Browsing articles in "Tutorials"
Jul
11
2014

Templated HTML Email with PHP using PHPMailer

Today we’re going to talk about sending amazing, templated, parsed HTML emails using PHP and the PHPMailer class. I know it sounds trivial- “Oh sure! Let’s send some messages!”, however, I do get a ton of requests for assistance when dealing with email templates and parsed content within those templates, so I figured this would be a good thing to write about! Background When I refer to email templates, I’m referring specifically to chunked, individual […]

Jun
29
2014

WordPress Syntax Highlighters, and how to Switch From One to Another

If you’ve been to this site before,  you’ll probably notice that I’ve switched from the syntax highlighter that I’d used to display code to something a ton cleaner (the credit does not go to me, the new syntax highlighting plugin came from this TutsPlus article). Until a few hours ago, I used SyntaxHighlighter Evolved, which looked great, and was super easy to use, however, there were some issues with using it on a website displaying code that people […]

Jun
24
2014

PHP Error Reporting and Why You Should Care

If you’re a PHP developer, and you prefix questionable function calls with the “@” symbol, you should be aware that I’m onto you!  If the first line of code you write after <?php is “error_reporting(0);”, then we shouldn’t be friends anymore.  Error reporting in PHP is really really really important, and you should probably also stop reading, because this article will just fill your soul with rage. Keep in mind, this article isn’t about whether or […]

Jun
17
2013

Getting started with PHP Functions

As I’m sure anyone who has visited this site more than a single time knows, I love php functions!  They make repeated processes and actions a breeze to initiate and take effect without having to copy-paste the same block of code into 25 different pages.  Then g-d forbid you should need to make a change to how it operates, or even worse- it’s just generally terrible and needs a full do-over! The day I discovered […]

Jun
14
2013

Getting Started with PHP: Part 3: Structure and variable existence

And here we are on part 3 of “Getting Started with PHP”! Today we have… Using effective website structure to make your life easier Overview of PHP isset and empty commands Using PHP to do your heavy lifting (using variables) Overview of PHP Isset && Empty Commands Within PHP, it is important to determine if our variables ‘actually’ exist, and/or are specified in any number of formats. For example: $variable = NULL; echo $variable; Will […]

Jun
12
2013

Getting Started with PHP: Part 2

Continuing the tutorial series on getting started with PHP (see “Getting Started with PHP” for the last batch), today I’ll provide some information on… Including external files Assigning PHP variables and constants Overview of variable and constant usage Including External Files PHP allows us to include external files that allow us to decrease the amount of redundant/repeated code used, as well as a security measure for important files such as files containing database connection details, […]

Jun
10
2013

Getting Started with PHP

I figured that since I spend most of my time buried DEEP in complex php functions, classes, and tips, it may be helpful to provide some background on what the hell you’re actually supposed to do if you have no idea! That being said, I’m going to begin adding some more introductory content that will hopefully provide some insight and tips on where to get started, so that you can more effectively work with more […]

Aug
22
2011

How to Import an ExpressionEngine Blog into WordPress

EE to WP

I’m sure by now that most of you have seen my post on how I feel about ExpressionEngine (here), so this post is a natural follower!  Today, we’re going to talk about migrating your content from ExpressionEngine to WordPress. I spent quite a bit of time working through EE’s poorly detailed instructions on how to export entries before I decided to just get my hands dirty.  Mind you, this post is only applicable to you […]

Aug
1
2011

Data Encryption Using AES_ENCRYPT

Database security using AES encryption

Having databases contain information on subscribers, customers, clients, and the like is similar to playing russian roulette.  You’re never certain as to when the bullet comes!  Same principles apply to having your customer’s sensitive information yanked from your precious databases!  We all watch the news to see which company will have their customer details compromised next. Most recently, Sony has now had approximately 100 million accounts compromised, costing them upwards of $171 million dollars.  And […]

Jul
17
2011

ExpressionEngine Vs. WordPress

Expressionengine VS Wordpress

Update: detailed instructions and a full script for migrating from EE to WP may now be found here. For nine months now, I’ve been working with ExpressionEngine (EE) for one of my employers websites.  Originally, I was very hesitant to make the dive into yet another content management system, and after 9 months- my hesitation was certainly merited! Expressionengine doesn’t specify that it lacks necessary functionality, it just makes it impossible to do whatever it […]

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