Sunday, April 26, 2009

How to skin HTML form elements in seconds

In the past weeks I received some requests from my readers which asked to me to suggest a simple way to skin HTML form elements. There are a lot of ways to do that and a lot of posts with interesting resources about this topic. But if you want to save time and obtain a nice result I suggest you to use jqTransform or NiceForms.


Both scripts are very useful and simple to use. If you want to use a "native" script which doesn't use an external JS framework (such as jQuery or MooTools) I think a good choice is NiceForms otwerwise, if you use jQuery, a good alternative is jqTransform. Take a look how they work.

1. jqTransform
jqTransform is a jQuery styling plugin wich allows you to skin quickly form elements in a very easy way. The only thing you have to do is to add a javascript inclusion to this plugin in the header section of your web page, create your form and add two lines of JS code to apply the transformation to your form.

Use this code to add a javascript inclusion to jqTransform:

<script type="text/javascript" src="jquery.jqtransform.min.js">
</script>

...now create a form with class property equal to jqTransform:

<form class="jqTransform">
<!-- Add form elements here... -->
<form>

...then add this JS code to apply the transformation:

<script type="text/javascript">
$(function() {
$("form.jqtransform").jqTransform();
});
</script>


2. NiceForms
Niceforms is a script that will replace the most commonly used form elements with custom designed ones. You can either use the default theme that is provided or you can even develop your own look with minimal effort.

To implement form style transformation you have to add a javascript inclusion to NiceForms in your web page using this code:

<script type="text/javascript" src="niceforms.js">
</script>

...then create a form with class property equal to niceform:

<form class="niceform">
<!-- Add form elements here... -->
<form>

It's all. Really simple and fast!

Any suggestion? Please leave a comment.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Useful scripts and resources Facebook-inspired for web developers

In this post I want to suggest you a list of some popular scripts and resources Facebook-inspired to help web developers to implement quickly Facebook-like features in their web projects.

It include a Facebook-like search box, modal box, tooltips, action stream, sliders and other useful resources.

Any suggestion about this topic? Please leave a comment!

1. FaceBoox Search
FaceBoox is an autosuggest search engine inspired from Facebook for design which uses jQuery as ajax framework and BSN Autosuggest libs.

2. Autobox 2
Autobox 2 is an update of Autobox, a popular jQuery plugin to create input textbox with autosuggest features Facebook-like.

3. TextboxList
TextboxList is a MooTools script similar to Autobox for jQuery. This script turns normal textboxes into a widget which can be navigated with the keyboard, effectively turning your input into a list of items that can be easily deleted. It comes with an Autocomplete plugin.

4. Modal Box
This script is a MooTools clone of Facebook modal box. It’s lightweight, subtle, and very stylish.

5. Facebook Pagination
This script is a Facebook style, unobrusive ajax pagination plug-in for jQuery.

6. Elastic
Elastic is a jQuery plugin which makes your textareas grow and shrink to fit it’s content. It was inspired by the auto growing textareas on Facebook. The major difference between Elastic and it’s competitors is its weight.

7. Facebox
Facebox is a jQuery-based, Facebook-style lightbox which can display images, divs, or entire remote pages. It's simple to use and easy on the eyes. Download the tarball, view the examples, then start enjoying the curves.

8. Tipsy
Tipsy is a jQuery plugin for creating a Facebook-like tooltips effect based on an anchor tag's title attribute.

9. Action Streams
The Action Streams plugin is an amazing new plugin (which imitates Facebook streams on your Wall) for Movable Type 4.1 that lets you aggregate, control, and share your actions around the web as well as a list of your profiles on various services.

10. Facebook Application Icons
This is a collection of 28 free facebook application icons in a high resolution .PNG and .SVG format.

11. mooFacebook
mooFacebook is a port to Mootools of the original Facebox written by Chris Wanstrath with some added features like drag support and titles.

12. Facebook Sliders With Mootools and CSS
David Walsh has created a very simple 3-slider system Facebook-like that allows a user to modify the height, width, and opacity of an image using just sliders.


 
Useful scripts to plot charts in web pagesFree resources for quickly developing AJAX applications10 Beautiful Web UI librariesBeautiful datepickers and calendars for web developers20 Great PHP framework for developersInteresting html FORM Validators for web developersBest Image Croppers ready to use for web developersFile uploaders collection for web developers

Music wallpaper

Game Wallpaper and Pictures

Computer Desktop Wallpaper

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Book Day 23rd April

On April 23rd we celebrate Book Day, if you want to know why this date was chosen click here

Book Day 23rd April

On April 23rd we celebrate Book Day, if you want to know why this date was chosen click here

Finger replaced with USB drive


Computer programmer from Finland has lost finger replaced with USB drive

A computer programmer from Finland who lost his ring finger in a motorcycle accident has had it replaced with a USB drive.
Jerry Jalava from Helsinki, Finland, has built the special prosthetic finger to use as computer storage for his photos, movies and other useful files.
While the prosthetic looks like a normal finger Jerry can peel it back from the 'nail' and plug it into the USB slot on his computer using it as an additional hard drive.
He was rushed to Helsinki Hospital where he was examined by a hand surgeon who said they were unable to save it and amputated half of the finger.
When Jerry told doctors what he did for a living they joked he should have a USB 'finger drive' but that was good enough for him, and he set about making one.
Using a traditional prosthetic finger Jerry has been able to embed a 'USB key' - like the ones used in traditional flash drives - giving him the world's only two gigabyte finger.
The finger is not permanently attached to his hand meaning it can be removed when plugged into a computer. "It is not attached permanently into my body, it is a removable prosthetic which has USB memorystick inside it," said Jerry. "When I'm using the USB, I just leave my finger inside the slot and pick it up after I'm ready."
Jerry said he is already thinking about upgrading his faux finger to include more storage and wireless technology. "I'm planning to use another prosthetic as a shell for the next version, which will have removable fingertip and an RFID tag," he added.
17 Mar 2009
RFID : Radio Frequency IDentification

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether these statements are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a. Jerry can use his finger as a pendrive.
b. It was Jerry’s own idea to use his new finger in this way.
c. They were not able to use existing prosthetic finger designs.
d. Jerry wants to add new elements to his finger in the future.
Question 2. (2 points) Answer these questions in your own words.
a. What happened to Jerry when he got to hospital?
b. What kind of finger is it and how does it work?
Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as:
a. move fast (p.4) b. implant (p.6) c. not real (p.8)
Question 4 (1.5 points) Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a. He was rushed to Helsinki Hospital where he was examined by a hand surgeon.
They .................................................................
b. Jerry has been able to embed a USB key because he is using a prosthetic finger.
If he were ........................................................
c. “When I´m using the USB, I just leave my finger inside the slot and pick it up after I´m ready.”
Jerry said that ..................................................
Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic.
How can the Internet help handicapped people?

Finger replaced with USB drive


Computer programmer from Finland has lost finger replaced with USB drive

A computer programmer from Finland who lost his ring finger in a motorcycle accident has had it replaced with a USB drive.
Jerry Jalava from Helsinki, Finland, has built the special prosthetic finger to use as computer storage for his photos, movies and other useful files.
While the prosthetic looks like a normal finger Jerry can peel it back from the 'nail' and plug it into the USB slot on his computer using it as an additional hard drive.
He was rushed to Helsinki Hospital where he was examined by a hand surgeon who said they were unable to save it and amputated half of the finger.
When Jerry told doctors what he did for a living they joked he should have a USB 'finger drive' but that was good enough for him, and he set about making one.
Using a traditional prosthetic finger Jerry has been able to embed a 'USB key' - like the ones used in traditional flash drives - giving him the world's only two gigabyte finger.
The finger is not permanently attached to his hand meaning it can be removed when plugged into a computer. "It is not attached permanently into my body, it is a removable prosthetic which has USB memorystick inside it," said Jerry. "When I'm using the USB, I just leave my finger inside the slot and pick it up after I'm ready."
Jerry said he is already thinking about upgrading his faux finger to include more storage and wireless technology. "I'm planning to use another prosthetic as a shell for the next version, which will have removable fingertip and an RFID tag," he added.
17 Mar 2009
RFID : Radio Frequency IDentification

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether these statements are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a. Jerry can use his finger as a pendrive.
b. It was Jerry’s own idea to use his new finger in this way.
c. They were not able to use existing prosthetic finger designs.
d. Jerry wants to add new elements to his finger in the future.
Question 2. (2 points) Answer these questions in your own words.
a. What happened to Jerry when he got to hospital?
b. What kind of finger is it and how does it work?
Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as:
a. move fast (p.4) b. implant (p.6) c. not real (p.8)
Question 4 (1.5 points) Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a. He was rushed to Helsinki Hospital where he was examined by a hand surgeon.
They .................................................................
b. Jerry has been able to embed a USB key because he is using a prosthetic finger.
If he were ........................................................
c. “When I´m using the USB, I just leave my finger inside the slot and pick it up after I´m ready.”
Jerry said that ..................................................
Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic.
How can the Internet help handicapped people?

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Board games

Rainy afternoon? then, it's time for board games.

First, enjoy the Monopoly



Now, the Scrabble



Scrabble regains number one slot as brain games craze takes hold

Scrabble has landed on a triple-word score. The board game, beloved by logophiles and the cause of frequent family rows, has become the country's best selling board game, reclaiming the number one spot for the first time in at least 15 years.
The increasing popularity of brain games – both word and numbers puzzles – has helped Scrabble remove Golden Balls, a game based on a television programme, from the number one position.
Sales of Scrabble have increased by 30 per cent in the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year, according to NPD, a market research firm that tracks toy and games sales. Its records go back just 15 years, but experts reckon that this is the first time Scrabble has been in the number one spot since at least the mid 1980s, when Trivial Pursuit came to prominence.
Its renewed success has also been helped by the online and computer versions of the game, with Scrabulous – a web version of the game that members of Facebook could play – proving one of the internet phenomenons of 2008. The game was shut down by Hasbro, the owner of the US rights to the game, but only after it had attracted half a million players every single day.
Some toy experts believe that old fashioned board games will do well this Christmas thanks to the economic slowdown. Stuart Grant, buying director of the toy chain The Entertainer, said: "When money is tight, people turn to brands they know and trust. We sell over 200 board games but people pick things they remember from their childhood when they are unsure where to spend their money."


Question 1. Indicate whether these statements are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a. NPD holds more than 10 years of information about the sales of games and toys.
b. Trivial Pursuit was in number one position of the ranking.
c. People can still play online Scrabble if they want to.
d. When buying games, people prefer those they used to play when they were children.

Question 2. Answer these questions in your own words.
a. Why has Scrabble become the best selling board game?
b. How will the economic crisis affect the sale of games?

Question 3. Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as:
a. arguments (p.1)
b. to calculate (p.3)
c. recession (p. 5)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a. Brain games are very popular. That s why Scrabble is number one.
If brain ...........................................................................................
b. Its success has also been helped by the online version of the game.
The online version .........................................................................
c. Stuart Grant said “ When money is tight , people turn to brands they know and trust.”
S. Grant said that ………………………………………………..

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic.
• Benefits of board games


Self Access Group.Ciefp-Santander.

Board games

Rainy afternoon? then, it's time for board games.

First, enjoy the Monopoly



Now, the Scrabble



Scrabble regains number one slot as brain games craze takes hold

Scrabble has landed on a triple-word score. The board game, beloved by logophiles and the cause of frequent family rows, has become the country's best selling board game, reclaiming the number one spot for the first time in at least 15 years.
The increasing popularity of brain games – both word and numbers puzzles – has helped Scrabble remove Golden Balls, a game based on a television programme, from the number one position.
Sales of Scrabble have increased by 30 per cent in the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year, according to NPD, a market research firm that tracks toy and games sales. Its records go back just 15 years, but experts reckon that this is the first time Scrabble has been in the number one spot since at least the mid 1980s, when Trivial Pursuit came to prominence.
Its renewed success has also been helped by the online and computer versions of the game, with Scrabulous – a web version of the game that members of Facebook could play – proving one of the internet phenomenons of 2008. The game was shut down by Hasbro, the owner of the US rights to the game, but only after it had attracted half a million players every single day.
Some toy experts believe that old fashioned board games will do well this Christmas thanks to the economic slowdown. Stuart Grant, buying director of the toy chain The Entertainer, said: "When money is tight, people turn to brands they know and trust. We sell over 200 board games but people pick things they remember from their childhood when they are unsure where to spend their money."


Question 1. Indicate whether these statements are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.
a. NPD holds more than 10 years of information about the sales of games and toys.
b. Trivial Pursuit was in number one position of the ranking.
c. People can still play online Scrabble if they want to.
d. When buying games, people prefer those they used to play when they were children.

Question 2. Answer these questions in your own words.
a. Why has Scrabble become the best selling board game?
b. How will the economic crisis affect the sale of games?

Question 3. Find words or phrases in the text that mean the same as:
a. arguments (p.1)
b. to calculate (p.3)
c. recession (p. 5)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a. Brain games are very popular. That s why Scrabble is number one.
If brain ...........................................................................................
b. Its success has also been helped by the online version of the game.
The online version .........................................................................
c. Stuart Grant said “ When money is tight , people turn to brands they know and trust.”
S. Grant said that ………………………………………………..

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic.
• Benefits of board games


Self Access Group.Ciefp-Santander.