Archive 2013 (News & Updates)

Fast Edit tablesort upgrade for IE11 | 20th Dec 13
More IE11 compatibility woes, now fixed with a tablesorter and pager upgrade. Now also using the latest release of jQuery via Google CDN.

Fast Edit speed-up on JS and icons | 16th Dec 13
I moved JavaScripts to the bottom of web pages to improve performance, and combined icons into image sprites to dramatically reduce HTTP requests.

Facebook NOT liking performance | 13th Dec 13
I ditched the Facebook Like button; Gained 4% Page Speed / 2% YSlow. Lost 73kb and 6 requests. Made Fast Edit's website 0.43 seconds faster!

JemCon auto-generating thumbs | 9th Dec 13
For speed boosts, I've been working on an ImageMagick shell script that creates optimised, square thumbnails. Larger images only load on demand.

Fast Edit fix for IE11 compatibility | 2nd Dec 13
Rolling with Microsoft's latest browser update, the WYSIWYG editor has been upgraded to TinyMCE v3.5.10, which fixes compatibility issues in IE11.

Fast Feed v1 query string correction | 25th Nov 13
A small fix is now in place to stop news item URLs, with "&" in their query strings, from being wrongly encoded to "&" in newsfeed.xml.

JemCon video archives go mobile | 21st Nov 13
Overdue upgrades for JemCon's video library. Out go the flv formats and in come mp4s, which can be played on "smart" mobile and tablet devices.

Fast Feed v1 max. entries fix | 14th Nov 13
I've added a small fix today that stops unpublished news entries from being published again once the maximum live entries limit has been reached.

Fast Edit v1 custom URL structure | 8th Nov 13
With SEO in mind (see Google's blog for URL structure), all versions of Fast Edit have been updated to use hyphens in page names and snippets.

Ofsted looms for Penny Acres | 4th Nov 13
Penny Acres Primary School is due for their Ofsted inspection any day now, so I'm helping them update their website content for extra credit.

JemCon 2014 changeover progress | 24th Oct 13
2013 data has been archived and the transition to 2014 goes well. I'm in the throws of a speed optimisation drive to improve performance (SEO next).

JemCon 2013 success! (+ upgrades) | 7th Oct 13
Well this year's JemCon convention weekend was a hit! I couldn't attend but I was there in spirit... and busy working on admin upgrades for 2014!

Fast Edit gets a responsive upgrade | 27th Sep 13
HTML5/CSS3 was the first step. Now the Fast Edit website pulls it's socks up even more with a 'flex-to-fit' layout that adapts to all screens / devices.

Busy, busy pre-convention prep | 20th Sep 13
Wow, things got busy recently! JemCon kicks-off in 2 weeks and it's getting hectic behind the scenes. Deep breath... now, back to the grindstone.

Fast Edit v2 features update | 10th Sep 13
Been working on new features for the Fast Edit v2 CMS demo; Layout switch (1 or 2 column), style switch and visitor comments, plus multi-level menu.

Fast Edit v1 now with admin panel | 23rd Aug 13
As well as the convenience of in-page edits, Fast Edit v1 users can now also manage their website via a dedicated, back-end admin panel.

Fast Logs v1 admin keeping it brief | 16th Aug 13
I've added an "excerpt" feature to limit entry text in the Log Entry Manager. When text exceeds the excerpt limit, a "read more" button is inserted.

Fast Edit BE max. disk space quota | 9th Aug 13
A maximum disk space quota has been included in the Back-End Snippet Manager to limit the end-user to the total amount of files they can upload.

Fast Feed v1 available for download | 2nd Aug 13
Easily manage news entries for an RSS feed; Outputs an RSS v2.0 xml file, supports multiple users, optional image upload and one-click archiving.

It's a wrap with Rock Fashion Fabric | 30th Jul 13
Jen's custom fabric website launches with a colourful mix of materials for your truly outrageous sewing projects. Win an apron in the launch contest!

Fast Warn v1 available for download | 26th Jul 13
Quickly display an alert box or warning message to your website visitors. Also outputs an RSS feed so you can push updates to Twitter and Facebook.

Fast Logs v1 available for download | 19th Jul 13
Display and manage your logs, notices and updates, or up-scale and use for a book or manual (a page per chapter). With archiving and auto-pagination.

Fast Apps HTML5/CSS3 relaunch | 12th Jul 13
Website relaunch; Fast Apps gets dolled-up in posh new HTML5/CSS3 togs, ahead of some fab, new, freebie script releases in the coming weeks!

Fast Edit v1 optional button URL | 8th Jul 13
The latest update sees an optional URL field in the Page Manager; Create menu buttons that link directly to a file or website instead of another page.

RWD Layouts in HTML5 - slinky! | 7th Jul 13
Did some work for a client today who needed a new fluid and responsive website template in HTML5. Got to love those % and em measurements :) Not bad for an afternoon's work.

Fast Edit v1 gets a major upgrade | 1st Jul 13
New CMS boosts; Metadata Manager, Page Manager easy archiver, and zip and download File Browser. Also, ALL packs get a new HTML5 template!

Fast Edit takes on HTML5/CSS3 | 29th Jun 13
Times are a-changing. Fast Edit just turned 3 so the time feels right to dress it up in HTML5/CSS3 style 'big boy pants', with a new, flat design.

Fast Edit BE with new file browser | 26th Jun 13
Quickly view all uploaded files and zip and download them (all together or just selected ones) for safe and easy storage offline... Snippet and Zip-it!

Rockin' the fabric of custom design | 22nd Jun 13
I've been busy working on a custom fabric shop website; Feeding Twitter, Flickr and Tumblr updates to this online fashion hub and fabric store. Hoping to launch in the next few weeks!

Fast Edit v1 max. disk space quota | 18th Jun 13
Limit the end-user to the total amount of files they can upload. File Browser also added, with image thumbnail or file details view, and search function.

JemCon Mini-Webs admin upgrade | 14th Jun 13
JemCon Mini-Webmasters get a shiny new back-end File Browser, providing better image navigation with a choice of thumbnail or file details view.

Fast Edit v1 max. page count quota | 6th Jun 13
Limit the end-user to the number of web pages they can create with Fast Edit v1.0's new "page count" (max. quota). "Exclude page" also added.

Restoring a web page back to good | 31st May 13
Learn "How To" quickly get yourself out of a sticky spot with another Fast Edit YouTube video; Restoring a web page from online / offline backups.

Birdcam 2013 Update: 6 mini-me's | 28th May 13
Boy, those chicks grew-up fast! I got in to work after the Bank Holiday to find 6 (not 5) healthy offspring, all sporting plumes of nearly-adult feathers!

Joining Dynamic Drive's mod squad | 17th May 13
My first week as Dynamic Drive's newest forum moderator has flown by! Many thanks to the rest of the team for making it an easy transition.

Birdcam 2013 Update: chicks hatch | 13th May 13
'Chirpy' is a mummy! The chicks finally hatched today and mum and dad will work hard for the next 3 weeks to keep their brood well fed.

"DHFS Alumni": friends forever | 7th May 13
Currently working on an alumni site for ex-students to stay in touch with each other, and teachers, from their old Derbyshire-based school.

Birdcam 2013 Update: 5 eggs laid | 30th Apr 13
'Chirpy' has been busy! 5 eggs laid over the course of last week. Now she begins 10 days (approx.) of incubation before the hatchlings emerge...

DHFS Birdcam Project 2013 | 18th Apr 13
DHFS birdcam is ready for action! From egg to adult - watch the live video feed to see the next bird generation grow before your very eyes.

Fast Edit BE (Snippet Manager) | 9th Apr 13
New release! A back-end web content editor; So easy to install and supports multiple editable content snippets, on as many web pages as you like.

Fast Edit v1 custom page protect | 3rd Apr 13
Fast Edit v1.0 now has a "protect page" feature, to stop important or custom pages from accidentally being deleted via the Page Manager.

The dynamic cost of databases | 27th Mar 13
Databases can store vast amounts of data and deliver advanced features. Learn why websites using them cost more money to setup and maintain.

Case Study: DHFS (Mobile News) | 13th Mar 13
Find out about a Derbyshire school's mobile news portal; A lightweight, responsive platform, with off-canvas menu and dynamic content.

HTML5 & CSS3 For The Real World | 1st Mar 13
Currently reading Sitepoint's excellent "HTML5 & CSS3 for the Real World" - how to create dynamic websites using these new technologies.

Fast Edit now iPhone/iPad friendly | 19th Feb 13
Edit your website on the go. Upgraded the WYSIWYG editor to TinyMCE v3.5.8 which enables iPhone / iPad support in all versions of Fast Edit.

"DHFS Info" goes mobile-friendly | 15th Feb 13
Finished an auto-feeding, responsive news portal for a school in Derbyshire. This "lite" site is updated via RSS from the main school website and calendar.

Fast Edit v1 sql_regcase() fixed | 9th Feb 13
The sql_regcase() function, deprecated in PHP V5.3.0, was causing the File Manager's error log to bloat. Fixed with custom function = no more errors!

JemCon Mini-Webs admin upgrade | 6th Feb 13
JemCon Mini-Webmasters get several feature upgrades in their "Website Settings". The admin interface is now more intuative and user-friendly.

Case Study: HMS Garden Design | 1st Feb 13
Fuss-free website design, market brand imagery for print publications and stationary, speed / search engine optimisation, and custom admin panel.

Data URIs vs images for speed gain | 24th Jan 13
Converting template images to data URIs (in a gzipped, cached CSS file), halved HTTP requests from 30 to 15. Now at Page Speed 98% / YSlow 92%.

Fast Warn: when bad weather hits | 22nd Jan 13
Fast Warn (alert / warning manager) proved to be a hit during recent snow closures. Now with auto RSS file to feed alerts to Twitter and Facebook.

Print art promotes services at HMS | 14th Jan 13
Print art for services available at HMS Garden Design, is ready for magazine ads and flyers. The big push on printed publications starts in February!

Fast Edit v1 sanitization update | 9th Jan 13
User input sanitization updates have been made to Fast Edit v1 - specifically to the custom "menu alias" feature and Template Manager textarea.

Dynamic Drive's Coding Elite | 4th Jan 13
Just thought I'd ring in the new year with a shout out to the coding elite at Dynamic Drive! I just graduated to "Elite Coder" over in their help forums.