Category: code

Although ‘code’ is a broad term, these articles tap into front end, markup, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It however, could point to PHP, dart, flutter, or other technologies in programming or web development.

  • No Code Required

    No Code Required

    I’m seeing more and more of the bullet point (or even primary sales pitch) for no code required or no code needed. Do it yourself (DIY) is a thing. A lot of us want the independence and freedom to do things without people involved or in software engineering – no code involved/required. I remember when Flash was the absolute top notch thing. It cause serious havoc and it also produced amazing movie teaser websites. Then, not unlike a finger snap, someone said, “no more Flash.” And, over a short period of time, that platform was abandoned.

    What I’m alluding to is that technology has cycles. It changes and morphs to the needs of society or re-invents to amaze crowds of folks. It’s great sometimes and it can kill the mood in other times. I also remember when web development was profitable. You can probably make an argument that it still is, but way too many people are aware of the DIY solutions out there. I use (and promote) WordPress. And with that, if anyone learns that they can “WordPress” themselves, I’m rendered obsolete.

    Ok, “obsolete” is a bit dramatic. Sorry!

    What did I do to counter this? I actually didn’t “counter” it at all – I adapted and incorporated it into my site building and project processing.

    Outside of WordPress though, there are other instances that provide obstacles (or hurdles) that we either see coming or they knock us off our high horses.

    animated gif - a cat and horse in a stable and the cat leans over and rubs the face of the horse

    This is where I stop talking about code, logic, ingenuity, complex problem solving, languages, classes, markup, and switch over to you and me. Apart from building, creating, and doing awesome stuff, we also need to eat and provide for ourselves. One consideration that will keep us on track is to stay ahead of the curve. Can you adapt to new technology or are you “set in your ways?” The “no code” route is one of the ways we need to adapt. While some pop-up business is offering a “no code” solution, they may leave off customer service. Or maybe there’s little to no customization for the customer to adjust. These issues actually aren’t issues at all – they’re opportunities. If you can provide a better customer experience than a start up, you could have something.

    Am I frustrated about investing a massive amount of time to learn and training so that I can say “I program?” A bit, yes. But I can’t focus or spend much time trying to figure something out while it’s being overlapped by the competition. I have to adapt and overcome and so I do just that. I also have to do what EVERY other programmer is good at, and that’s finding a solution to a (complex or dynamic) problem.

  • Upside: Centered Vertically

    Upside: Centered Vertically

    Have you ever been deep in the CSS and wanted to have an element (paragraph, divs, etc.) aligned vertically? I have. Maybe you haven’t, but my front end folks are nodding their heads and making sad developer noises. Maybe you already knew or you have a hack for this, but it’s still great news. All of the major browsers, this year, have implemented the CSS “align-content” property! That’s right, your junk will now display centered vertically if you should choose to try one last time. Here’s the code:

    <div style=”height: 700px;”>
    <p style=”align-content: centered;”>Hallelujah</p>
    </div>

    Horizontally aligning has always been a hurdle I’ve learned to jump a long time ago. Bootstrap makes it even easier with the container-row-col system. But centered vertically elements, honestly, I’ve just committed to the stack of, “oh well’s” and moved along without considering it much. To me it’s an easily overlooked item, but I think it’s a massive plus.

    And it’s supported by the following browsers:

    A brown box with 5 browser names at the top: chrome, edge, safari, firefox, and opera in white text. Below each name is a column of red or green blocks. The bottom being the most recent which are all green indicating that they support the feature.Source: caniuse.com

    Pretty wild, right? I’m excited. Ok, the excitement has left. Thank you James Smith for the heads up on this feature. Now the question (seriously) is, “Will I remember it when I need to?” Well, it’s important to pass along. I like doing that. Offering information should anyone even ask for it is, to me, important. I walked into Publix and an older man was walking his dog and I started to walk the other way. When you see a service dog, it’s natural to avoid as to not distract him/her but the man said “Oh, no – he doesn’t bite. He’s a good little guy.” And that was enough for me I immediately came over and “made a friend” as most dogs and I get along like old friends separated at the pirogi fest in 2005 and reunited to enjoy something we can’t explain. The older man then explained the dog is for his diabetes and I immediately thought “Oh, let’s share something he didn’t ask for.”

    So, I told him about breakfast pitas that are sold in the freezer section which have below 15 carbs. He thanked me (honestly) so I showed him exactly where the pitas were in the freezer section and he actually seemed interested and thanked me. Not always the reception I get when sharing. But I feel really awesome when I get that reaction or when I can share something educationally and somebody “gets it.”

    I’m hoping this helps a few – it doesn’t have to be many.

    Also, if you missed it last week, I launched Altimeter – a free WordPress theme. Check it out – my approach is primarily disabling Gutenberg. The examples have a few bootstrap elements and a top video background. This is an advanced (and extremely niche) WordPress tool and I don’t recommend if you like using page layout systems versus code.

  • Altimeter

    Altimeter

    It was time to dance my fingers on the ol’ keyboard and update Altimeter, being it’s original launch was in 2019. I love the idea of making money and charging folks for using my code, but giving it away is more my style. Money can be made farther down the road offering something else. This project uses open source code and free resources, so it’s more appropriate to open source the WordPress theme and let everyone tinker with it.

    It does require a sign-up, but I promise not to spam or send stuff relentlessly. Also, I don’t share or sell anyone’s information. Those two facts are carved in stone.

    What does it do? If you’re publishing sites with WordPress, you already know what a theme is. But if you’re new, you can learn more about WordPress core, themes, and plugins here. This theme comes with Bootstrap installed and Gutenberg disabled. It also has 2 page templates. You can ignore the “template-with-sidebar,” or use it as needed but what you’re really looking for is “page-template-example.php.” This template has a video background (like the top banners of this site) and those videos can be swapped out for your content.

    Following that, there is are a few layout examples in a carousel; all of which are Bootstrap. After that, there is a section with .php displaying posts in multiple columns. If you are plugging this theme into a live site, be sure to use the “live preview” feature first. You should see your existing content fitting into the page/single/archive/search php layouts.

    It’s not perfect, but it can be a great tool if you approach it from the mindset of “I’m going to use code and build using Bootstrap.” You can easily remove bootstrap if required/desired. And, if you want to veer into Gutenberg, you can enable in functions.php. Also, it’s implied that you can structure pages (not posts) as needed by duplicating the “page-template-example.php” and altering the code. The posts don’t have any bells or whistles too hassle with.

    I’d love to hear your feedback – please use constructive advice.

    In the future, I’d like to make more page templates for even more starting points.