Trying to Find a Solution

When I first tried to create a fillable PDF form, I looked at Adobe’s tools. I thought that InDesign would be an ideal application for creating these PDF’s. It made sense that it would create fillable PDF’s because it could print directly to the Acrobat format and you should be able to name and define the PDF files in it. Unfortunately, this is not the case. You can create the form contents in InDesign, but the fillable PDF attributes need to be created in Acrobat Professional. The steps are: create the form in InDesign, export to PDF, open in Acrobat where you name the fields, and then define what type of field it is along with any other parameters or custom programming that it requires. This is too many steps for creating a fillable form so I looked elsewhere.

Adobe also has LiveCycle Designer for creating fillable PDF forms, but you still need to create the form outside of it. It only creates the PDF fields.

I remembered that CorelDraw could create web sites with fillable forms, so perhaps it could also create a fillable PDF since it can also export directly to PDF. Again, like InDesign, it could not write PDF fields when it exported to the Acrobat format.

For a while, it seemed like the only way that I could make a fillable PDF was to use two separate applications.

Enter Scribus: the Open Source Desktop Publisher

Search engines should be used more often. I found an open source application called Scribus which can write PDF’s with fillable fields. This is precisely the application that I required. With Scribus, you design the form, add the PDF fields, and set their attributes. Then export the PDF and you have a fillable PDF form, all within one application (see below for example).

I recommend using 3 layers when creating a form. One layer is the background image of the form, which is the header and footer and other graphics that don’t change. The other layer would be the form layout, and finally the last layer are the PDF fields used by the form.

Scribus works very well in creating fillable PDF’s, except that if you have PDF fields that you want to duplicated on a form, such as a form where the top half is for you and the bottom half is for the client. This form would have duplicate fields in both sections. The problem with Scribus is that you can’t enter duplicate PDF field names on the same form. You will need to export it with the default names it uses and then change the field names in Acrobat Professional. Its not a very pleasant task to do, but even with this, you do save time over using two applications to create this type of PDF.

Apart from this bug, Scribus is a useful application and will save you time in creating fillable PDF forms.

One pizzeria that really stands out is Steveston Pizza Co., located in Richmond, B.C. It was recommended to me by Rick Sloboda. At first glance, the pizzeria doesn’t seem like anything more than any other similar restaurant, but this perception changes after placing an order.

 
Image from Google Maps.

I ordered 2 pizzas (should the plural be pizzae?): Hawaiian (which includes black forest ham and pineapple) and a smaller cheese and pineapple pizza for children. The hawaiian pizza was better than any ham/pineapple pizza I’ve had before. It didn’t have the excessive pasta and cheese which are typical of most pizzas, and the crust was thin and very unique in design. The pizza also had some type of herb leaf sprinkled around it which greatly enhanced the overall flavour. I’m not sure what the big cheese in the middle was, probably not mozzarella, but it was a nice touch to an already outstanding pizza.

The smaller children’s pizza was also excellent. It didn’t have the herbs of the previous pizza, but most kids probably wouldn’t appreciate the taste of it. The restaurant owner, Nader Hatami, also has kids and has a good sense of what they would prefer to eat. The crust was similar to the Hawaiian and had a good mix of cheese, pineapples, and sauce.

Steveson Pizza Co. is definitely an artisan pizza restaurant. The owner was a chef for the Holland America Cruise Line before this. A real chef making pizza produces quality than untrained chefs in a franchise could not do. The food here tastes better because better quality ingredients are used. As a result, I didn’t have any bloating or heartburn that I would get from eating other pizzas.

I would come here again even though its a little out of the way for me. One thing that I would like to see in this restaurant is a gluten/casein free pizza. I’m sure a chef of this caliber could design a great tasting pizza like this.

Setting Up WordPress

The installation process went smoothly. It seemed like a typical WordPress install, except you had the option of specifying a password which will be used for your admin account. Earlier versions of WordPress gave you a random password which you used to login, and then change to a password of your choice.

The only problem with the password entry textbox is that characters are displayed in plain text, which is a security problem. This textbox should be set for password entry, i.e. <input type=password … > which would hide the characters that are being entered here.

New Themes for the New Version

The default theme has been replaced by the Twenty Ten theme. The new theme looks better than old Kubrick one and it gives a blog a more professional appearance.

Create a Blogging Community

WordPress 3.0 has merged with WordPress-MU so that it can host multiple blogs. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to get this functionality working. You need to manually make modifications to configuration files before you can start adding blogs.

The first step is to add the following line to wp-config.php,

     define (‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true);

Then you need to create a blogs.dir folder in the /wp-content/ folder.

If you are already logged in the backend, press F5 to refresh the page and you will see a Network menu item in the Tools menu. When I clicked on this, I was given an error message that I couldn’t install a network of sites on my server address, which it claimed was 127.0.0.1. Here is a bug for the WordPress team to fix.

General Usage of the Beta

I tried using some of the features, such as adding a new post and commenting on it. These worked correctly except that I couldn’t add a new category for a blog post.

I also tried creating a menu with the new feature they added. It wouldn’t allow me to create custom links and I wasn’t able to activate the menu in the widgets area. This feature needs a little work but it does seem interesting.

In Conclusion …

Other than then the integration with WordPress-MU, there doesn’t seem to be a significant difference from the previous version of WordPress. It still is, however, in an early beta stage so there may be more added later.

Robert Shemin, in his book, “How come THAT idiot’s rich and I’m Not?”, explains why most people are not rich. We all know people who should by the world’s standards not be rich or successful. We wonder why those intellectually inferior, lazy, and unorganized people are enjoying greater success than we are. Shemin’s book shows why we’re poor and why they are rich, or to use the word he uses for them, rich idiots.

He uses the term RUB to describe poor people: Right side Up and Broke. What this means is that following all the rules and conforming to society’s standards will keep you perpetually poor. The rich are rich because they think different. This sounds like the old Mac advertising slogan, but in this case its the ability to take control and responsibility for your life. We’re rewarded from an early age for being obedient and we’re told that we’re smart if learn all the rules and everything else that we’re taught. Those who don’t conform are punished and forced back into line, and labeled as idiots if they continue resisting.

You won’t learn rich idiot skills in the public school system. Few people realize that the modern school system is a Prussian invention dating back to the 19th Century. Schools were designed to produce obedient employees and soldiers. They do so with great success. There are better systems out there, such as Montessori Method. The founders of Google are one of the many success stories that came out of this innovative learning process.

Shemin gives a short test to determine if your a rich idiot or a RUB:

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?
2. How do you put an elephant into the refrigerator?
3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All of the animals attend the animal conference, except one. Which animal does not attend?
4. You have to cross a river. The river is used by dangerous crocodiles. You do not have a boat. How do you manage it?

I took this test and found out I was a RUB. Shemin expects that if your reading his book, you must be a RUB so you don’t have to feel bad. He will help change your thinking for your path towards becoming a rich idiot.

After showing you what a RUB and rich idiot are, Shemin goes on to explain how to change your thinking and what you need to do become rich. His book gives specific examples in many areas to help you build wealth, such as the three assets that you need to own in order to become wealthy.

“How come THAT idiot’s rich and I’m Not?” can be summarized in two points:

1. Idea = RUB
2. Idea + Action = Rich Idiot

We all get ideas on how to make money, but most do not act on them. Later, they complain when someone else uses their idea to get rich. The road to riches is one where people take action to move along it. Put action behind your ideas and join the rich idiot club.

Why use AJAX? You can do the same things with Flash, Java, and more recently, Silverlight. The problem with these technologies is that search engines can’t index content built with them. While a Flash web site can be very impressive, all of the content will be ignored by search spiders because all that it sees is a single Flash file. AJAX sites can experience similar problems, but careful design will take into consideration SEO (search engine optimization).

I have to admit that the number of quality books on AJAX out there is lacking. There are many books available, but they tend to read like reference manuals which is useful once you understand the technology. Getting to the point where you know AJAX is where the challenge lies. Packt Publishing solve this problem with their book, AJAX and PHP: Building Responsive Web Applications.

This book quickly gets you up to speed with integrating AJAX code with your PHP web site, and then proceeds to build useful real world examples and applications that you can use in your own web sites. They include form validation, guessing user input with suggest and autocomplete, and of course, implementing drag and drop.

Rows and columns of data are normally displayed to the user in a table, but the reader is shown how to turn this into AJAX grid. Content can then be changed without the typical “page flash” associates with non-AJAX forms when you submit the form.

AJAX and PHP also provides basic examples on how to implement a chat room, an RSS reader, and how to create real-time graphical chart. While graphics programming is not my forte, including this in your application can definitely add value to it.

Overall, AJAX and PHP: Building Responsive Web Applications, is an excellent book for learning AJAX. Even though it is written with PHP examples, the principles can be transferred to any web technology. ASP.NET AJAX programmers would even benefit from this book by learning the root technologies behind the AJAX Visual Studio controls.

Order the book today from Amazon and take your web sites to the next level.

Joomla Is Great Software, But …

Joomla is, in itself, a complete solution suitable for the majority of web sites. However, there are instances where the software doesn’t provide the functionality needed for a task. An example of this is the use of content generated from a custom database. A customer may require a web site for posting information about cars for sale. The database will need to store information about the car, such as make, model, year, features, a description, and photographs. An option for users to add comments about the car may also need to be implemented. The text fields should be searchable and car listings sorted by choosing an appropriate field.

While the default Joomla software may be able to accommodate these requirements through a creaive use of what’s available, it would not be an elegant solution and it would most certainly be an awkward for the user. The only viable solution would be to write custom code for manipulating this database. This can be done as a separate application outside of Joomla, but it would be far better to integrate with the CMS so that it can be maintained internally.

Building a Better Mouse Trap

This is where Joseph LeBlanc’s book, Learning Joomla! 1.5 Extension Development: Creating Modules, Components, and Plugins with PHP from Packt Publishing, comes in. He provides an easy to follow tutorial on extending Joomla with custom software. You can learn all of this through the Joomla web site, but the documentation there is scattered and difficult to follow, even for intermediate software developers. LeBlanc teaches Joomla with easy to follow examples that will have you writing custom applications by the time you complete the book.

He covers all aspects of programming, from creating and registering modules, developing the back end and user seen part of components, and plugin development. LeBlanc also gives an overview of the MVC architecture used in Joomla which can be quite confusing at first for people who never used it before, but the book explains it very clearly. He completes the book by showing how to package the custom code that you created for distribution to other Joomla users. This is important if you intend to make money with your software. You can’t expect your users to manually install components and register modules in the database.

Before You Begin

There are several requirements for getting the most out of this book. The first is a knowledge of PHP programming. Although the book covers advanced topics, a high degree of PHP knowledge is not required. You can learn all the PHP that will be needed for this book in a weekend of study.

Its also important to know enough MySQL to work with it. You need to know at least how to add information to tables using a GUI tool like phpMyAdmin.

The final and most important requirement is to have Joomla 1.5 installed. The tutorials are designed specifically for this version and should not be attempted with the 1.0 versions. The latest version of Joomla 1.5 is at the fourth release candidate stage and is stable enough to handle these tutorials. You can run the tutorials on Linux or Windows. I typically build Joomla applications on Windows and then deploy them on Linux servers.

An important thing to have while reading the book is the source code and errata (corrections to the book). Not using the errata will halt your progress while trying to figure out why certain things aren’t working. Both of these can be downloaded from the Packt web site.

Making Joomla Sing

When you complete this book, you will have the knowledge to build advanced Joomla applications. What previously was thought to be impossible and difficult to do now becomes possible and attainable. Every Joomla web site developer must read and understand this text if they want to be more than mediocre in their field. The cost of the book is low, and the knowledge attained from it is valued beyond measure.

You can determine the walkability of a home in a neighbourhood with the Walk Score web site. I found this web site through Millionster.com. It determines the quality of an address using a patent-pending algorithm. A score from 1 to 100 is generated with the following results:

• 90 – 100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
• 70 – 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
• 50 – 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
• 25 – 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
• 0 – 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

While Walk Score doesn’t take into consideration of all of the factors in walkability, it gives you a good idea what to expect. Of course, the best way to determine the quality of a neighbourhood is to drive there, get out of your car, and walk around. See for yourself if its worth moving there.

A useful feature of the Walk Score web site is that displays a map of the neighbourhood and the locations and distances to the schools, stores, etc.

You can check the walkability of an address with the following widget.

Selling products through a web site is another story. A shopping cart application needs to be installed and there are an overwhelming number of competing applications available. The more advanced ones will allow you process credit card transactions and accept payments through services like PayPal. Selecting shopping cart software is difficult, installing and setting it up can be a challenge.

My first experience with shopping carts is osCommerce. This is a large, full featured application that was not easy to get working. I had to adjust many server settings on my web hosting account just to be able to run it. Once installed, there were many confusing options to make it function properly. There is good documentation available for it, but it will take a great deal of effort to learn how to effectively use the software.

I have nothing against learning new things. If I need to learn a complex application, I’ll take the time to do it, but I’m very busy these days with my family, business, and work so I would rather find an easy to use solution. I thought I found it with Zen Cart. This application takes a different approach to shopping carts and focuses on ease of setup and usage, which it succeeds on both accounts. The only problem is that it seems to be designed to work best with companies that selling physical products and ship them.

I’m selling and giving away software and e-books. I don’t have a physical inventory and I therefore don’t have a need for shipping products. The problem with Zen Cart is that I have to create a fake inventory so that people can order my digital products. Another problem is that when I sell software, I would like the payment processed and then a download link made available to get the software. This option may be available in Zen Cart, but I haven’t found it yet.

I brought this issue up with Mitchell Harper, the lead developer for StoreSuite NX shopping cart software at Interspire on the their blog. His response was,

StoreSuite was built from day one to support physical and downloadable products. If you only sell downloadable products the shipping step in the checkout process is skipped.

StoreSuite will have a customer area where your customers can login and download their digital products (eBooks, MP3′s, etc) and you can even add expiry dates to the downloads.

Basically *EVERYTHING* is automated – from checkout, to email, to product downloads. Hope that helps.

That does help. StoreSuite seems to be built with the modern, web-based business in mind. I was considering writing my own shopping cart to handle my unique requirements, but this is not something I’m really interested in doing. Creating web applications like this is not a part of my software development goals.

StoreSuite has many other useful features. You can rearrange items by drag and drop and easily customize the site. Interspire created a video showing this feature. Templates are also used for the shopping cart and they can be customized.

Payments can be made through credit cards, PayPal, 2Checkout, and Worldpay. Inventory can also be tracked and there is integration with the major shipping providers.

The shopping cart is still under development and hopefully a beta version will be available for testing soon. The interesting thing about the software is that it uses AJAX technology which I haven’t seen used in other shopping carts. This definitely will enhance the experience in using and maintaining it.

StoreSuite is a commercial application, unlike the free and open source osCommerce and Zen Cart. This shouldn’t be a factor in considering whether or not to use it. Its better to spend money on software that does what you need to do as opposed to getting free software that falls short of your requirements.

You can follow the development of StoreSuite on The StoreSuite Blog.

Why would you want to create a new theme? The default theme that is available in DFS lacks the eye candy which many web users demand these days. This theme only allows you to change the portal header image and colour layout. The problem here is with the portal header. You can create a stunning 24-bit colour image in Photoshop and it will get downsampled to 8-bit colour when imported into DFS. This is an issue with the graphics library that Adenium is using and will hopefully be fixed in the near future. Your also limited to the portal header being 954 x 68 pixels in size which doesn’t give you much room to work with.

A custom theme will allow you to place anything you want on the page. The header can be any size and also a 24-bit colour image. The colours, typeface, and layout of the page can be controlled with your own CSS files. You can also include menus and any other custom feature you think of.

If you create plug-ins for DFS, its better to use them in a custom theme in case something goes wrong with it. You wouldn’t want a bad plug-in affecting all of the planrooms on your server.

To automate the process of theme creation, Alex Bevilacqua of Astley-Gilbert wrote DFS Theme Manager. This application will allow you to create and delete DFS themes. You’ll still have to manually create the virtual folders in IIS and copy an existing theme to these folders as a base for creating the new theme. One feature which would be valuable in future versions would be the ability to edit an existing theme.

DFS Theme Manager succeeds in saving time in the theme creation process. It eliminates the need for running SQL scripts in SQL Server which could be a hazardous thing to do for novice users.

The program is freely available by request from Alex through alexbevi@gmail.com.

The only problem is that most DWF viewers are available only for machines running Windows. Mac users can now view DWF with Austin Silver Software’s McDwiff application.

McDwiff can be used viewing, converting, or printing DWF’s. You can be ensured of good accuracy because it uses the Autodesk online DWF translator. While the information transmitted there is private, you shouldn’t use this software if security is a concern for your organization.

The software is easy to install and easy to use. You can open 2D and 3D drawings, but rotation in 3D is still being worked on. Zooming and panning work very well. Printing may be an issue because your processing a Windows document on a Mac. A variety of problems occur when printing a Windows PDF on a Mac (i.e. font dropout) so I would imagine that similar things would occur with a DWF file.

If you want to use the DWF file in other applications, you have the option of exporting it to TIF, GIF, JPG, PNG, BMP, or PDF.

As with many newer OS X applications, it requires a minimum version of 10.4 and it will run on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.

You can download McDwiff at www.macdwf.com.