The Problem

We want to pop open a window which contains a  survey when a visitor leaves the site either by external link or by closing the browser window.

Solution #1 – External Links

This is the easy one.  We simply create a class and tag each external link on the site with class=”external”.  ( We know that we could have used a[target="_blank"], but didn’t work for our situation)

Code

JS

$(document).ready(function() {
$('a.external').click(function(){ alert('Display Survey') });
});

HTML

<a href="http://www.google.com" class="external">Visit Google</a>


Solution #2 – On Browser Close

Since there is no function specifically for when a user clicks the close browser button it makes this a bit tough to achieve this task.  We know we needed to use $(window).unload but that would always throw our alert every time we left a page.  Below is what we came up with.

Code

JS

var internalLink = false;
$(document).ready(function() {
$('a').not('.external').click(function(){ internalLink = true; });
});

$(window).unload(
function () {
if(!internalLink){
alert('Display Survey');
}
}
);


Final Thoughts

So combining both of these solutions worked and got us to about 95% success rate for reaching our goal.  The only downfall that we came up with is that if a viewer presses the refresh button the alert is thrown.  If anyone has any thoughts on how to work around this please post a comment and let us know.

We hope this snippet can save someone a couple hours of digging on the internet!

Dear Verizon Online Customer,

Verizon Online will soon be making changes to our network to further strengthen the security of our customers‚ email messages and our network and to help prevent spam.

We have blocked incoming email from Port 25, which is the default port used by email programs to connect to email servers and to send email, for some time now.  We are now taking the additional step of blocking outgoing e-mail messages from Port 25 to help ensure that our network is not used by spammers. Depending on whether you use a web-based email service or an email program such as Microsoft Outlook®, you may need to make changes to your computer settings to ensure that your ability to send email is not interrupted.

If you use a web-based Email service (either Verizon.net or a third party email service, such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.):

· If you use a web-based email service to send your email, you do not need to do anything as our implementation of Port 25 blocking for outgoing email messages will not affect your ability to send or receive web-based email.

If you use a third party Email service such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL and an Email program such as Microsoft Outlook:

· If you use an email service other than Verizon.net (such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.) to send email through a program like Microsoft Outlook, you will need to make the following modification to your computer settings so that your ability to send email will not be affected:

· Change the port number in the „Advanced‰ section of your email program from Port 25 to Port 587.  Detailed instructions on how to change the port settings on your computer can be found at www.verizon.net/port25 <http://www.verizon.net/port25> .

· If you‚re using an email provider other than Verizon.net (such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.) to send email through your email program and you are unable to send email after making the change to Port 587, please contact your email provider for additional information on their recommended port settings.

The above changes are necessary in order to allow you to continue to send email through your email program after November 3, 2009.

Thank you for being a valued Verizon customer.

Sincerely,
Verizon Online

As a work around for this issue E-Moxie has opened Port 26 for sending email.  For those using E-Moxie email thru an email client, such as Outlook, open up your outgoing mail settings and change your outgoing (SMTP) port from 25 to 26.  If you have issues please contact support(@)e-moxie.com.

E-Moxie is a high energy, fast paced, high rewarding company that loves and strives to be on the cutting edge of web technology.  We are a fun, fast paced (yet relaxed) bunch who love what we do, constantly pushing for the best possible product that can be produced.  We are expanding and currently looking for an experienced web designer and web developer for a full time position that is only available in our Fallston office.

Positions Available

Website Designer
We are looking for a designer that knows the web.  Someone who understands and appreciates clean, polished, user-focused websites.   You should be able to multi-task and work on several projects at a time.   If this job peaks your interest please read more.

Website Developer
If you are a closet nerd who spends your time hunkered down in front a computer screen writing some wicked badass code, this may be the position for you.  We are looking for someone who loves to be on the cutting edge of technology, can meet strict deadlines, communicate ideas and issues effectively, and most of all likes to have fun.  If you think you can handle those couple of items please read more.

Salary is negotiable, and is based on past work experience, and industry experience

General Qualifications:

✓    Rock-solid in HTML, CSS and JavaScript
✓    Experience with Eclipse and SVN
✓    Fluent in Adobe Creative Suite as it pertains to web design
✓    Understand the importance of accessibility
✓    Fundamental knowledge of PHP and MySQL
✓    Strong work ethic

Summary of Job Functions

✓    Designing fresh/clean/user friendly websites
✓    Collaborate and work with a design team
✓    Organize and multi-task between several projects
✓    Ability to think on your feet and problem solve issues as they arise
✓    Strong customer service skills with no problem picking up the phone and talking to clients
✓    Not afraid to speak your mind when the time is right

Benefits of working for E-Moxie

✓    Work in a fun, laid back atmosphere
✓    Free lunch Fridays (including beer)
✓    Interact with the community through sponsored events
✓    Full health benefits
✓    First time home buyer down payment assistance

To Apply email the following:

▪    PDF resumé
▪    Link to portfolio
▪    List of 5 sites that you designed that are in production
▪    Short paragraph as to why should we select you

to jobs@e-moxie.com with the subject line “Website Designer Position”

Please no phone calls, no work from home, no outsource companies, no telecommuters. This is an IN OFFICE POSITION ONLY.

Salary is negotiable, and is based on past work experience, and industry experience

General Qualifications:

✓    Proficient in PHP/MySQL development
✓    Experience with jQuery along with AJAX techniques
✓    Strong Object Oriented programming skills
✓    Experience with Eclipse and SVN
✓    Knowledge of server administration (IIS/Apache)
✓    High level of organization, attention to detail. clear communication
✓    Able to meet tight deadlines
✓    Strong work ethic

Summary of Job Functions

✓    Learn and support all internal systems
✓    Work by and enforce existing code standards.
✓    Develop new techniques and strategies to successfully implement desired goals
✓    Create code that is clean and scalable
✓    Experience working in a live production environment
✓    Provide technical support to all team members
✓    Ability to work with a team or by yourself with minimal supervision
✓    Organize and multi-task between several projects

Benefits of working for E-Moxie

✓    Work in a fun, laid back atmosphere
✓    Free lunch Fridays (including beer)
✓    Interact with the community through sponsored events
✓    Full health benefits
✓    First time home buyer down payment assistance

To Apply email the following:

▪    PDF resumé
▪    Link to portfolio
▪    List of 5 sites that you developed that are in production
▪    Short paragraph as to why should we select you

to jobs@e-moxie.com with the subject line “PHP Website Developer Position”

Please no phone calls, no work from home, no outsource companies, no telecommuters. This is an IN OFFICE POSITION ONLY.

One of the issues that I was running into when developing websites using SVN was that I wanted to copy an existing folder from one site to another one but when copying the folders would continue to have the hidden .svn folders.  For all that use SVN you know what I mean.

Normally what I did was just copy the folder and then go in and manually remove all of the hidden .svn folders.  That was okay for a folder or two, but when I needed to copy a folder which contained several sub folders it became a complete pain.  After a little bit of searching I found a solution for those on a MAC or using Linux.

Open up a terminal and type the following.

rsync -aC –exclude .svn TARGET FOLDER DESTINATION FOLDER

Thanks Boss

General Advice for All Website Launches

Avoid the temptation to prematurely launch the website. Even if a client is breathing down your neck, trying to push for a fast launch, and just wants you to publish files… don’t.  Instead work as fast as you can, in a methodical other and do not cut any corners.  You are ultimately the one who suffers if you launch the site early and forget to update the navigation thus rendering the site unusable, not the client who forced you to launch early.

Plan to launch early in the day and early in the week. If you have the liberty of scheduling a time to launch the site, try to shoot for a date early in the week rather than Friday at 3:00.  More often than not if you have that launch at Friday at 3:00 everyone does a quick test and goes home for the weekend.  On Monday you come back to the office with a inbox full of SOS’s from your client for an error that has been around all weekend.  Even if your traffic is higher on Monday at 10:00am, you will have a better chance of being the first one to pick up on a problem and fix it quickly causing only minimal damage.  An error that goes uncaught for the entire weekend could be very bad news.

Inform the entire team of the launch. Make it a point to inform every member of the team involved with the website launch of the time and date of the launch BEFORE the actual launching of the website.  By making sure everyone is on the same page about the date and time of the launch it will reduce the risk of someone going out to lunch at that critical moment when they are suppose to be publishing files.

Website Launch Checklist

1. Go through entire site and check for spelling and grammatical errors.
2. Validate all code using W3C Validator  http://validator.w3.org/ .  Validate all style sheets using W3C CSS Validator http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/ .
3. Check all forms.  If you have a contact form make sure that you have changed your email address, which you used for testing, to the clients requested email address.  Make sure the reply to address on the forms is the clients and not yours.
4. Test your . htaccess file.  Make sure your website redirects to www, and make sure all existing pages you are replacing have been successfully 301′ed.
5. Ensure that any images that have been referenced absolutely have the production URL and not the development URL.  (i.e. html emails)
6. If any dummy data was added to database or to site while testing make sure to remove prior to launch.
7. If you are launching an ecommerce website, make sure merchant account is out of TEST mode and DEBUG mode is turned OFF.
8. If client has requested, install Google Analytics and/or tracking scripts
9. Make sure all email addresses associated with the website have been setup and tested prior to launching the website. (i.e. contact@yourdomain.com)
10. Test website on multiple browsers and on multiple computers if possible.  Make sure site degrades nicely for IE6. (tip: Ask the client what browser they are running along with what toolbars/plugins that they have.  Even though you have built the website for the general public make sure to please your client first.)
11. If you are using SVN a Version Control System (which you should be) follow these last steps.
    1. Commit all final files to the repository, including user submitted images and content to the repository to publish for the initial launch. (i.e. FCKeditor/TinyMCE user_files, product images from CMS, uploaded PDFs, etc)
    2. Update/push all of latest files to production server.
12. If you are using traditional FTP publishing follow these last steps.
    1. Create final backup of all files from development server.  Ideally you could go to your hosting control panel and gzip entire site directory to download as one file.
    2. Upload all final files to production level FTP.  Make sure to check your final log to see if any files failed to upload for one reason on another.
13. Repeat steps 3,4 and 10  Even though you have already done these steps, take the time and do them again.  It can never hurt to do 5 minutes more of testing.

Conclusion

This list may not work for everyone so if I left something out which you do every time you launch a new site please tell us about it.  We all have to launch sites and we all want them to go as smoothly as possible, the more information that gets shared on successful launches the better.

Heather Keegan, the Conference Marketing Manager for  Voices That Matter Conferences is offering <?STYLE members a $200 discount to all that want to attend The Voices That Matter: Web Design Conference.  See post below for details.

Save up to $400!

The Web design industry’s most respected authors and practitioners will be leading discussions at The Voices That Matter: Web Design Conference, taking place April 27-30 in San Francisco, CA. Join thought-leaders including:

• Jason Cranford Teague
• Curt Cloninger
• Robert Hoekman Jr.
• Steve Krug
• Christina Wodtke
• Stephanie Sullivan
• Peter-Paul Koch

and dozens of others for entertaining, inspiring and informative discussions, debates, Q&A sessions, and informal networking activities!

Provide the <?STYLE Web Related priority code, WBNKLMN, when registering to save $200! Register before March 12th and SAVE $400 when the <?STYLE Web Related member savings is combined with early bird pricing!

Register or view conference details including schedule, speakers, networking and more at www.voicesthatmatter.com/webdesign2009. If you have any questions about the conference, please don’t hesitate to contact Barbara Gavin, Conference Manager, at Barbara.Gavin@PearsonEd.com or by phone at (617) 848-7026.

We hope to see you at the conerence in San Francisco this April!

The thing with Liberty Name of America, is if you read the fine print of the terms and conditions they give you, you are authorizing them to transfer the domain.  Luckily for you, we have to unlock the domain before it can be transferred.  The domain renewal through us is $15.00/year.   We will invoice you in about a week for the renewal, and your invoice will be paid via the card that we have on file automatically.

If you have fallen prey to their scam I would contact Liberty Name of America and cancel your order with them.  If they give you a hassle, you can always dispute the charge with your credit card company.  Just keep in mind in the future, that anything regarding your domain name or website will be coming from E-Moxie.  If you’re unsure about something you receive, feel free to ask.