied customer is worth far more than the discount you provide. Just something to consider. (Of course warn the client that the deep discount was only for her, so don't share that info in referrals.) Perhaps you can work out a compromise or barter. For instance, charge the higher rate, but if she can get you another full-pay customer, or design a special piece of jewelry for you, or some other barter--like proofread for you for a set amount of time (you did misspell jewelry), then provide the discount. Stefan gave excellent advice. My post is to give some ways you can maintain your high value and still offer a discount.
  5. This is a modification of my previous reply. As a general rule, you want to keep your PHP code separate from your HTML code as much as possible. The reason is so that a web designer can do what she/he wants with the HTML and CSS without messing up your code. The PHP code is included in the HTML file via an include statement in the head section. In the PHP videos, the PHP and MySQL course, Stefan starts by mixing PHP and HTML in the same file, and ends by separating the two as much as reasonable. Here is a sample resulting HTML file: <!Doctype HTML> <html> <head> <title>Use PHP to Display mySQL Database Table Records</title> <meta charset="utf-8"> <?php include("database-connect-inc.php"); ?> </head> <body> <h1>Use PHP to Display mySQL Database Table Records</h1> <h2>Records Follow:</h2> <p> <?php echo $my_rows; ?> </p> </body> </html>
  6. (regarding the post above this one:) Why go to w3schools to learn Javascript? The instruction at Killersites is superb, practical, and engaging. It's hands-on learning by doing.
  7. Ben, Thanks so much! You are amazing in how quickly you reply with useful information. I greatly appreciate all that you contribute to Killersites, the forums, and the behind the scenes stuff that I don't know about. PS: Maybe you can make the suggested course order a sticky post on the PHP forum.
  8. Hello to the Administrators of this great site, Can one of you update the order of the listing of PHP courses available via the Killersites Video Tutorial Library to match the order in which the classes should be taken? For instance, I learned the hard way that my failed attempt at PHP CRUD will probably be successful once I take "PHP and MySQL" (which I am starting today). Yet the CRUD course is listed well-ahead of the SQL one. Could you post the suggested order here right away? I realize changing the production version of a site can take awhile. Thanks so much. PS: If you happen to know the time length of each series and can include that information also, that would be even greater.
  9. So you've been writing stand-alone PHP programs? It's a good way to learn a language, and it seems like you've come a long way in knowledge, so kudos to you. I like the Killersites approach better, where early on you have practical web programming instruction-- integration-- such as PHP embedded in HTML. In just the 2nd course, "More PHP", I completed a well-taught project using PHP, HTML, Javascript, and jQuery to display posts from an RSS feed onto a web page. To answer your question, yes, you would change the file type. So, instead of the HTML file being index.html, for instance, it would be index.php. This is done often. The browser will still interpret the HTML (via the html tag), CSS, and Javascript (by default in HTML5, with type= in earlier versions), and jQuery with the src library included in the (javascript) script type tag. I don't know if it a "best practice," but it is a very common one. I don't have enough knowledge to know what alternatives there are (or why you would want to use them). Perhaps someone else can answer those questions.
  10. Ben, Thanks so much for a fast reply! Yes, that RSS feed works. Students, here are my Tips for Doing the "Use PHP, jQuery & AJAX to Load XML Data" Project: After struggling for a few hours, mostly over careless errors, such as a missing > and using #recenttopics in one place and #recentTopics in another, and writing text/javascript instead of text/css for the style tag for loading the animated gif, and for forgetting an occasional semicolon, I got it to work! You need to go to the jQuery site and download the script-- the minimized version is small. You have to go to ajaxload.info and download an animated gif. I spend far too much time deciding and getting hypnotized by the swirling animations. You have to match names. The jQuery script should be renamed jquery.js, or, alternatively, you can match the name used in index.php to the actual file name. The animated gif name at the time of this post is ajax-loader.gif. Whatever name you get, it has to match your code. I found the size Ben used was too small for the gif, and so increased the height and width to 30px each. (Since it is a circle in a square, height should equal width.) I used Killersites green for my gif color and a transparent background. Of course make sure the four files are in the same folder. You may want to create a special folder just for this project. The 4 files are jquery.js, index.php, getforum.php, and ajax-loader.gif. And use an RSS feed that works! (See Ben's post above this one.) For every class: Follow along with the instrucor, and test as you go. You aren't going to learn nearly as much by passively watching videos as you will learn by DOING each step! This part did not work. Here's my work around. The code in index.php to use addClass() did not work for me. My solution: Remove the statement (the whole line) where addClass("loading") appears in the head, javascript section. Add class="loading" to div id=recentTopics Add an anchor text to class="loading" with href = the file name of your gif The loading gif disappeared as soon as the list appeared, as it is supposed to. This is because the code Ben gave for removeClass() as a sub-function of getforum.php remains in place. Thank you Ben for a Great Segment. Thank you Stephan for Excellent Teaching and the idea to have Ben share. It is such a thrill to get something "complicated" to work. My heart tingled when I saw the RSS feed of posts appear and then again when the animated gif code finally worked. Even though we were mostly spoon-fed, it's a great pleasure to code and see correct results. I hope that even when I become an "old timer", that I still derive a bit of excitement upon successfully completing a coding project. Thank you for providing a gateway to make this a career, and for the superb teaching!
  11. Greetings! In Misc PHP Videos, "Use PHP, jQuery & AJAX to Load XML Data Part 1", the RSS feed that Ben uses is "http://killersites.com/forums/feed/rss/". With all the great changes at Killersites, this URL is no longer valid. Can this video be carried out with another Killersites Forum RSS? If so, which one? Do any more changes need to be made from the instructions in the video? Here is the beginning code to test being able to obtain the feed file: <?php $file = "http://killersites.com/forums/feed/rss/"; $xml = simplexml_load_file($file); echo "<pre>"; print_r($xml); echo "</pre>"; ?> Once that works, the echo/print/echo statements are removed, and each rss item is made part of a list with this code: echo "<ul>"; foreach($xml->channel->item as $item) { echo "<li><a href='$item->link'>$item->title</a></li>"; } echo "</ul>"; Capturing the Killersites RSS Forum feed seems like a really cool thing to do. Perhaps if someone can help me figure it out, I can set up an affiliate marketer web page for selling Killersite Store DVDs. I think the courses are fantanstic, and I highly recommend them.
  12. In the same HTML5 CSS3 and JQuery course, for the rounded corners question, border-radius:10px; -moz-border-radius:10px; was incorrect (no spaces after the colon), but the "given" answer was correct: border-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; One does not need spaces after the colon. In fact, the previous attributes in the sample code do not have spaces.
  13. Hi, The courses and instruction are great! This is a minor complaint that a little tweaking can fix. Perhaps this thread can be used for similar tweaks needed with other courses. The problem is that on occassion, a correct answer is given, but the validation process does not accept the answer as correct. The correction is to update the validation for those answers. Two examples: In the HTML5 CSS3 and JQuery course, an answer to update the HTML tags to HTML5 was considered incorrect. In comparing the given answer (obtained after "giving up") to the one I had, the only difference was this meta tag: <meta charset=utf-8> vs. <meta charset=UTF-8> Clearly, both are correct, but submitting the "wrong" case yielded an error. In the same course, in the Intro to CSS3, video 2 Intro to Crossbrowser Compatability, Question 2, we are asked to "Add the html5shiv script for older versions of IE" The website is given, so one just has to copy/paste. Well, the code has changed since the course was written, so the new code is marked wrong. Asking for the answer so that one could paste in the former answer and move on was not helpful-- it referred to the same site. In creating new course content, it may be wise to not ask a question that has an answer that is likely to change, such as a script on another site. It might also be a good idea to check validation scripts so that correct answers are not deemed incorrect. Aside from these minor flaws, the teaching and flow of the Killersites University courses are excellent and a pleasurable way to learn.
  14. I don't really understand your question, sorry. Are you saying that you no longer want a drop-down menu for navigation, because when you "drop down" a menu, it covers the content of something else, and you don't like that? And therefore, you would like a drop-up menu? Have you tried playing around with the arrangements of the slideshow and the navigation bar? for instance, how about putting the navigation below the slideshow banner?
  15. Ben, Your first link has informative stats besides display resolutions. Here's the July 2012 Browser Statistics: Internet Explorer 16.3 % Firefox 33.7 % Chrome 42.9 % Safari 3.9 % Opera 2.1 % Thanks for an interesting link. PS: Old school thinking is make your sites compatible with even the oldest browsers-- don't include the fancy stuff. And make sure your site looks the same on each browser. New school: Would you want black/white streamed to your new hi-definition, state-of-the-art TV? Of course not--you want the latest features exploited. And if you have an old TV, you will have incentive to update to a new one. Use HTML5 and CSS3 even if the old versions of IE can not handle some of the features. Just make sure your site is functional even without CSS and JavaScript. As someone put it, escalators don't break, they temporarily become stairs. Oh, and it's okay if your site looks different on different browsers! Most people only use one, so they would not even notice that they are "missing rounded corners" for instance, nor would they care. It's nonsense that the output has to LOOK identical.
  16. Mick

    Python course?

    Hi, I was wondering if a Python course was in the works. I recently found out that the computer programming name was based on Monty Python! How cool is that? Anyway, I've read a lot of good things about it, heard it was easy to learn, and see Python Programmer job postings. So... How about a Python course please? PS: "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, Spam, spam, and more spam, I'm a lumberjack and I don't care..." Think of all the fun you can include in a Python course!
  17. Hi Ben, Thanks for the reply. Can you give Stefan a heads up on this thread, please? Maybe some of the ideas will help to increase his success. If he could open the affiliate program to include getting commissions for bringing new Video Tutorial subscribers and/or University subscribers, I think he'd have more active affiliates. Reason: People interested in learning the courses are very computer literate. They don't need the DVD. The subscription is a way better deal than the purchase on an individual course. I'm guessing it's hard to get good affiliates because it doesn't make good economic sense to spend money and time driving traffic if the buyers purchase something for which you don't get a commission, and most of the buyers would purchase subscriptions. I have another idea in the "wrap services around products" department. Guide students in creating an online lab book / note book for the course as they progress through it. Perhaps have copy/paste items for the notebook--it would be easy enough to do. As an example, as I was going through Dreamweaver, instead of pasting in the Latin text for filler, I started taking notes and it turned into a web page-- notesAsILearn.com (notes as I learn). So, for each "unit of learning", a student would watch a video, answer questions, do a lab exercise (you can provide the "exercise" and solution and student can grade themselves--pass when they can do without looking at answer); add to the copy/paste content to their notebook, and then add any personal notes.
  18. Nobes, Thank you so much! Your problem is my solution! I could not get access to the database, and thus could not follow along in the CRUD with PHP and MYSQLI course. I turned off my firewall and went through many pages of Google search results, but still kept getting the access denied message. In your post, you use $pass = ''; I updated by connect-db.php file from using $pass = 'root'; to using $pass = ''; and it works!!! I'm so excited. Question for you--if $pass = ''; works for you, then why add a password? Anyway, I hope someone can help you, but if all else fails and you still want a password, you can simply reinstall WAMP. (Save the www subdirectory somewhere else first so you don't lose your files.)
  19. You call that a "pretty glaring error"? Yikes, you are harsh. I call that a very minor slip in semantics.
  20. I'm confused. University now = Library. Interactive training = University. So, interactive training University does not equal the Video Tutorial Library? Is the Video Tutorial Library, (subscriptions monthly or yearly ($29/$99)), a separate product from the interactive training University (subscription monthly ($39) or purchase individual courses)? Are the Video Store purchases(packages or individual courses) the courses found in the Tutorial Library or the interactive ones? Does a person with a yearly subscription to the Tutorial Library have access to the interactive University courses (beyond the free content)? Why is there no yearly subscription to the interactive University training offered? If the Video Tutorial Library students indeed do not have access to the interactive University, Is there a way for the Tutorial Library subscribers to get access to the list of questions (and an answer file) that the interactive University students get asked? The interactivity of the questions really makes the University a lot of fun. The questions force the learner to pay better attention as he/she watch each video (will that piece of information be one of the questions, and better pause and make sure I know how to code a link to an external CSS file, for examples). Plus, they break up the viewing of videos and force the viewer to stop, process, and digest what was just learned. I look forward to the questions (and feel "smart" in being able to answer on first attempt with no hints). Why doesn't the Killersites home page showcase the options available with informations such as "Which method is better for your learning style?", a comparison of the Library subscription vs. the University one, and then links? Are Video Store DVD purchases just the videos and project files, or do they include the interactivity of the questions? It's all very confusing... Finally, can the affiliate program be updated to include the monthly and yearly subscriptions to the Library, as well as course offerings and monthly subscriptions to the University? You definitely should target homeschoolers with the University option. Have a separate portal page welcoming home educators and selling how important computer programming skills are, and how your program makes it easy to learn, etc., then have the link to the regular University home page. Add a coupon code to ALL check-out forms so you can track the sources of customers (for instance, by magazine and date). Advertise in one or more of the top 3 magazines: Practical Homeschooling (PH is my favorite--ask one of their editors to review your site) The Old Schoolhouse (they offer new TOS subscribers a "goodie bag" of free stuff--offer 1 month free) Home Education Magazine (HEM) (try a small ad--emphasize free content to try before you buy) I have other ideas--for instance, offer free hosting to subscribers while they are subscribers. Set up the ability to print out "transcripts" of courses completed -- basically list student name, and for each courses, state course title, completions date, and have a grade (can have an online final that students can take up to 3 times and/or a final project that someone can eyeball to see that it works.) The basic idea is this: Wrap services around your products. So, even if a person can get training cheaper elsewhere, they will choose you because of all the extras--the forum, the transcripts, the free hosting, and so on. Figure out how you can help job seekers build a portfolio and you will really have a winner. Then advertise on Dice. Another good target market is community college students--they can learn everything quickly and easily via killersites and then breeze through their college courses (easy "A" plus have college credit). Some colleges will let a student "test out" of a course--that is give the credit if the student passes their test. This can save time (still have to pay, though). Or, it can enable the student to "test out" of pre-requisite courses which saves time and money.
  21. Hi LSW, Your replies are always so thoughtful. I enjoy reading all your posts. You always make me think. We were both replying to Ben's post at the same time. Great minds... Then I double posted--oops. Agree that HTML5 isn't standard yet; my point was that it is already in such widespread use, so learn it. Don't know where your 2014 date came from, but the latest actions seem that now it is just a formality before becoming the "official standard". Don't know much about XML/XHTML, just know learning HTML5 instead is the way for me to go. I think HTML5 incorporates a lot of XHTML (if not in syntax, then in capability). SQL -- I think once you learn one version, you'll know about 85% of any other main version. When a company is seeking to hire a programmer, I think they prefer a candidate who knows how to maintain the business's existing applications and can create new ones. So, learning popular core technologies that have been around a long time and are growing fits the bill. Hence, JavaScript, HTML current plus HTML5, CSS current plus CSS3, current PHP, and a relational database plus its flavor of SQL (such as mySQLi)are listed under Core Knowledge in my post. I'm in a race to learn enough to get hired before becoming homeless. So arguments about AJAX and XML/XHTML are interesting, but my focus remains on learning enough of the core things to get hired. I haven't used AJAX and haven't been in IT for ten years. My background is IBM mainframe programmer. (My how everything has changed! Motto: keep up.) Be thankful you have a job and the skills and experience to get another one. I'm thankful for my analytic mind, ability to learn quickly, and killersites.com. Changing gears, some interesting things I watched/read a few hours ago: Stefan Mischook (yay!) -- video and blog posts on HTML5 http://www.killersites.com/blog/category/html/html5-html/ Why PHP Is Fun and Easy But Python Is Marriage Material (also talks about C#; interesting reader comments) http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/20493/Why-PHP-Is-Fun-and-Easy-But-Python-Is-Marriage-Material.aspx Code Wars: Ruby vs Python vs PHP [infographic] (dated but interesting) http://www.udemy.com/blog/modern-language-wars/
  22. On HTML5, XML, XHTML, etc: According to Wikipedia: Article source: http://www.w3.org/2011/02/htmlwg-pr.html You can use <!DOCTYPE HTML> on any modern browser now, and it will work. That's an HTML5 standard. XHTML 2.0 was a working draft, but work on it was abandoned in 2009 in favor of work on HTML5. Quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XHTML I don't know where LSW got the "HTML5 is not a standard yet and won't be until 2014" information, because although it might not "officially" a standard yet, already, much of it is in standard use. Work on extending XHTML has been dropped. Instead, some of XHTML5 will incorporate into HTML5.
  23. Ben, The question is "So, what do I need to learn to be a web designer?" I believe the majority of one's learning time should be spent on learning current widely used technologies. It does not make sense to devote time and energy to technology that has already been replaced with newer and better methodology. A ridiculous example is don't learn Word 2000 or 2003. Learn Word 2010. If a shop is using Word 2007, you'll be able to figure it out. HTML5 is now here, and even Internet Explorer is getting on board. So, don't waste your time on XML or XHTML because HTML5 is the new standard (or is about to be). AJAX is an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. XML is outdated. Wikipedia says, The XMLHttpRequest object is by now replaced since XHTML is no longer used in new development. Wikipedia also says you can't use the AJAX approach across domains. AJAX interfaces may increase user requests to servers,leading to longer response times and hardware needs. The style of programming leads to complex code that is difficult to maintain, debug, and test. So, maybe you're right about AJAX because you don't need to use the XMLHttpRequest object, or maybe AJAX isn't worth learning. I don't know. As for myself, for now I'm sticking to learning the other stuff. For new site creation, WordPress can probably do anything Drupal can, plus there is a lot more support. Sure, you may get a job where you have to maintain a Drupal site or one that uses old technology. For that kind of situation, I say learn what you need to know when you need to know it. In summary, build on a solid core of knowledge that you will surely need to become a web programmer (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, WordPress, SQL (any flavor) and relational database knowledge)-- all currnt, widely used technology, and don't worry about the rest until you need it.
  24. I modified LSW's list for Web Programmer, since his list is outdated: Core Knowledge: HTML (HTML 4.2 and HTML5) JavaScript (note: much more than a scripting language) CSS (CSS2 and CSS3) PHP5 WordPress SQL -- MySQL is fine basic relational database knowledge Good to Know: Photoshop jQuery JSON Java C# on .Net framework Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, EXCEL, Access, Publisher Can be helpful on your resume: Ruby on Rails Python Dreamweaver (hand coding is easier and creates better code, though) Facebook -- creating Fan pages Mobile web site creation Creating Apps Using Social Media and tying into web and mobile sites Basic internet marketing (branding, driving traffic, engaging customers) Creating Q-codes and using on websites SMS -- text messaging service set-up (Twilio)and phone/web/mobile use Creating and using RSS feeds SharePoint or GoogleDocs -- way to share documentations with others Not Sure, I Think Outdated: AJAX Perl (clunky language) Don't bother: ASP (Active Server Pages) XML, XHTML -- replaced by HTML5 Another Flash related, such as Action Script and Flash Builder VBScript -- even IE now uses JavaScript Drupal -- Use WordPress instead Eh! Visual Basic -- If learning either C# on .NET or Java is too hard, then learn Visual Basic on .NET as a stepping stone Excellent English speaking, reading, and writing skills are golden. If you know a foreign language, that can help land a web developer job. People skills (plays nice with others) and soft skills (attention to detail, for example) are also important.
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