How to randomize initial image with jquery-cycle plugin

After searching for a solution to show a random image from the sequence using jquery-cycle, I found this post with a simple (undocumented) solution. Just add the following line to your cycle function, replacing 4 with the total number of slides:


Per Page Sidebar Blocks plugin for WordPress

Download Per Page Sidebar Blocks plugin for WordPress This plugin is being submitted to the WordPress repository. For now, you can download it here: Download Per Page Sidebar Blocks v1.0 The plugin is now available in the WordPress repository: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/per-page-sidebar-blocks/ Background and goals of this plugin Part of offering WordPress as a CMS to my clients [...]


Magento special price still showing after expiration

The problem After much research, I can only assume this special price issue not working properly is a bug in Magento. The only accepted solution was to visit the admin page System > Configuration and Reindex the Data for Product Prices. Fine, but I can’t tell my client to log into his admin every morning [...]


Test your web browser for javascript performance

I recently came across Peacemaker, an app by Futuremark, that tests your internet browser for javascript performance. The image above shows my results after running it in Chrome, Firefox, and IE9. I should also note that I had 4 other tabs going in Chrome during the test, including Slacker Radio, but it didn’t seem to [...]


How to write user-friendly website content, optimized for search engines

What software to use? No need to over-complicate things by learning some new fancy software. You can use Microsoft Word, Wordpad, Open Office, or any familiar text editor. I prefer Microsoft Word because it helps markup my content into something search engines and browsers can understand. If you don’t know HTML, this is the route [...]


Propel Prune Classes Task

Over the years of working with the Symfony PHP framework I have had moments of conflict about whether I made the right choice to use the Propel ORM. Both Propel and Doctrine have amazing features but ultimately I like the Propel style. Development on the project waxes and wanes but as of late it has [...]


My Company Menu plugin for WordPress

Download My Company Menu plugin for WordPress This plugin is being submitted to the WordPress repository. For now, you can download it here: mycomp-menu-v1.0.zip The plugin is now available in the WordPress repository: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/my-company-menu/ Background and goals of this plugin This plugin is intended for theme developers who build WordPress websites for other businesses. WordPress [...]


Problems with Paste from Word in TinyMCE WYSIWYG for WordPress

If you have been having this issue with the Paste from Word feature in TinyMCE (and other WYSIWYG editors) for WordPress (and other CMSs), it could be the Style Set you’re using in Microsoft Word. The Problem: Unexpected results I love using the Paste from Word feature for marking up text with proper tags like [...]


Why we develop websites on WordPress

Open Source WordPress is an open-source project maintained by the community and Automattic. It offers big benefits: Free to use and modify as needed Beautiful and intuitive user interface Simple, powerful and expandable foundation for websites Thousands of 3rd party plugins, usually decreasing development time Great documentation and community support Search Engine Optimization Another big [...]


Search engine optimization techniques

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps your website show up in people’s search results. Proper SEO techniques target the actual words people type into search engines. It is impossible to guarantee top ranking for everyone (if anyone does…run away) because keywords fluctuate in popularity, but proper coding techniques will likely [...]


How to update CKEditor in OpenCart

OpenCart using outdated CKEditor For some reason, the current version of OpenCart (1.4.9.5) is still using an old version of CKEditor (3.0.1) in the admin interface, though the current version is up to 3.6. While the old CKEditor still works fine as a WYSIWYG, I need to give my clients an easier way to manage [...]


Baton Rouge Web Design & Development

Web design & development in Baton Rouge Most of our employees are from Louisiana and have attended local high schools and colleges. This is our home, and we want to help our neighbors succeed by providing quality web work at a fair price. Web development goals Part of our web development process seeks to fully [...]


How to force an update of cached files, images, favicon

File caching Browsers automatically save webpage images, stylesheets, favicon, and other files directly on your computer – this is called caching. Caching lets you visit the same site multiple times without having to download those files over and over again – you save time, the hosting company saves bandwidth, and the world makes sense again. [...]



We’re using HTML5 and CSS3 techniques

We’ve updated our site to the latest HTML5 and CSS3 markup. What does using HTML5 and CSS3 mean to you? It means we’re embracing the latest web development techniques to offer our clients and their users an enhanced web experience. These technologies are cutting-edge and ultimately help people, search engines, and accessibility-assistance software make more [...]


Bad web design repels people

People’s first impression of your company is often from your website. Your website builds credibility Upon visiting your website, people will judge it and your company immediately and make a decision to stay or leave. Your bounce rate (the number of times someone leaves your site after only visiting a single page) will increase (that’s [...]


10 Unix Commands Every Web Developer Should Know

Unix servers run the internet, and, as a web developer, you should know how to use this powerful operating system. In the beginning, Unix can be a little intimidating, especially for someone coming from a strictly graphics-oriented OS. There’s no magical ‘undo’ button that can fix a mistake you made and there are not very [...]


Websites are the best form of advertising

What’s the best way to promote your business? That’s easy…get a website. We are becoming dependent on immediate access to information through our computers, smartphones, and touch screen devices. These days, most people use search engines to find local companies to do business with –say goodbye to phonebooks. Conventional forms of advertising (billboards, magazines, word of mouth) are becoming [...]


Keep Adobe Flash off your websites

Your website should never rely on Adobe Flash for core functionality. In the example above, I was looking to get some rates from a company’s website on my iPhone. They have a Flash and non-Flash version of the site, which is nice, but the non-Flash version is not fully operational. (For those who don’t know, [...]


Phonebooks are dead; your business needs a website

Increase your searchability Your potential customers are not using phone books to find your business anymore. The truth is, most people are searching for local businesses on their computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. in search engines and online directory listings. Without a website, your business goes unnoticed; you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy [...]


iFixIT SEO Case Study

iFixIT offers smartphone repairs in the Prairieville area. Their budget only allowed for a single-page site design for credibility, but Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was critical to advertise to users searching their services on the web. Download this SEO case study as a PDF Current Marketing iFixIT operates in Prairieville on Airline Hwy where they [...]


Magento 1.4 WYSIWYG editor with file upload in custom extension

Writing your first custom Magento extension is difficult; no one will argue that fact. Getting the benefits of the new TinyMCE WYSIWYG editor in the admin side is a fairly simple process, unless you require the ability to also upload files through it such as with the CMS. I use a helper method from Aheadworks [...]


How to make any font web safe using @font-face

Images for typography Web designers and developers have settled on using web-safe fonts as body text in our mockups. We have reverted to incorporating beautiful typography into images, specifying some alt tags, and hoping search engines index the text. However, CSS and browsers have been capable of rendering custom, live, selectable text for a long [...]


Adding Shift Multiselect to jsTree jQuery Plugin

Before beginning development on our inDrop file management application I knew I wanted to use some kind of file tree structure. I searched high and low for a decent jQuery plugin that could pull it off, only to find many failures. Then I found jsTree which in my opinion is the most stable and complete [...]


Free shipping for certain products in Magento

Magento does not natively give us the option to assign free shipping to specific items. This write-up details how to add this feature without editing any core code. Add free shipping option to products Make free shipping price rule Enable free shipping in Magento Add free shipping text to product pages, listings, and cart Compatibility [...]


Web Standards Matter

Web Standards? What’s that? Imagine driving your car where there are no street lights, stop signs, or lanes; it would be pure chaos. Standards are created for universal order, and the web is no different. Web developers should abide by standards to keep things flowing properly on the internet. Your site should be functional in [...]


Web Development Process

Our web development process has 5 phases. Design Phase Everything begins with the design phase. You will work with the designer to conceptualize your needs; this may be done via phone calls, email, questionnaire, or in person. You will discuss layout, colors, navigation, content, etc. There will be a series of back-and-forth revision rounds during [...]