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This article looks at how we can iterate through a set of different items on a page using JavaScript, and get further information on each in the background via AJAX. Once the AJAX calls get the extra information, we can update the items on the page. What is different about the approach shown here to others you may be accustomed to is that multiple AJAX requests are made simultaneously, allowing us to retrieve information for an indeterminate number of page items at once, allowing us to keep multiple content zones independently updated.

Graphs and Charts in PHP using PEAR Image Graph

There are many 3rd party solutions out there for drawing charts and graphs in PHP. Some are a little ropey, many are over-priced (particularly for commercial users). My research into what is available boiled down to the Image_Graph package in the PEAR repository, and a PHP class called PHPlot from a guy named Miguel de Benito Delgado. Miguel's code offers the benefits of compactness - you only need add a single PHP file to your site in order to use his drawing functions. This single file defines the PHPlot class, and is admittedly over 4000 lines long. To draw charts with PEAR on the other hand, you need all the associated base PEAR classes, and set up is a fair bit more drawn out. However, the PEAR solution is considerably more versatile allowing a huge range of charts.

Selected JavaScript Fun and Goodness
Here's a sample of JS code for allowing users to choose multiple items from a list of available options. There are many examples of code like this, however this example has the enhancement of keeping the lists well organised. To do this, we need to find the parent OPTGROUP that contains a selected OPTION, and we also need to insert a new OPTION in a specific OPTGROUP of a SELECT list.

Essential Ubuntu Linux Commands
Linux commands can be far from intuitive, with files related to a single application seemingly scattered throughout various locations, such as usr, bin, etc, var. This can make it difficult to recall how to invoke certain essential but not every-day commands. This page lists these commands in a single place.

A Handful of Windows Tweaks
Some useful tweaks and shortcuts for Windows. Currently info includes how to add file extensions to XP's 'Find Files and Folders' search tool, a fix for the google toolbar, and choosing the shortcuts for File > Open dialogs. There's also a list of Windows keyboard shortcuts.

Installing and Configuring Zen-Cart
Zen Cart is an Open Source e-commerce solution. It includes an admin CMS, which allows a non-tech end-user to change many options on their site. This article looks at the low-level tasks that must be completed before a site is ready to be finalised by the end-user.

Reformat PHP code with Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver's support for regular expressions in search and replace is immensely powerful and useful. It makes otherwise tedious replacement tasks a breeze. In this article, a few expressions for some useful search / replace tasks are illustrated. Dreamweaver's regular expression search and replace is particularly handy for developers because you can do multi-line search and replace, and you can seach and replace over an entire site or selected files in the site at once.

MySQL's Greatest Date and Time Functions
A quick run down of MySQL's date and time functions. These can be a little confusing, and there is a little overlap between several of them. This article looks at the most useful ones. Note that in all the following functions, "date" denotes a column which can usually be of DATE, TIME, TIMESTAMP or DATETIME type.

Could a Machine Fix Errors in its own Rationality?
This question was one I chose to tackle during my University degree, as part of a Philosophy of Cognitive Science module. The assessed component involved devising a suitable question to use as the subject of an essay. Rather than trying to answer the question, students were required to propose six possible theories which might apply.

Tips and Tricks for Mozilla Thunderbird
There are a few annoyances with the default Thunderbird behaviour. For one, timestamps are not inserted when you reply or forward messages. <click to read more...>

Fractal Tree of Life!
Wonderful series of rough hand-drawn diagrams of the evolutionary tree of life. The pictures are arranged as a series of 'zoom outs', like views of a fractal in decreasing detail are often shown.

Ever wondered why the earth pin is important?
Very understandable article about domestic mains electricity circuits. It gives a short history of the safety measures taken in order to make mains appliances safe. <click to read more...>

How to do Accented Characters in Linux
There are several options for accented characters in Linux. The most versatile and readily available choice is use of the Alt-Gr key, followed by a character indicating the type of accent to apply, then the letter to which the accent should be applied. <click to read more...>

How to Drag and Drop in JavaScript
A promising article on the subject of drag-and-drop in JS. Seems to be a well-written tutorial, that builds up from the basics. <click to read more...>