JoshLockhart.com: Weblog

BREAKING: XHTML2 will be discontinued in favor of HTML5

2009-07-02T20:50:18+00:00

The XHTML 2 Working Group is expected to stop work by the end of 2009 and, instead, reallocate its resources toward the development of HTML5.

Today the Director announces that when the XHTML 2 Working Group charter expires as scheduled at the end of 2009, the charter will not be renewed. By doing so, and by increasing resources in the Working Group, W3C hopes to accelerate the progress of HTML 5 and clarify W3C’s position regarding the future of HTML.

This is HUGE news for the web development industry. I only hope this dramatic shift will speed up development of the HTML5 draft specification.

Read the full announcement

New Media Campaigns asks “HTML 5: Should we be excited yet?”

2009-07-01T14:22:48+00:00

New Media Campaigns has posted an interesting and informative article about HTML5 and the future of the World Wide Web.

It’s an exciting time to be a web developer. The browser wars are in full swing, reminiscent of the mid-90s. Firefox 3.5 was released only yesterday with plenty of cool, new features including HTML5 support for audio, video, offline and local storage, and canvas text. Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari are blazing fast, already sporting cutting edge HTML5 features. The HTML5 draft specification, although years from completion, is already influencing web browser development and will revolutionize the way we develop for the World Wide Web. The future is here! But should we be excited yet?

Read the full article

Announcing RapidSearch 3 Search Plugin for RapidWeaver

2009-06-24T15:31:03+00:00

JoshLockhart.com has announced RapidSearch 3, an upgrade to its popular RapidWeaver search plugin. RapidSearch 3 is the easiest way to add powerful Google™ search to any RapidWeaver website. RapidSearch 3 immediately retrieves Google™ search results and displays the search results inline on your website. Your visitors never leave your website, and your branding remains intact.

New! Customizable Search Button

RapidSearch 3 users may now customize the search button’s text. Instead of using the default label “Search”, the search button can now read “Go” or “Find” or any text in any Mac OS X supported language.

New! UTF-8 and URL-Encoded Character Support

Many RapidSearch users create HTML forms in their website headers or sidebars. These forms may or may not be on the actual RapidSearch page. For English and Western text, this technique works. However, Eastern, Oriental and similar text (ie. German Umlauts, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc) become URL-encoded when an external HTML form is submitted to the RapidSearch page. RapidSearch 3 now supports UTF-8 and URL-encoded characters.

New! Deactivate Serial Number from within RapidSearch

This is a very popular feature request. RapidSearch 3 users may now deactivate a serial number from within RapidSearch 3. Users no longer need to email JoshLockhart.com to request a reactivated serial number. Instead, uses can enter their serial number into RapidSearch 3 and click “Deactivate”. Users may then transfer RapidSearch 3 to a new computer and reactivate the search plugin using the same serial number.

Other Feature Highlights

Integrated Google™ search
Highlight search terms in results with custom colors
Custom page header and footer
Search one or many websites
Drag-and-drop to sort websites

Purchase RapidSearch 3

RapidSearch 3 is available now for USD $15.00. You can purchase RapidSearch at:

http://www.joshlockhart.com/index.php/store/product/rapidsearch/

Upgrade to RapidSearch 3

RapidSearch 3 is a free upgrade for existing users. If you already own RapidSearch, you will receive a RapidSearch 3 download link within 48 hours. If you do not receive a download link within 48 hours, please complete my Download Link Request form.

RapidSearch 3 is a drag-and-drop replacement for RapidSearch 2. Simply replace your existing RapidSearch.rwplugin file with RapidSearch3.rwplugin and restart RapidWeaver.

jQuery Interactive Zoomable Map Plugin

2009-06-18T22:21:50+00:00

Joel Sutherland of New Media Campaigns has published an interactive and zoomable map plugin for jQuery. This plugin allows you to create points on a map that, when clicked, display a popup window with related information. You can also define clickable areas on the map that can zoom and enlarge with a smooth animation. This plugin is very extensible and perfect for adding an extra layer of interest and dimension to any website.

See the plugin

Announcing Modernity 4 for RapidWeaver

2009-06-13T20:20:32+00:00

I am excited to announce Modernity 4 for RapidWeaver! This is a significant update to one of my popular RapidWeaver themes. I have addressed several important issues, and I have added several new features. Modernity 4 has been entirely rewritten using cleaner markup.

Learn more about Modernity
http://www.joshlockhart.com/index.php/store/product/modernity/

Improvements in Modernity 4

+ Rewrote and optimized theme markup
+ Fixed layout vertical shifting issue
+ Added support for JS-Kit comments
+ Renamed “Logo Alignment” Variation to “Logo, Title, and Slogan Alignment”
+ Added jQuery 1.3.2 Javascript library
+ Added IE8 compatibility
+ Added link to home page on logo image (requires Base URL to be set)

JS-Kit Comments

Modernity 4 now supports JS-Kit comments that were introduced in RapidWeaver 4.2.2. You can now enjoy full-featured social comments directly from your Modernity-themed RapidWeaver website.

jQuery 1.3.2 Included with Modernity 4

The best Javascript library now comes bundled with Modernity! You have access to the entire jQuery library within your RapidWeaver website. Call jQuery with:

jQuery(document).ready(function($){
//insert jquery here using $ namespace
});

The jQuery library provided with Modernity will not conflict with other Javascript libraries that you may already be using.

Purchase Now

Modernity 4 is available today for USD $15.00. You can purchase Modernity at:

http://www.joshlockhart.com/index.php/store/product/modernity/

Upgrading from v3.0 to v4.0

Current Modernity users will receive a free download link via email within 48 hours. If you do not receive a download link within 48 hours, please complete my Download Request Form. Upgrade instructions are provided on the Modernity product page on my website under Documentation.

Back in good ol’ North Carolina

2009-06-04T12:05:44+00:00

I have returned to my alma mater, Chapel Hill, North Carolina for one week. As some of you know, my full time job is with New Media Campaigns, a full service web design and marketing firm. My work colleagues were kind enough to fly me back to the office headquarters for a week to meet new staff members, catch up on office news, and have a great time. I’ve also been able to enjoy Southern food again such as bar-b-que and real sweet tea (sorely missing in Wisconsin). Unfortunately, I am unable to answer many of your RapidWeaver-related emails this week. Please be patient, and I will answer your emails as soon as I can when I return home to Madison, Wisconsin this Sunday evening.

Sophisticate 3 and Milano 5 RapidWeaver Theme Updates

2009-06-01T13:50:07+00:00

I have released maintenance updates for my Sophisticate and Milano RapidWeaver themes. These updates add compatibility for JS-Kit comments introduced in RapidWeaver 4.2.2.

Purchase or Learn more about Milano:
http://www.joshlockhart.com/index.php/store/product/milano/

Purchase or Learn more about Sophisticate:
http://www.joshlockhart.com/index.php/store/product/sophisticate/

How do I upgrade?

Sophisticate 3 and Milano 5 will install along-side your existing Sophisticate or Milano theme. If you are an existing Sophisticate or Milano RapidWeaver theme user, you will receive a download link via email within 48 hours. If you do not receive a download link within 48 hours, complete my Download Request Form to request a new link.

How to Install the Upgrade

Download and double-click the theme update ZIP file to your computer
Double-click the .rwtheme file that was inside of the ZIP file
Re-start RapidWeaver and select “Sophisticate 3” or “Milano 5” from the Theme library in RapidWeaver

How to Replace an Existing Theme

Backup your existing Milano or Sophisticate .rwtheme file
Download and double-click the theme update ZIP file to your computer
Double-click the .rwtheme file that was inside of the ZIP file
Locate “~/Library/Application Support/RapidWeaver/milano5.rwtheme” (or sophisticate3.rwtheme)
Right-click on this file and choose “Show Package Contents”
In the resultant Finder, open “/Contents/Theme.plist” in a plain text editor
Scroll to the bottom of the file
Change the “RWThemeName” key’s value to “Milano” or “Sophisticate”
Change the RWThemeShortName key’s value to “milano” or “sophisticate”
Save the file and restart RapidWeaver

Week in summary and upcoming updates

2009-05-25T21:40:46+00:00

Theme Updates

I released updates to my existing RapidWeaver themes last week that provide improvements and add compatibility with the JS-Kit comments introduced in RapidWeaver 4.2.2. This week I will release updates for my Modernity and Milano RapidWeaver themes.

RapidSearch 3

Many of my foreign customers have noticed that searches containing encoded UTF-8 characters do not work with RapidSearch (German umlauts, for example). I will fix this issue in RapidSearch 3. Expect an update for RapidSearch later this week that will also include a serial number deactivation feature.

A New RapidWeaver Theme

I am hard at work on my next new RapidWeaver theme. I don’t have much to say about this theme just yet, so keep an eye on my weblog and the Realmac Software forums for more information!

Announcing Emporium 3 RapidWeaver Theme Update

2009-05-20T13:14:49+00:00

I have released a new version of my Emporium RapidWeaver theme. This is a maintenance update that adds support for JS-Kit comments that were introduced in RapidWeaver 4.2.2.

Emporium works very well for RapidWeaver websites with a lot of content. Emporium features three menu levels: a horizontal primary menu, a horizontal secondary menu, and a vertical tertiary menu in the sidebar. Other Emporium features are:

Up to 8 menu levels
Up to 20 banner images
118 theme variations
3 theme styles
6 layout widths
PSD banner template

Learn More

Purchase Emporium

You can purchase Emporium 3 for only USD $19.95.

How do I upgrade?

Current Emporium users will receive a download link for free via email. If you do not receive a download link via email within 24 hours from this post’s timestamp, please check your spam mailboxes. If you still do not have a download link, complete this form to request a new download link.

Silk 5 Theme Update Distributed to Existing Users

2009-05-18T21:55:48+00:00

I have distributed the Silk 5 RapidWeaver theme update via email to all current Silk users. If you are a Silk user and do not receive an email within 24 hours from this post’s timestamp, complete this form to request a new Silk 5 download link.

Silk 5 is my most popular RapidWeaver theme with well over 1000 users! I want to say a big thank you to all of my customers, and I hope you continue to enjoy Silk with version 5.