There is an awesome (imo) PHP class that is helpful in auto-generating forms with client side (jquery) and server side (php) validation. My words cannot do it justice, so an excerpt from the the author, Stefan Gabos:

Zebra_Form is a PHP class that simplifies the process of creating and validating HTML forms. Its object-oriented structure promotes rapid HTML forms development and encourages developers to write clean and easily maintainable code. It frees the developers from the repetitive task of writing the code for validating forms by offering powerful built-in client-side and server-side validation.

I was using Zebra_Form a lot recently, actually, you can see my bug fix accredits and comments under the pseudo-name ‘Jack Ryan’ (I had have a Tom Clancy fascination…). Even more recently, I’ve been hooked on phonics with CodeIgniter (and sometimes have an affair with Bonfire).

If you look at the built in form validation in CodeIgniter 2.0, it is actually well put together. Unfortunately, it does not offer anything near the capabilities of Zebra_Form, which out of the box, is far more aesthetically pleasing. What I’m going to share is how I incorporated Zebra_Form in CodeIgniter while best preserving the MVC framework. Let’s get started. (more…)

- Added author note:
This assumes the latest version of CodeIgniter (2.0.2) but I assume this will work on any CI 2.x with CSRF. All the code edits are in the XAJAX to make it more compatible with CodeIgniter, so the only things to keep in mind for CodeIgniter is the following:
- what is the name of my ci_csrf_token
- how do i generate my csrf hash
- how do i get an instance of CI
If you can answer that for your version of CodeIgniter, you should be ok. (more…)

Using the brand new Internet Explorer 8 (because that is the only version I have on this machine), I immediately noticed the pretty dotted black borders appearing over elements that were being “clicked on”. The real term is focus, but that’s too proper. Anyway, it is exciting that Internet Explorer is supporting :focus for CSS, but I find the outline it creates obtrusive by default. The way to get rid of this is to add the following to your css:

div:focus { outline: none; }

Just thought that was interesting that other elements besides images were being given a default outline value. Maybe they thought it would be a good idea. with the increase in multifunction interfaces. to make it easier to interact with a website, or track your interaction (ie. using tab to navigate a page).

Awhile ago, I had a problem with inDesign CS2. After installing, when I launched the application, I was given a message “Missing Required System Fonts or Cmap Files” – or something to that effect. After zero help from Adobe’s solution, or the support forums – which already had a thread on the subject – it quickly became obvious that I had to find the files I was missing. With some help over iRC, I was sent a copy of the files, pasted them in the correct location, and everything worked fine. Going back to the Adobe Forums, I posted my method for solving the problem, and my email for anyone who wanted them. My inbox was soon flooded. (more…)