evolt.org - Code

A Very Simple and Effective Captcha

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:09:24 -0500

I have a very simple anti-bot spam technique that works extremely well. It requires no javascript, cookies or complicated server weirdness, is fully accessible, has no hidden fields, has negligible overhead and takes just a moment or two to implement. It requires that the user fill out one field with a number, so it's good for anti-bot but will not prevent human spammers. In three years, I have yet to receive any spam on any of the many sites that I have installed this on. Sites that were being bombarded with hundreds of spams daily suddenly became quiet and good emails get though.

Search Engine Friendly URLs with IIS and Classic ASP

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:42:00 -0600

A few years ago, I needed a Content Management System (CMS) for my site Voor Beginners and its English counterpart For Beginners. One of the requirements was, that the CMS should use "search engine friendly" URLs. This is fairly easy to accomplish with Linux and Apache; however, another requirement was that the CMS should run on the Windows platform... In this article, I will show how you can "simulate" the effects of .htaccess and mod_rewrite using Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) and classic ASP.

Failover Database Connection with PHP + mySQL

Sun, 20 May 2007 07:04:07 -0500

You want to connect to a mySQL database? Well, then it's likely you already know how. But how about connecting a second database if the first one fails? No? This could be a life saver.

Making websites: what's your target audience ?

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 10:20:00 -0500

If putting your business online means maximising the outreach, and a global audience, then Web Standards just add sense to your sensibility. A browser is never going to buy anything from you. The users should always get your content, no matter what platform they use, what media device they use, or wherever they might be. There should be no reason that a business turns back even one potential customer.

Working With Fractions In CSS and PHP

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:17:50 -0500

Most of us are uncomfortable with using fractions when writting programs. If we encounter a fraction, we will first convert it into a floating point number (with decimals) and proceed from there. Most programming languages would prefer to use 0.5 as opposed to 1/2 because the later conflicts with the syntax of the languages. In this article, I will discuss an approach to working with fractions in PHP and CSS in one of the projects that I have done.

Quick Calendar Using AJAX and PHP

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:14:06 -0500

Online calendars are often used in many web applications. Though popular, the logic behind creating a calendar can be scary especially for those who are new to programming. There are many web calendars in the market but some of them are quite complicated. If we are not able to understand the code, it becomes harder for us to customise the calendar to fit into our existing application. As such, we need to create a calendar that can plug itself into any system seamlessly without problems. Whether we are using wordpress, mambo or drupal, we should only need to insert one line into our code for the calendar to work.

PHP Localization with TMX standard

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 15:27:49 -0500

One of the main concerns of internationalization consists of separating the main source code from the texts, the labels, the messages and all the other objects related to the specific language in use. This article briefly explains the TMX standard and presents a simple TMX PHP bridge.

Securing Forms - Random Image

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 14:27:03 -0600

You might have noticed those "Enter text as seen on image above" registration-forms. This article covers how you make your own, quick and simple!

These Things I Know, PHP Tips

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 15:43:09 -0600

There is more than one way to achieve the same result when programming in PHP. There are many shortcuts I wish someone had explained to me when I began learning the language. Here are my favorites.

ASP BreadCrumb Class

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 06:54:00 -0500

This is an ASP class that generates a breadcrumb style navigation based on the website's directory structure. It is an implementation of the BreadCrumbs PHP Class @ www.backettcase.com and some code 'borrowed' from Adrian Roselli's "Breadcrumbs for Those Using ASP" on this very site.

Java Localization with TMX standard

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 16:27:06 -0600

Why standards-compliant HTML matters

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 02:28:13 -0600

High-quality, compact, elegant and standards-compliant code is one of the most obvious tools of good web development nowadays. However, it is sometimes difficult to convince the client to invest in that kind of quality. Here are some elements that can be used to build a case: outlining abuse patterns and their reasons, the fundamental problem with creative use of technologies, and its consequences.

PHP Login System with Admin Features

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 05:39:02 -0500

Describes a complete PHP Login System with full Administrative Features that uses a MySQL database and can be easily integrated into any PHP/MySQL website.

Ten CSS tricks you may not know

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 16:52:20 -0600

With so many different ways of using CSS some important tricks and techniques may have passed you by. See how many of the ten you already know and maybe learn something new!

A touch of class - skinable Javascript

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 05:42:18 -0500

By now, almost all web developers have realised that it does make sense to separate structure from presentation and behaviour. Sadly enough, not too many openly available Javascripts do the same. Learn how to enhance markup while keeping the visuals in the CSS rather than in Javascript variables. Create scripts that others can use without messing with your code.