DMXReady Classic ASP Garage Blog

Level Your CSS Playing Field

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 09:59:44 GMT

One of the most frustrating thing about using CSS styles is that it doesn't always work the same way across all browsers. The most obvious differences (and arguably the most distressing) are those between IE and Firefox. The answer has been to include workarounds for specific browsers -- usually IE. But this can be messy, both in terms of trying to get the CSS to work, and in terms of the extra code it leaves in your files.

Well, we've found a way to eliminate at least some of those problems. The Yahoo! Users Interface (YUI) Reset CSS levels the playing field by essentially setting all values to zero. This erases all the presets included with the individual browsers and allows you to "explictly declare your intentions" with the css, as YUI describes it. We think this may mean "be careful what you wish for...!"

We came across this little snippet after Googling a problem we were having displaying the same code in IE and Firefox. All we did is call the file in like you would any other CSS file (the website gives you a line of code to include in your header) and Bingo! the problem was fixed.

We can't claim it will fix every problem -- but what we can say is that it has worked like a charm so far. And all it took was one line of code...

Find out more about the YUI Reset CSS.

The DMXReady Team

One Free Way to Advertise: iGoogle Themes

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:11:19 GMT

If you are a graphic designer/web designer and are looking for a way to get your name out there, creating an iGoogle theme might be the ticket.

iGoogle themes are personalized themes for your iGoogle home page. The hallmark of these XML themes is that you can change their appearance throughout the day. This is done by creating a number of banners and rotating them based on the local time. So, for example, you can have a "night" image at night, a "sunrise" image in the morning, etc.

Then you simply submit your theme to Google, and they will decide whether or not to add it to their library. (This is the part that is a little hard to swallow. Google doesn't tell you when or if your design has been accepted, and doesn't tell you why it's been rejected. However, it would be safe to assume that any honest efforts that design for a "Rated G" audience would likely be accepted...)

The most popular themes right now have about 1,000,000 users, though most have considerably less. But even a few thousand people who like your work could lead to some new contracts. You can add your own logo and contact information in the space Google provides so that these potential clients can reach you. A great way to showcase your work and get some free advertising!

More information about designing and submitting your own theme can be found at Google itself:

http://code.google.com/apis/themes/docs/dev_guide.html

Don't forget to let us know how it goes!

The DMXReady Team

Where to Draw the CSS Line

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:00:10 GMT

Stefan at KillerSites.com raises some good points about CSS. In his recent post, he talks about the limitations of CSS, and -- perhaps more interestingly -- why those limitations exist.

CSS is very powerful for many reasons. It is great for "standardizing" your websites, especially if you design for a living. Once you have your basic template, you simply tweak those values to give each client a unique palette of colors, fonts, and backgrounds. It also helps keep your pages organized and makes SEO efforts more efficient.

However as Stefan points out, using CSS to completely design a page can be counter-productive. It is not a programming language like VBScript, yet essentially that is how people are using it.

So where do you draw the CSS line?

That's a personal choice. At DMXReady, we feel that if you start having to make "work-arounds" for IE (still the world's most popular browser by far) then you have probably crossed the line. In essence, using tables is still the easiest way to organize page elements and ensure that your page will look the same across all browsers. This is especially true for beginner web designers.

The other method, and one that Stefan mentions, is to start with a CSS template. In most cases, these have already been cross-browser tested, so that you don't have to worry so much about these issues. The work-arounds are all included as well (though we still recommend browser testing before you send your website live!).

It is good to learn the basics of CSS. And it is likely that in the future, it will become a more efficient method of designing web pages -- especially as web browsers continue to accept CSS standards. But for now, draw the line at your comfort level. If you don't want to "de-bug" your website, stick with tables for your design layout, and use CSS for the basics like color and fonts.

The DMXReady Team

Using Color Effectively

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:13:08 GMT

We�ve all seen this before: you surf the web for some information and come across a very colorful (and very loud!) website. The designer obviously had fun with this one. The only problem is that it is very difficult to read the white text on the screaming orange background. Not that the flashing symphony of colors in the background would let us read anything anyway�

Yet it is easy enough to fall into the same trap ourselves. We might not create the Herb Tarlek of websites, but we may forget the most important rule of web design: don�t let it get in the way of the content!

Except for the rare occasion where the visuals carry the story, your visitors are there to read information. Reading on a screen is a challenge for most people as it is, and crazy color palettes can just make it worse.

Aim to make the main content area as easy to read as possible. Black lettering on a white background is usually the easiest to read. But even this is flexible � try dark grey for a more soothing effect.

This does not mean, of course, that you need a plain black and white website. Add photos or images throughout your main content area to take away the starkness of the white background. Add color to your headers � these short pieces of text are usually bigger and easier to read anyway, and injecting color here can really keep interest in the main text. And of course, color all around your main content area is definitely encouraged.

A simple rule to remember: the color, design, and layout are what attracts readers but it is the content itself that people are there for.

The DMXReady Team

Avoid Spam - Hide Your Email

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 09:35:04 GMT

Spammers use bots called email harvesters to spider websites all across the Internet and collect email addresses. Most look for the basic "yourname@yourdomain.com" arrangement. You can avoid getting your email (or those of your clients) scraped using a simple encoding method. There are actually several different ways to do this -- just Google "email encoding".

Here is one JavaScript method:

<script language="JavaScript"> <!--
document.write ('<A HREF="mai')
document.write ('lto:yourn')
document.write ('ame')
document.write ('&#64;')
document.write ('yourd')
document.write ('omain.com">contact')
document.write ('yourname')
document.write ('&#64;')
document.write ('yourdo')
document.write ('main.com</A>')
// -->
</script>

Note that no method is perfect -- email harvesters are becoming more sophisticated all the time. But this will at least allow you to confuse the majority of spammers.

The DMXReady Team

Google Chrome - A Glimpse of the Future?

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 10:46:57 GMT

Although it may not be apparent right now, Google Chrome may represent a serious turning point for the Internet, and the way that we interact with websites. Google Chrome is described as a "browser" but the media giant seems to be prepping users for something very different than your standard web brower.

For one thing, it handles web page information more like applications than content. The example Google gives in its descriptive comic book is a JavaScript application. In a standard single-thread browser, the user cannot do anything until the JavaScript stops running and returns control back to the browser. But Google Chrome can handle what it calls "multi-threads" or, to take it one step further, multi-processes.

This is where things start to really get interesting. The most telling quote is this one: "We're applying the same kind of process isolation you find in modern operating systems" (emphasis ours). Yes, Chrome not only represents Google's first browser, but is also the forerunner of its first operating system. In fact, it seems it will be an operating system that will essentially integrate the Internet rather than have it running as a separate process. Our computers will become little more than a workstation on a global network.

In retrospect, this shouldn't be too surprising. Google has been preparing us for a 100% online world for quite a while now with things like Google Docs and Calendar. We were quite sure how that would work, but Chrome may just well be a glimpse of our online future.

So what does this mean for web designers? Will the website as we know it disappear? Perhaps. Websites of today look nothing like they did on Netscape Navigator 1.0. In another 15 years, websites will probably look just as different. But what hasn't (and what won't) change is the need for designers to build and maintain those sites. We may be doing it differently, but we'll still be doing it.

The DMXReady Team

CMS Dress for Success!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:02:05 GMT

Content Management Systems, or CMS, are very easy to use. That being said, your clients still might have a natural fear of the "technology" behind it. Yes, if they know Word and they know how to open a web browser, they will be able to update their content (using DMXReady applications, anyway -- we can't vouch for other systems!). But sometimes there will be a bit of hand-holding on your part to launch the CMS. Here are a few ways to make that easier:

Go Through the CMS With Your Client

Walking your client through the CMS is the best way to get them familiar with the system. If you can do it in their office, all the better, but usually the CMS is user-friendly enough that simply walking through it over the phone will be enough. Make sure too that you point out the Help files. Once they've seen how the CMS works and know where they can get help, they will be much more comfortable going on their own.

Create "Editable" Areas

Sometimes giving your client too much freedom is a bad thing. You want to make editing or even adding new pages as easy as possible. You can do this by making each web page "modular" with editable areas. For example, keep images the same size and at the same spot so your client simply has to replace it with their new image. Text is the same thing -- they can add/remove/change their own text in the same spot without disturbing the overall design.

You can also save generic templates that they can copy so that anytime they want to add a new page, they have something to work from. This way they have the freedom of managing their own content without disturbing the main design.

Train the Eager Staff First

If your client has more than one person who will be using the CMS, go through it with the person who seems most eager to learn it. Not only will it be easier for to teach someone who wants to learn, but that person will most likely pick it up faster and be the person in the office that fields questions from the others -- taking some of this responsibility off your own shoulders.

A CMS system is designed to make things easier for your client. But you have to remember that things that seem "obvious" to you may not be so obvious for a worker who is suspicious of technology. Fear, anxiety, even an unwillingness to learn will make it difficult sometimes. But once you push through that with your client, it will be easier for both of you in the long run.

The DMXReady Team

Has Your Content Expired?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:06:01 GMT

There is an interesting paradox on the Internet. On the one hand, it is absolutely the best medium to handle new content or "breaking news." You can have a volcano erupt somewhere in the South Pacific, and literally within seconds you can let millions of people around the world know about it.

On the other hand, there are websites out there that have not changed their content since 1999, with their FrontPage 1.0 flashing text, moving flames, and psychedelic backgrounds. It's like a cyber time capsule, with little or no relevance to today.

This is an extreme example, but the fact is that many website owners do not keep their content as fresh as it could be. Yes, you can post something that happened a split-second ago. But this usually means getting someone who can upload the images and content. Most web owners do not have the capabilities to do that themselves.

But there is a way to empower website owners: Content Management Systems or CMS allow anyone with basic web skills to create and update their own content. Some systems, like DMXReady applications for example, are easy to install and will have the owner up and running in no time. Then all the website owner has to do is log in through any standard browser, and type new content, upload images and media, even plug in Web 2.0 applications for further functionality.

If you are a web designer, you should consider offering CMS to your clients. Not only does it give them the power to update their own content, but it can bring in more work for you through customizing and installing the software.

Take a look at some of our customizable CMS solutions including the new Online Notebook Manager. And make sure that your website doesn't become a time capsule as well!

The DMXReady Team

Online Notebook Manager - A New Application From DMXReady!

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:07:39 GMT

As many of you know, yesterday was the official launch of DMXReady's Online Notebook Manager. This revolutionary product gives all sorts of people a powerful self-publishing tool, using the Internet to communicate to their colleagues, customers, and friends easily and effectively.

We've come up with over a dozen uses for this software, from teaching syllabus to group work "tech notes" to employee manuals and help guides. In fact, the DMXReady team used it as a communication tool at one point during its development.

One of its strongest features is that people can use it to leverage other Web 2.0 applications. Once Online Notebook Manager is installed, you don't need HTML editors or FTP programs to add these Web 2.0 gadgets. All it takes to include your Google Calendar, for example, is to create a new page and embed the line of script that Google gives you. Now every change you make to your Google calendar will be automatically updated on that Notebook page!

Online Notebook Manager is also an important step for DMXReady. This app represents the "2.0" version of our applications. With a stronger architecture, more features like AJAX functionality, and a more streamlined approach, Online Notebook Manager is at the vanguard of the new wave of DMXReady applications.

Try out the demo for yourself, if you haven't already. And don't forget to drop us a note to tell us what you think!

The DMXReady Team

Client Service: Get It In Writing

Thu, 7 Aug 2008 09:32:45 GMT

Too often web designers -- and many freelancers for that matter -- start work based on a verbal description of the project. Perhaps you chat on the phone or even face-to-face, and the client gives you an outline of what he or she wants from the website.

The problem is, two weeks later when you deliver the first review, the client says "No, no, I want it like this." You can argue all you want (actually, not a great idea...) but the fact of the matter is that you have nothing in writing in front of you to prove one way or another what you had verbally "agreed" upon. And it is not uncommon for the client to forget everything you talked about in that first meeting.

This can mean more work for you (unpaid, if you are working for a project fee), and it can lead to bad feelings and perhaps even a lost contract.

Get it in writing. After a meeting, jot down some notes -- almost like the meeting minutes -- and email your client, along with any other project participants. This way, you are all on the same page. And in two weeks when the client says they need something different, you can at least you have proof of the original specs in writing. Either it will jog the client's memory about the original project, or you'll have a solid basis for charging extra hours to make the changes.

The DMXReady Team

What Designers Need to Know About CMS

Mon, 4 Aug 2008 13:07:30 GMT

It is clear that Content Management Systems or CMS is the wave of the future. It is almost inevitable that a system be devised that allows non-tech users to update their own content.

Unfortunately, many web designers are suspicious of CMS, and see it as a threat to their livelihood. Although CMS may change the way we design websites, it will never replace us. Here are three reasons why:

Website Owners Will Still Need Designers to Design the Site

CMS has more to do with Webmastering than web design. This may be obvious when you say it out loud like that, but if more designers focused on this, there would be less stress about CMS systems.

CMS allows content owners to update their own content, but the basic web design still has to be put into place. That includes the site architecture, the graphics, the link structure, and all those other website goodies that only a web designer can provide.

Do You Really Want to Be a Webmaster Anyway?

We have all gotten those calls: "I just need one little change..." Yes, it only takes 10 minutes to fire up Dreamweaver, make the change, and upload to the server. Hardly even worth billing, is it? But those 10-minute jobs add up quickly, leaving web designers frustrated and underpaid.

With a CMS system, your clients can make that own little change themselves. Less hassle for you, and a greater sense of empowerment for your clients. Everyone wins!

You Can Provide the CMS

DMXReady encourages web designers to sell their clients on CMS to cut back on the unpaid Webmastering, as well as the fact that you can increase your income by installing the CMS system.

Let's face it, many of your clients could figure out how to upload an application to their website. But they likely don't want to, and probably don't have the time to do it if they did. They want a "ready-to-go" system that is as easy and painless to use as possible. And they would rather spend the money to get it done professionally than spend the time to figure it out themselves.

The DMXReady Advantage

DMXReady gives you one more crucial advantage -- the flexibility to create your own customized solutions for your clients. Not only are CMS approaches like WordPress and Drupal very specialized, you need a lot of programming experience to make them do what you want to do -- or hope that the right plug-in is out there.

It is much easier to change the HTML and code in ASP, so that you have more control over what you can modify. This leads to a more tailored solution for your clients (not to mention more money in your pockets!)

CMS may certainly be the wave of the future. Embrace that future, and make it yours!

The DMXReady Team

Why You Should Leave Comments in Your Code

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:32:42 GMT

Commenting on your coding is almost as old as the computer. Even back in the Commodore PET computer days, you could leave comments in your BASIC code to let other programmers (or remind yourself) the function of each section of code.

This is perhaps even more important today, especially for the beginner ASP programmer.

One of the most difficult parts of programming is the debugging phase. As many programmers know, all it takes is one mistake and your whole page can stop working. You need to be able to go back to the code and logically find out what is not working properly.

By leaving detailed comments to yourself, you will be able to track the additions/changes that you made, and make it much easier to find the problem.

Commenting also helps in the future when it is time to modify the script to make changes or to modify for a different usage. You will quickly forget what parts of the code do what; months later, you will likely forget much of your coding. Comments will help jog your memory and ultimately help you make those changes faster.

Happy Scripting!

The DMXReady Team

Smash and Grab Photoshop Tips

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:49:56 GMT

As web designers, we come across a lot of resources about web design, css, programming, and more. But what about graphic design? Learning how to create those building blocks (i.e. photos and images) is just as important as putting them together.

We've come across some good resources for those looking for some great Photoshop tips.

PhotoshopStar.com - A collection of links and tutorials designed to help you inprove your Photoshop techniques.

Photoshop Roadmap - Links with short descriptions -- some neat info here!

Smashing Magazine - Best Of - Great list -- check out the tutorial on making your images look like a minature model!

Absolute Cross - Some good tips on creating buttons and other graphical images.

Got a favorite of your own? Let us know by leaving us a comment, or dropping us a line!

Happy Photoshopping,

The DMXReady Team

A Great Resource for the ASP Beginner

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:16:13 GMT

The great thing about ASP is that anybody can learn it. In fact, compared to PHP, ASP.Net, and other languages, it is almost a breeze.

To prove that point, we've found a great resource for the beginner ASP programmer. ASP Programming for the Absolute Beginner, as the name suggests, gives you all the background you need. It is also good for the ASP programmer who knows how to do it, but has always been curious about the behind-the-scenes mechanics.

Rather than direct you to a link, we've embedded the iPaper here for you:

ASP Programming for the Absolute Beginner - Upload a Document to Scribd

Happy Reading!

The DMXReady Team

Supercharge Your ASP!

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:01:21 GMT

One of the great things about ASP is its compatibility with other scripting languages. AJAX, for example, works extremely well in an ASP environment. This blend of JavaScript and XML makes for some nifty web apps.

Miniajax.com is a place where you can download several of these applications for free to supercharge your own website: These pint-size apps can do some amazing things from finding out where visitors are clicking on your web page to creating image reflections, building fisheye nav bars, and more.

Check it out for yourself!

http://miniajax.com

The DMXReady Team

One Way To Clean Up Your Code

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:00:35 GMT

One of the hallmarks of good design and programming is nice clean files. And one way to get those nice clean files is to avoid repetitive scripts. You can do this very easily by saving a commonly-used script and calling it into your web page using an include.

For example, you use the same script to connect to the database -- why not add save it as a separate file? All DMXReady apps have a single connection script like this one (from Classified Listings Manager):

Then, in every page that needs to connect to the database, you simply add this line of code:

Note that this file is kept in its own separate folder called Connections. All DMXReady applications use this structure. This one line of code looks much cleaner and it helps you organize your scripts a lot easier. Plus, if you ever need to change your database connection string, all you have to do is change this one file.

You can also use this approach for JavaScript and other types of scripts as well -- it all makes for cleaner, easier to read codes!

Happy Scripting!

The DMXReady Team

Is Your Website Design Compatible with ALL Browsers?

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 09:17:12 GMT

Most designers realize the importance of testing websites in several different web browsers. Of course, Firefox and IE are the biggies, along with Safari for Mac.

But did you know that there are 36+ web browsers out there?

The folks at All Web Design Blog do. In fact, they've complied a list of them complete with short descriptions, a screen shot, and links to where you can download it.

Now you might not feel the need to test on all three dozen web browsers, but it is still an interesting compliation. And as an extra bonus, they have also put together a comprehensive list of articles about browsers and compatibility issues.

You can check it out here (and we recommend that you do...):
http://www.allwebdesignresources.com/webdesignblogs/graphics/
list-of-web-browsers-a-mega-list-for-web-designers/

The DMXReady Team

Controlling When Visitors Automatically Get Logged Out

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 09:04:06 GMT

Chances are you have been to a secure website that forces you to log back in after a certain period of inactivity. It may be frustrating, but there is actually some very good reasons to do this. Most importantly, it adds another layer of security -- if the user forgets to log out, letting the system log the user out automatically reduces the risk that the next person using the computer can gain unauthorized access. That may not be good for your user, or for you!

This is call a session timeout, and it is very easy to use in ASP. Simply add this line of code to the top of the secure page:

The number "360" represents the number of seconds of inactivity that must pass before the session times out -- in this case six minutes. You can change this value to anything you want.

However, make sure you choose a number that is long enough to allow people to comfortably explore your site (remember: reading content on your site appears like "inactivity" to the system...) but short enough that it provides enough security.

In general, you should go no lower than 300 seconds (five minutes) and 600 seconds (ten minutes) before timing out.

And that's it! Now whenever your visitors forget to log out, you have less risk.

But remember, this only works with secure pages. If you don't have a method of password-protecting your pages, DMXReady offers several solutions including Secure Login Manager -- check it out!

Happy Scripting,

The DMXReady Team

Is It Time To Move to SQL?

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 11:27:32 GMT

DMXReady uses MSAccess as its database for one reason: ease of use. New developers and even do-it-yourselfers can create robust, database-driven functionality without taking four years of college courses.

But ease of use has a price. One major limitation is scalability. If you online business is growing and you are getting a steady rise in hits on your website, you may start running into database overload problems. This is a sure sign that it is time to upgrade your database.

There are two caveats here though:

One: Some people, especially companies that want to do the conversion for you, may tell you that you should never use Access databases. This is simply not true. If your website is a brochure-type website or even doing light e-commerce, using Access is fine. And, as mentioned above, it is easier for you to customize.

Two: Moving from Access does not mean you have to move from ASP. Some programmers may tell you that you should change to PHP. Again, not necessary. Sure, they will make more money from you recreating your whole website, but ASP is just as powerful and functional as any PHP site once you have upgraded database structures.

If you decide that an upgrade is in order, you can probably do this yourself as well. Microsoft has an excellent overview of this, which you can find here.

Happy Scripting!

The DMXReady Team

Create Your Own Facebook with KickApps

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:51:18 GMT

Social media and social networking is all the rage lately. Many see it as a way to engage potential customers by creating killer content -- and a killer website experience.

Of course it used to be that if you wanted to create your own Facebook or MySpace social networking site, you would have to program the whole thing from scratch. But not any more. KickApps, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) publishing host, has created a modular system that allows you to build your own social networking community. You can add video, create a forum, and "widgetize" your content allowing others in your community to "steal" your content so that it goes viral.

There are two versions of the service - a free option (with ads) and a CPM option that charges only on the number of impressions you site generates.

But rather than read about it all here, why not just visit the site? (Disclosure: DMXReady is in no way affilated with KickApps, and receives no compensation -- we just think this is a pretty cool app...)

The DMXReady Team

A Case for Absolute Links

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:59:31 GMT

By default, many designers use virtual or relative links for their internal pages. Generally this is fine, but often it is better practice to use absolute links.

For example, rather than:

<a href="aboutus.asp">

you should add:

<a href="http://www.yourdomain.com/aboutus.asp">

There are several reasons for this. First, an "absolute" link is just that -- absolute. Relative links are more susceptible to misdirects. With an absolute link though, the only thing that can cause a broken link is if that page is actually deleted or renamed.

Another real concern is scraper sites, which republish your content on other websites. With relative links, these sites all refer back onto themselves -- which the scrapers love! But with absolute links, the website visitor will quickly be redirected back to your own (valid) website.

You should also use absolute links for images, for the same reasons. PDFs especially should have absolute links so that anyone who saves or prints your documents will have the full links listed. For enewsletters, you definitely need to use absolute links so that your images appear correctly.

There is a downside to using absolute links on your website. If you tend to move your pages within your website, you will have to go back and change all the absolute links to include the new folders/locations. However for 99% of the websites out there, this is not really a problem.

Have any nightmare stories about using relative links? Let us know!

The DMXReady Team

FireFox 3 - Is This the Giant Killer?

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:44:27 GMT

After one week of its release, the much-anticipated FireFox 3 hit 19.6 million downloads. It's already going into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most downloads in a 24-hour period (8 million+).

And its release has given Mozilla almost a 1% gain on IE7 (up to 19.17% in June, from 18.41% in May, according to the company).

So is this the giant killer? One would think, given FireFox's slick performance and IE7s numerous problems that FireFox 3 should take the world by storm. It has certainly been embraced by first-adopters, especially web and css designers.

But for the average non-techie joe, the familiarity of IE and lack of desire to try new things will keep Microsoft's browser at the top of the heap for the foreseeable future.

What do you think? FireFox 3 or IE7? Let us know!

The DMXReady Team

Free Hosting of Your ASP Scripts!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:09:36 GMT

Yes, there are several free and low-cost hosting options out there for your ASP scripts. We've added several services in our Online Knowledgebase, which you can check out here:
http://dmxready.helpserve.com/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=129&nav=0,7

Like any service, we highly recommend that you read the fine print before you enter into any hosting agreement. But if you are looking for a low-cost way to get your ASP scripts up and running, one of these companies might have the answer you are looking for!

The DMXReady Team

Want to Force a Download? Just Zip It!

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:43:36 GMT

Web browsers by default will automatically display any files they can. This is handy for displaying gifs, jpgs, etc. But sometimes you want visitors to download your files instead of just view them, like Microsoft Word, Excel, and even PDF files.

The easiest way is to contain them in a Zip file, which will automatically download. But if for whatever reason this is not the best solution for you, there are ways of adding ASP code to you pages to force download of the files instead of viewing.

For more information on how to do this, see these resources:

The DMXReady Team

How to Cheat at VBScript

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:28:49 GMT

Programmers are generally a cavalier bunch. They pooh-pooh instruction manuals, preferring instead to just get into the code and get their hands dirty.

This is great if you are a "natural born coder." But if you're not, you might want a little bit of a shortcut.

Microsoft provides great documentation on VBScript including what it is and how it works. There are also sections on programming fundamentals and a scripting introduction.

Now hard-core coders may call this cheating, but if it helps you learn faster, we're all for it. We won't tell anyone you have an extra ace in your hand...

Check it out for yourself at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/sx7b3k7y(VS.85).aspx

The DMXReady Team

Using Server Variables in ASP

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:58:12 GMT

Sometimes it is useful to find and display certain server variables on your web page. For example, you might find it necessary to add the user's IP address to your current page. To do this, you will be requesting the Server Variables.

The syntax is actually quite easy:

<% Response.Write "Your IP Address is: " & Request.ServerVariables("REMOTE_ADDR") %>

This will return:

Your IP Address is: 155.155.155.155

You can find a whole list of Server Variables at the W3 Schools site:

http://www.w3schools.com/asp/coll_servervariables.asp

Happy Scripting!

The DMXReady Team

Podcast Your Blog (or Other Content) for Free!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:49:41 GMT

Looking for an easy way to convert your blog or website content into spoken word? AudioFeed Creator may be the answer.

From their website:

ReadSpeaker AudioFeed Creator lets you convert any valid RSS text feed into a Podcast AudioFeed. ReadSpeaker AudioFeed uses the latest technology available to convert the text in the RSS feed to speech on-the-fly.

When you have added your feeds, you can listen to the posts here on the portal, or use any kind of podcatching software including iTunes or Juice. You can also subscribe to the podcasts you have created with on-line services like Netvibes.

The technology is not quite there for "seamless" voice-over work, but you can't beat it at this price (free!)

Test it for yourself -- just click the AudioFeed icon on the top of our blog to see it in action!

The DMXReady Team

Tutorial: Using Two Copies of the Same Application on One Website

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 09:27:53 GMT

Sometimes you want to use two or more instances of the same application on one website. For example, perhaps you want to use one instance News Manager to organize your internal press releases, and another to organize "in the media" mentions of your company.

The best way to do this is to simply duplicate all files and folders so that they do not conflict. The following example uses DMXReady News Manager, but the process will work with any DMXReady application:

1. Create a temp folder on your hard drive, but not within your Local Site (e.g. C:My Documentsdmxtemp)
2. Extract News Manager from its Zip file to the temp folder.
3. In Dreamweaver, create a new site called Temp Site.
4. Point the Local Root Folder to your temp folder. You don't need to worry about adding Remote Info or any other information for this temp site.
5. In Dreamweaver, change the following folder names, and click "Yes" when prompted to update files:

applications/NewsManager/ to applications/NewsManager2
admin/NewsManager to admin/NewsManager2

6. Open "Find and Replace" (Edit > Find and Replace)
7. Change "Find In:" to "Folder..." and select the /applications folder, change "Search for:" to "Source Code" and add /newsmanager in the text box, add /newsmanager2 in the "Replace With:" text box.
8. Check "Match Case".
9. Click on "Replace All" and "Yes" if prompted.
10. Expand the /Connections folder and Rename newsmanager.asp to newsmanager2.asp
11. Expand the /databases folder and Rename NewsManager.mdb to NewsManager2.mdb
12. Open /Connections/newsmanager2.asp and change the NewsManager.mdb to NewsManager2.mdb
13. Using Windows Explorer, transfer the contents of the /admin, /applications, /Connections, and /databases folder to their respective folders in your Local Site. Note: Do Not transfer the actual folders, just the contents, as you run the risk of overwriting existing files. For example, transfer the NewsManager2.mdb to the /databases folder, and not the whole folder.
14. Upload to your server.

The DMXReady Team

Keep Your Copyright Up to Date with This ASP Script

Fri, 6 Jun 2008 10:04:38 GMT

Ever get to a website, notice that the copyright year is 2004, and wonder if anyone is home? Perhaps this is even happening on your own websites!

Well, here's a way that you can keep your copyright statement up to date automatically using a little bit of ASP code. For this example, we assumed that you launched you website in 2007 -- replace this year with your actual launch date:

(Place the following within your HEAD tags)

<%
Function CopyrightStatement(YearWebsiteCreated)
If Year(Now) > YearWebsiteCreated
Then
CopyrightStatement = YearWebsiteCreated & "-" & Year(Now)
Else
CopyrightStatement = YearWebsiteCreated
End If
End Function
%>

(Place the following where you want to display your copyright statement)

This is how it will look on your screen:

You can also modify this code with CSS or other attribute tags to match your website design. Just don't forget to save the file with a .asp extension. Now your website will automatically update its copyright statement no matter what year it is!

Happy Scripting,

The DMXReady Team

Adding Web 2.0 To Your DMXReady Apps

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 09:10:20 GMT

The explosion of "social media" and other Web 2.0 applications has led to some nifty little shortcuts out there. For example, you can create a Google Presentation (similar to PowerPoint) and easily add it to your own website using any DMXReady content application -- no need for Dreamweaver!

To add your add your Google Presentation to your website:

Create your presentation (docs.google.com)
Click "Publish" and copy the script in the text box.
In your DMXReady app, click on the "Edit Page" link (must be logged in).
Scroll to the bottom to the WYSIWYG editor, and place your cursor to the location of the page you want to add your presentation.
Click on the "View/Edit Source" icon on the WYSIWYG editor (looks like this: <>)
Paste the script into the source (Ctrl "V") and click the "OK" button, bottom right
Click the "SAVE" button on the WYSIWYG editor and view the page.

Whenever you update your presentation through Google Docs, your changes will automatically update on your web page!

Now this is also a great tip for you web designers out there that want to give clients an easy CMS solution. It is not too hard to imagine how useful it would be for someone to be able to update a Presentation and have it immediately viewable online -- without the hassles of "inviting" every single person to see it.

Best of all, once you install your DMXReady app of choice, your client can do all the rest using Google Docs and the DMXReady admin pages. A truly extended CMS experience!

What are your tips for improving client workflow? How have you used DMXReady and/or Web 2.0 to help your clients? Let us know by adding a comment!

The DMXReady Team

AddThis - Promote Your Site Around the Internet!

Tue, 3 Jun 2008 09:30:34 GMT

Social bookmarking is a great alternative to the "My Favorites" button on your web browser. Rather than static links within your browser, you can access them from any computer and even share those links with friends, colleagues, and users around the world.

The only problem is, there are dozens of services -- Google, StumbleUpon, Del.ici.ous, and Facebook to name a few -- and everyone has their favorites. Adding every service to your website takes time, and takes up valuable real estate on your web page.

Enter AddThis. With just one button, your web visitors can bookmark or share your website with the world. This makes it easier for your readers, and in turn makes it more likely that your website will be shared and bookmarked. With 7,500 impressions per second a growing, it is quickly becoming the "librarian" of social bookmarking -- and easily recognizable to your readership.

The Classic ASP Garage Blog started using it this weekend. Click on the AddThis button in the top nav bar add us to your favorite social bookmarking service!

And don't forget to add it to your own site. Find out more at: http://www.addthis.com

The DMXReady Team

iStock Offers Deep Discounts!

Fri, 30 May 2008 08:55:11 GMT

Just found out from Danny Outlaw that iStockPhoto is now offering subscription plans. For all of you heavy users out there, this is a great way to save even more money on images.

Plus, their offering 20% off certain packages if you sign up before June 9, 2008.

Even if you don't use that many images per month, check out www.istockphoto.com anyway. It's a great resource for quality stock images at a great price!

The DMXReady Team

Adding Value to Your Service - Offer Hosting!

Wed, 28 May 2008 10:04:45 GMT

If you are a professional web designer looking to expand your list of services, you may want to consider entering the world of web hosting. By registering for a Virtual Managed Server (VMS), you can add another line of income to your business!

This does take a bit of technical knowledge. And you may have to cover the costs of this service yourself for the first few months as you build your clientele. But in the long run, it can provide a lucrative sideline. Plus you can now:

Offer your clients design and hosting services "under one roof"
Make it easier on yourself since you don't have to "learn" how other servers work when clients sign up for different web hosting providers
Provide another value-added service that will keep your name in front of your clients
Almost guarantee that they will continue to use you for all their web work since you are hosting their site
Essentially create free web hosting for yourself and collect your own fees every month

Blue Genesis offers a complete VMS solution, and has more information about how VMS can work for you. Or check with your own web host provider!

The DMXReady Team

�How Do I Place Affiliate Ads In Blog Manager?�

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:06:23 GMT

Dave Glynn from http://www.atomicwebsolutions.com writes:

Hi Guys,

We've been using your apps for a while such as FAQ Manager and Gallery Manager. We are very interested in Blog Manager and wondered how easy it would be to place affiliate ads etc. say to the top and left of the blog page?

Best wishes

Dave

Absolutely Dave! As you have likely noticed from the other DMXReady applications you use, they are fully open source so you can change the HTML, VBScript, and any part of the design.

Blog Manager has several different components like the header, footer, navigation bar, main body content, etc. Each component has its own separate file (e.g. �header.asp�). So all you would have to do to place your affiliate ad is to go into the header file, make your changes to the code, save, and upload. Just hit �Refresh� on your browser to see the results!

If you have a question about DMXReady products or about ASP in general, post it in the comments here, or send us a Private Message and we will do our best to answer it!

The DMXReady Team

Microsoft Gives Ten (Compelling?) Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 2008

Fri, 23 May 2008 09:51:54 GMT

Despite the URL, this seems to be a Microsoft-run website (or at least an "authorized" blog) but there does seem to be some compelling reasons why servers should migrate to Server 2008.

Give it a read and decide for yourself:
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/windowsserver2008/5040

You can also read ComputerWorld's take on it here.

Have any of you out there had any experience with this server? Leave us a comment!

The DMXReady Team

Join Our Blogroll!

Thu, 22 May 2008 09:26:16 GMT

Do you have your own blog? Let us know!

Classic ASP Garage Blog is currently gathering website related blogs to add to our blogroll. If you have a blog on programming, general web design, web content writing, or anything that would be of interest to professional and do-it-yourself web professionals, send us a private message or contact us directly.

The DMXReady Team

Is It Time for a Website Upgrade?

Wed, 21 May 2008 09:53:54 GMT

Website design and technology is always changing. But sadly, many websites are not. Even if the information on your website (or your client's website) doesn't change that much over the years, there are many good reasons to update or upgrade your website.

One good reason is to finally make that move to CMS. Not everyone is handy with Dreamweaver, and a Content Management System can really boost usability among all the non-IT people in the office.

And isn't usability what good web design in all about? We believe that's as true for the backend as it is for your visitors.

DMXReady published a whitepaper on CMS a couple of years ago. You can also read this article from the New York Report:

http://www.nyreport.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&FeatureID=421

The DMXReady Team

Finding "Insider" Help with Dreamweaver

Mon, 19 May 2008 08:06:23 GMT

One of the most common questions we get is where people can find "insider" help on how to use Dreamweaver. The most comprehensive list is within Adobe's own website.

Adobe has its own Developer and Designer Centers to help Dreamweaver users learn more about their software. You can start exploring their whole host of information here.

You can also ask post your HTML and scripting questions at the Dreamweaver forum.

These pages should give you access to all the information you need on how to use Dreamweaver to customize and extend your websites.

The DMXReady Team

Skin Your Own Blog Manager

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:23:45 GMT

When we decided to launch our own blog, we wanted to experiment with CSS templates. Originally, we designed DMXReady applications to be inserted into your own or a third-party HTML template. But how difficult, we wondered, would it be to customize it to take advantage of the wave of CSS-based websites?

As it turned out, it is not that difficult. It does take some time adding in DIV and Class tags to accommodate the CSS, but the results are well worth it.,

Here is an overview of the steps we took:

Download and Extract your Template & Blog Manager files to you local site folder. (We got our template from: http://www.freecsstemplates.org)
Create a duplicate of the main template file (index.html) and rename (index.asp).
Open the index.asp file and replace the placeholder html with the appropriate include files from Blog Manager.
Wrap the Blog Manager html with the appropriate CSS Div and Id classes using the original index.html file as a guide.
Upload all files and you are ready to go!

It doesn�t take much of a leap to figure out that you can do this will all your DMXReady applications � or your complete website for that matter. Skin your old apps for a new look and feel!

The DMXReady Team

Some ASP Resources For You!

Thu, 8 May 2008 17:08:23 GMT

We felt that perhaps the best way to officially launch our blog was to
give you a few ASP resources that are out there and we have found to be
useful. Some offer tutorials, some offer free scripts, but all are
designed to help you understand ASP and VBScript better.

You can find hundreds more by searching for "ASP tutorial", "ASP tips",
and other similar keywords.

http://www.aspin.com/
http://www.w3schools.com/ASP/default.asp
http://www.asptutorial.info/

Got some resources of your own that you'd like to share? Let us know by
leaving a comment!

The DMXReady Team