Stephen Burge's Blog, page 10
November 5, 2019
Introduction to Animation in CSS
CSS Animations give your site and/or brand a unique touch, provide more accessibility, help create affordance (the perception about how an element inside the design is to be used), and can provide the user with a better experience. All this happens when animations are designed and used the right way.
Subtle animations in a web site, point the user to certain tasks to be accomplished, like clicking a call-to-action link or filling out a form. Other animations, like a loading icon inside a button, make the user understand what they need to do, like wait while the next page loads.
This tutorial will explain the concept of animations with a simple example. Let’s start!
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Subtle animations in a web site, point the user to certain tasks to be accomplished, like clicking a call-to-action link or filling out a form. Other animations, like a loading icon inside a button, make the user understand what they need to do, like wait while the next page loads.
This tutorial will explain the concept of animations with a simple example. Let’s start!
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
October 23, 2019
The OSTraining Podcast Season 2 Ep #1: Miguel Balparda on Magento
In this first episode of season 2, we're happy to welcome Miguel Balparda of Nexcess to talk about Magento 2.
Miguel is a globe trotting ambassador for Magento and for Nexcess. If you've been to a Magento event, there's at least a 50/50 chance that you've run into Miguel. He lives in Argentina, but is on an airplane traveling the world for Magento most of the year.
We kicked off the podcast by asking Miguel about the changes that he's seen in the Magento community since the purchase by Adobe and - spoiler alert: There've been a lot! And then we talk about some of the work he does working with the Adobe team to keep Magento going and particularly to develop some of the front facing headless JavaScript based features that are increasingly common with more high profile and more difficult website builds.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Miguel is a globe trotting ambassador for Magento and for Nexcess. If you've been to a Magento event, there's at least a 50/50 chance that you've run into Miguel. He lives in Argentina, but is on an airplane traveling the world for Magento most of the year.
We kicked off the podcast by asking Miguel about the changes that he's seen in the Magento community since the purchase by Adobe and - spoiler alert: There've been a lot! And then we talk about some of the work he does working with the Adobe team to keep Magento going and particularly to develop some of the front facing headless JavaScript based features that are increasingly common with more high profile and more difficult website builds.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
October 21, 2019
How to Use Contextual Filters in Drupal 8
Contextual filters in Drupal allow you to add or remove information (content) to the currently displayed view. The filter acts dynamically based on the URL.
If the provided argument value is in the URL, the view will contain certain results, if the value is not in the URL, the view will be filtered with other results.
This whole concept implies certain complexity, so the best way to clarify it is with an example.
Keep reading if you want to grasp the idea behind contextual filters in Drupal 8!
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
If the provided argument value is in the URL, the view will contain certain results, if the value is not in the URL, the view will be filtered with other results.
This whole concept implies certain complexity, so the best way to clarify it is with an example.
Keep reading if you want to grasp the idea behind contextual filters in Drupal 8!
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
October 17, 2019
Are Progressive Web Apps the Future of Magento eCommerce?
The ecommerce industry has evolved since Magento was first released over a decade ago. In 2008, shoppers visited stores on desktop machines. They were tolerant of slow-loading pages and complicated checkouts because ecommerce itself was a novelty. Apple released the first iPhone just a few months earlier, and smartphones were nowhere near as sophisticated or ubiquitous as they later became.
Today, over half of all web traffic is mobile. In many stores, most purchases are made from mobile devices. Shoppers search on mobile and expect to be able to buy on mobile too. They demand a fast, pleasant, and uncomplicated user experience. Progressive Web Apps are the latest attempt to bridge the divide between the web and mobile and to improve the experience of mobile shoppers.
Traditionally, ecommerce stores such as Magento were designed to be monolithic applications that ran entirely on the server. The back-end was on the server, and the interface was generated on the server before...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Today, over half of all web traffic is mobile. In many stores, most purchases are made from mobile devices. Shoppers search on mobile and expect to be able to buy on mobile too. They demand a fast, pleasant, and uncomplicated user experience. Progressive Web Apps are the latest attempt to bridge the divide between the web and mobile and to improve the experience of mobile shoppers.
Traditionally, ecommerce stores such as Magento were designed to be monolithic applications that ran entirely on the server. The back-end was on the server, and the interface was generated on the server before...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
October 16, 2019
Edit Flow Users: It's Time to Move to PublishPress
Edit Flow is a WordPress plugin used by many blogs, newspapers and magazine sites.
A few years ago, Edit Flow was acquired by Automattic, the parent company behind WordPress.com.
Automattic have now confirmed that Edit Flow is not part of their future plans.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
A few years ago, Edit Flow was acquired by Automattic, the parent company behind WordPress.com.
Automattic have now confirmed that Edit Flow is not part of their future plans.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
How to Use WooCommerce Product Revisions
WooCommerce is the most popular way to build an eCommerce site with WordPress.
If you are careful with your product listings, you will want to use the WordPress revisions feature with WooCommerce. This will allow you to keep track of any changes to your products.
With the help of a plugin called PublishPress Revisions Pro, you can do even more with revisons. You can submit, moderate, approve and schedule revisions to your WooCommerce products.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
If you are careful with your product listings, you will want to use the WordPress revisions feature with WooCommerce. This will allow you to keep track of any changes to your products.
With the help of a plugin called PublishPress Revisions Pro, you can do even more with revisons. You can submit, moderate, approve and schedule revisions to your WooCommerce products.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
October 15, 2019
How to Perform a Backup of Your WordPress Site and Store It in Dropbox
As a web developer or a site builder, you know that there is always something that could go wrong with your site. As an example, here are some scenarios:
the site crashes after a core or a plugin update
the site got hacked and all information is lost
the server crashed and it is not possible to restore the database of your site
Those are all external circumstances and you do not have influence over them. However, making a periodic backup of the codebase and database of your site and sending it to a cloud storage service like Dropbox can help to minimize the impact of such incidents.
The UpdraftPlus WP plugin provides this functionality.
Keep reading to learn how to use this plugin!
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
the site crashes after a core or a plugin update
the site got hacked and all information is lost
the server crashed and it is not possible to restore the database of your site
Those are all external circumstances and you do not have influence over them. However, making a periodic backup of the codebase and database of your site and sending it to a cloud storage service like Dropbox can help to minimize the impact of such incidents.
The UpdraftPlus WP plugin provides this functionality.
Keep reading to learn how to use this plugin!
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
October 11, 2019
PublishPress Revisions is the Major New Version of Revisionary
Revisionary is a WordPress plugin that has been around for nearly 10 years.
Revisionary allowed you to moderate or schedule changes to published posts.
The plugin was first launched in 2009 and had been starting to show its age in recent year. Fortunately, the plugin just had a major new update and it now looks ready for WordPress in 2019.
Revisionary is now called "PublishPress Revisions" but you can still find it at the same place on WordPress.org.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Revisionary allowed you to moderate or schedule changes to published posts.
The plugin was first launched in 2009 and had been starting to show its age in recent year. Fortunately, the plugin just had a major new update and it now looks ready for WordPress in 2019.
Revisionary is now called "PublishPress Revisions" but you can still find it at the same place on WordPress.org.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
October 8, 2019
How to Manually Update Drupal Core through CPanel
Drupal is a wonderful Content Management System with tons of features that solve many problems for editors and content managers. A developer can take different approaches to achieve the same result, and the Drupal update process is no exception.
It is possible to update Drupal either with Composer, Drush, or manually within the CPanel interface. The first two methods imply that you have at least mid-level experience with the command line and secure shell access to your public host. The third method is more visual and is suitable for developers beginning with Drupal.
Keep reading, if you want to learn how to update your Drupal site with this method.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
It is possible to update Drupal either with Composer, Drush, or manually within the CPanel interface. The first two methods imply that you have at least mid-level experience with the command line and secure shell access to your public host. The third method is more visual and is suitable for developers beginning with Drupal.
Keep reading, if you want to learn how to update your Drupal site with this method.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
October 6, 2019
How to Migrate an existing WordPress instance to an Azure VM with WP+MySQL running in Docker
All deployments of WordPress require an installation of PHP for running WordPress Core and associated extensions, along with a MySQL database for backing storage of your content and configurations. While configuration of these services is well documented, it can create confusion for the uninitiated and could impact the time required to stand up your site instance. With the advent of Docker, many Content Management Systems like WordPress can now be shipped with environmental dependencies and software prerequisites pre-configured, allowing you to create a new site instance rapidly that is completely isolated from the host environment.
Microsoft Azure offers the ability to deploy Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Templates that leverage Docker-Compose to stand up containerized applications in just a few clicks. Using Docker allows us to create an isolated user environment that fulfills the PHP + MySQL requirement and is portable across any VM for which the...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Microsoft Azure offers the ability to deploy Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Templates that leverage Docker-Compose to stand up containerized applications in just a few clicks. Using Docker allows us to create an isolated user environment that fulfills the PHP + MySQL requirement and is portable across any VM for which the...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit http://OSTraining.com for full links, other content, and more! ]]
