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Developments and Tools

Some of the info on this page probably sounds a little tecky so if you don't understand it don't worry, you don't need to...

Internet Browsers and my designs

The internet browsers and how the internet works is constantly changing. I design websites to be cross browser compatible across most browsers but what I consider the most important browsers to be are:

  • Internet Explorer
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Google Crome
  • Apple Safari

The rest of the pack are followers of these major players.

When I design a website for a client I constantly test the website to make sure it looks almost exactly the same in all of the above browsers. This ensures that 99.9% of the website visitors will have the same experience.

Random Password Generator for .htpasswd and .htaccess

I have made a cool tool to generates passwords using a selection of 1 random word from the OED for the username and 2 random words together compbined with a random 4 digit number. This also generates the code you need to paiste in to your .htpasswd file on your server for protecting your cherished stuff. Have a look over at .htpasswd generator for more info and to start generating .htpasswd files and passwords! Please be warned it comes up with some funny yet strange combinations...

My Content management system

I do not use any third party CMS such as Joomla or Wordpress simply because they are mostly too complicated for people to use.

I have developed my own simple to use content management system which allows my clients to control the content of their websites from their home or office PC's. The system is also compatible with most of the newer mobile phones which have internet access such as the Iphone and newer Blackberry Smartphones so you can edit your website no matter where you are!

I have designed the system around the feedback given to be by my clients who have the system incorporated into their websites. This has helped me develop the system to suite the skill levels of the average PC user. The original system was far too complex and gave the user too many options so after seeing how the system was being used (or misused as the case may be) by my clients I altered it to suit their average skill level.

The system is an AJAX driven editing system which allows the user to manipulate the content areas on their websites as easily as they would write a simple word document. It also allows the user to add complete new web pages based on the websites original design plus the user can also optimise the pages using the simple advice and help sections in the editor.

I know people don't have much of a clue how websites actually work, plus they don't really care about the technical aspects of website design and coding, so the system has been redesigned to be used by almost anyone.

My Image Manipulation System

If you have had a wee look across my sample websites you may have seen the SKootCH website. The site is based on an AJAX system I custom designed from the ground up for my own photography website. The IMS allows me to add photographs from my PC that are huge on the PC but are resized to a quick loading size on the web. This is nothing new as far as the web is concerned but the difference between my system and the average joe blog's system on the web is that my system does not degrade the images while resizing and my system retains all of the colours and image quality of the original image.

If you use a website to edit images, the image you are given from the website will be dulled and grainy. My system samples the image in such a way that none of the images properties are destroyed or degraded in any way and so the resized image you get from the system is an exact replica of the original image you selected on your PC, except smaller. I will be adding more tools to the system in the future but as it stands just now, it is a handy free tool for website owners who don't have image resizing facilities to hand.

My Property Management System

I have designed a complete property management system to fit exactly the demand of my clients.

The property management system allows the site owners to add as many properties as they like to a database driven system which also incorporates my SkootCH site scripts for image uploads. The system also uses AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript and XML) to render the content to the page. This helps the pages load quickly and also allows pages to load without the need to refresh the browser.

I have added many more tools and facilities to the admin section but I don't want to give to much away..

What the future holds for my developments

Who knows... ?