Author: Editor

Categories
CSS JavaScript Web Development

Uniform Form Styling

Sometime something comes along the stands out from the crowd.

Uniform is one of those things.  Uniform is a Forms Styling tool using jQuery and CSS to create some pretty snappy looking form elements.

 

image

http://pixelmatrixdesign.com/uniform/

Categories
Operating Systems

DNS Tips

Some general help with DNS

Categories
Operating Systems Vista

Fixing Windows Exporer and other Vista problems

Windows Explorer in Vista is enough to drive one to drink, not least for its constant inability to remember folder preferences.

windowsannoyances.org has a great solution at www.annoyances.org/exec/show/choosetemplate.

PCMag also has a link to that solution and some other good advice here.

Categories
Application Tips

Creating a repeating 3-up flyer in Microsoft Publisher 2007

Microsoft Publisher can be used to create repeating content in a flyer format.

Imagine that you want to subdivide a letter size page – in landscape mode – into three vertical panes, with the same content repeating the the tree panes.

You work with the content in one pane, and when printed, the content will repeat into the other two panes.

The key seems to be to understand the distinctions between page setup and print setup, and when in the Page Setup > Advanced "Custom Page Size Dialog" understanding the distinction between 'Page' and 'Sheet'.

When you click File > Print Preview, you'll see a 3-up presentation with 3 identical content panes.

Here's a rough guide to what worked for me:

File > Page Setup
 
  Advanced
 
    Custom Page Size Dialog
 
    Layout Type:
      Multiple pages per sheet
 
    Page:
      Page Width:  3.6666"
      Page Height: 8.5"
 
    Options:
      Target Sheet Size: Custom
      Sheet width:       11"
      Sheet height:      8.5"
 
File > Print Setup
  Printing options: Multiple copies per sheet
  Paper size:       Letter
  Orientation:      Landscape
Categories
PHP

PHP Debug Message Function

PHP coders frequently need to display a message in code for debugging purposes. It helps to be able to display these messages in a distinctive matter that sets them apart from normal page content, and to display the line number where the message was triggered.

This function displays the massage in a visually distinctive form, and prepends the line number from which the function is called.

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function debugMsg($message) {
	/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	 *   SCRIPT: debugMsg()
	 *  PURPOSE: Accept a text string and display is in a formatted div, preceeded by the line
	 *           number of the line that called the message.
	 *   SYNTAX: debugMsg('this is my error message.');
	 *-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
	// 	
	// determine calling line - line number which called this function	
	// Reference: http://php.net/manual/en/function.debug-backtrace.php
	$call_info = array_shift( debug_backtrace() );
	$calling_line = $call_info['line'];
	// now print the message with the line number from which the message was generated.
	echo "<div style='border:1px dashed silver;background-color:#F7F3E8;margin:.25em; padding:.25em .5em;color:darkgray;font-size:100%;'>";
	echo "<pre style='margin:0px;'>$calling_line: $message</pre>";
	echo "</div>";
}