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2008 Web Development Trends

So we’re in the middle of Web 2.0, the first real movement in web development since it’s interception.  New technologies, most notably AJAX and the enhanced knowledge and usage of CSS, has allowed for amazing, innovative websites that would have never been created in the not so distant past.

But even Web 2.0, or at least what many consider the “look” of Web 2.0, is changing.  There’s not nearly as much focus on the :shiney: images and logos, rather a shift to a more creative and artsy design.  While the mirrored logo and shiny look made popular by apple is still very much a part of the culture, many designers, Apple included, has gone to a more free flowing, artsy, creative design.  Here’s the top trends for 2008: More »

A Useful Addition to any Business Website

I’ve used this code in a large amount of business websites I’ve produced. It allows users to see at a glance whether a business is open or closed. If the time is within the specified hours, it will display an open image, if it any other time, it will display the closed image. It is easy to implement and looks great on a store hours page. It goes by the time of your server however so if your server is in a different timezone, adjust the hours accordingly. See a demo in action here.

<?php
/**
* Open / Closed script
* Try to edit only the ‘$hours’ array and the <img /> tags later on
* Editing anything else could give undesired results
*/

// These are the hours, correlating with the above days, in AM and PM format separated by ‘-’
$hours = array(‘Sunday’ => ‘Closed’,
‘Monday’ => ‘By Appointment’,
‘Tuesday’ => ’10AM-5PM’,
‘Wednesday’ => ’10AM-5PM’,
‘Thursday’ => ’10AM-5PM’,
‘Friday’ => ’10AM-6PM’,
‘Saturday’ => ’10AM-5PM’);

More »

10 Ways to Save Time While Building a Website

As a freelance web developer, time is money. I use many different tricks to increase my productivity and these are my top selections for saving time. Please make you own suggestions for other time savers in the comments.

Drop Down Menus :: All Web Menus (http://www.likno.com/allwebmenusinfo.html )
Whenever I need to add a complex drop-down menu to a site, I turn to All Web Menus. This program styles a complex multi level menu in less time then it takes to type the text. All websites need menus and for detailed menus, you should try All Web Menus.

Time saved: 1 Hour per menu.

Image Capture :: Gadwin Printscreen (http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/)
Gadwin Printscreen utility replaces windows standard printscreen keyboard button with more options and flexibility. It loads on windows startup and runs silently in the background without consuming system resources but it’s always there when you need it. Instead of just capturing the entire screen view, Gadwin allows you to select a rectangular area very precisely with the help of a built in magnifying window. This tool is invaluable to my work. I often use it to grab different pieces to mock up a design.

Time saved: 2 Minutes per screen capture.

Batch Image Resizing :: Multiple Image Resizer .NET (http://www.multipleimageresizer.net/ )
I tried 10-15 different batch resizing programs before setting on Multiple Image Resizer .NET. This program’s ease of use in unparalleled and it has absolutely any function you could desire. Simply select a folder of images you want resized, determine whether to resize, add border, add text, overlay images, crop, rotate or flip them as a whole and save time editing the images one by one. I often use it to add small watermarks to a group of images I’m uploading to a clients website.

Time saved: 20 Minutes for a group of 20 images to an hour or more for a group of 100+. More »