Ryan Stemkoski

How to use PHP in .htm or .html Files

Ryan Stemkoski — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:15:48 +0000

The need to execute PHP in HTM or HTML files may occur for a number of reasons. The most common of which seems to be adding content managed portions to an existing HTML website. The .htm or .html pages will be part of the navigation, previously indexed by search engines, and likely linked to by other websites. Instead of changing the URL to .php for our updates we can convince the server to execute .htm or .html just as it would a .php file saving both the developer and customer from a number of headaches.
This can be done by adding the following lines to your .htaccess file.

If your web server is using PHP as an Apache Module:

AddType application/x-httpd-php .html .htm

For web servers funning PHP as CGI

AddHandler application/x-httpd-php .html .htm

If you happen to be running IIS this can still be done but it is a bit more difficult and a topic for another post on another day.

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How to Detect IE6 Browser with JavaScript

Ryan Stemkoski — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:20:56 +0000

I have been doing a lot of work with jQuery lately. The jQuery library offers great cross browser support for most functions but unfortunately even this magic wand can’t solve all the problems with Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) compatibility. Previously, jQuery had a browser() function that helped detect a browser so that a developer could build a work around. The browser() function has been removed in favor of a new function called support() which helps determine if the current browser offers support for a specific piece of functionality. For many tasks this strategy works just fine but I have found some occasions where I need to sniff out IE6 and it can be done easily using standard JavaScript.

JavaScript function to determine if the current browser is IE6:

//CHECK FOR IE6
function is_ie6(){
     return ((window.XMLHttpRequest == undefined) && (ActiveXObject != undefined));
}

There are many other ways to find IE6 but this one works great. If you have another good method please list it in the comments below.

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Buck Dodges Hunters by Feasting on my Pumpkins

Ryan Stemkoski — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:11:36 +0000

It is officially deer season in Washington State. I am a fisherman and have never been a big hunter. I have nothing against hunting and have gone myself many times but it I would much rather be fly fishing on a small stream somewhere in the forest. I have never really cared for shooting animals unless it is with a camera.
I woke up this morning, ate some Lucky Charms, scratched my privates, and read Facebook updates from friends who are out hunting today in the cold Washington fall weather. Then I went to wash my bowl and discovered this very nice looking buck eating my pumpkins and dodging hunters in my backyard. I found it quite ironic that so many of my friends were out looking for this guy and he was just hanging out in at my place, having breakfast.

Sorry the pictures are not better. The sun was rising behind him and I was shooting through my back window so the pictures are less than stellar but hopefully they’re enough to make all you hunters jealous. Of course, when Halloween comes around and I have nothing to carve I probably won’t be too happy but he was fun to watch.

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How to Access MySQL at Web Hosts Without phpMyAdmin

Ryan Stemkoski — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:21:01 +0000

While most web hosts have phpMyAdmin installed for their customers to use, there are plenty out there that do not. The phpMyAdmin interface is what most developers have become accustomed to when developing MySQL based websites. If phpMyAdmin is not installed on your web host, there are several options that will allow you to access and modify MySQL. Several of these options are listed below in no particular order. This list certainly doesn’t include every option but there are enough listed that there should be a solution for your specific situation.

Option 1: Install phpMyAdmin

phpMyAdmin is just a simple PHP based program. You can download a copy from the phpMyAdmin website. (http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/downloads.php) Then you can install it by following the simple instructions similar to how you would Wordpress, Drupal, or any other PHP based application. This is a good solution, although phpMyAdmin is a large interface and may take awhile to load and setup.

Option 2: Use phpMyAdmin Alternative such as Adminer

There are many alternatives to phpMyAdmin. I think phpMyAdmin is a great piece of software and if it is enabled on the web host I will always use it. If you run into a situation where it is not enabled then I suggest a phpMyAdmin alternative called Adminer. This handy script offers many of the features of phpMyAdmin in a single file. It is incredibly easy to install and the interface will already be familiar to anyone who works with phpMyAdmin on a regular basis.
You can read more about Adminer here: http://www.adminer.org/en/ or download this great script here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/adminer/files/Adminer/Adminer%202.1.0/adminer-2.1.0.php/download.

Option 3: Use a MySQL Software such as SQLyog

There are many software packages out there. My favorite is a program called SQLyog. It works similar to Microsoft’s SQL Enterprise Manager. This system allows you to manage your MySQL tables and structure from your remote computer. To utilize this software your web hosting company needs to allow remote connections. This software offers all the features of phpMyAdmin and also has support for other database types such as PostgreSQL. You can download a copy at: http://www.webyog.com/en/downloads.php#sqlyog.

Option 4: Use Command Line or PHP to Manage through Queries

The final option I am going to present is to manage your MySQL tables and structure by executing queries through PHP or using server’s command line if you have access. This tends to be the most advanced option as many developers are not familiar with the query syntax to modify structure etc using SQL statements. I would suggest trying some of the other options before using this one. My guess is if you didn’t already know the answer to this question this option may be more difficult for you than some of the others.

I hope these solutions help. I remember the first time I came across this situation I had no idea what to do. I was new to development and was accustomed to working with MySQL through phpMyAdmin and at the time didn’t even truly understand that phpMyAdmin wasn’t part of MySQL. Up until that point I thought phpMyAdmin came bundled with MySQL and was the official GUI for MySQL because I had never had to use anything else.

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Kayla’s Fake Bridal Shower

Ryan Stemkoski — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:22:58 +0000

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Block .inc Files from Displaying on an Apache Web Server

Ryan Stemkoski — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:37:55 +0000

Block .inc Files from Displaying on Apache Web ServerBlock .inc Files from Displaying on Apache Web ServerMany PHP developers use the .inc file extension to signify a script that is included within another. This can be very handy when scanning a directory or block of code looking for specific references or calls.

One of the major benefits of using a .inc file as opposed to a PHP file is that a .inc will not execute code when called directly from the browser and instead displays the file contents as a text. This technique can help portions of your script from being run out of context by clever hackers. The downside to this functionality is that since Apache, by default treats a .inc file as a text file it will send the contents of your file to the browser. This can obviously pose a serious security risk to your application. For example, a connection.inc file containing database connection information called directly would output the connection information for your application allowing a hacker direct access to your database.

Thankfully, there is an easy solution to this problem. Apache allows you to provide special instructions in your httpd.conf file to disallow direct access to an .inc file. This prevents a user from executing it outside the context of another script and prevents the file from being sent as text. To disallow access to .inc files, add the following information to your httpd.conf:


order allow,deny
deny from all

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A Little Known List of JavaScript Functions Equivalent to PHP Functions in jQuery

Ryan Stemkoski — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:18:30 +0000

Many of us PHP developers often find working with JavaScript arrays to be a frustrating task. PHP has a number of very powerful built in functions like: in_array(), is_array(), array_merge(), array_map(), and array_unique() that are just plain missing in JavaScript. Over the years, many of these functions have been ported into JavaScript buy developers much like us. In fact, I recently did a port partial port of the PHP strip_tags() function to JavaScript. (Note: There is a popular library of PHP->JS functions called PHP.JS you can check out for functions not included in this example or if you are not using jQuery.)

Until now, developers working with arrays in JavaScript were either forced to obtain the data returned from these functions on their own or spend a great deal of time searching the net for a solution that actually works. Thankfully, the jQuery developers have written a number of these functions into the core jQuery library but for some reason not many developers, even those using jQuery don’t know they are there to use!

jQuery / JavaScript PHP Equivalent Array Functions

PHP in_array() Equivalent in JavaScript

jQuery.inArray(value,array)

PHP is_array() Equivalent in JavaScript

jQuery.isArray(array)

PHP array_map() Equivalent in JavaScript

jQuery.map(array,callback)

PHP array_merge() Equivalent in JavaScript

jQuery.merge(array1,array2)

PHP array_unique () Equivalent in JavaScript

jQuery.unique(array)

Other jQuery / JavaScript Array and Object Functions

In addition to these functions there are some other handy functions available to jQuery developers that work with Arrays and Objects. These include:

PHP get_object_vars() Equivalent in JavaScript

jQuery.makeArray(object)

Grep Style Search Function

jQuery.grep(array,callback,invert)

Object Extension

jQuery.extend(deep,target,object1,objectN)

Iterator Function

jQuery.each (object,callback)

(Note: None of these functions will work without the jQuery library. jQuery is a free, open source JavaScript library check out: http://jquery.com/ for more information.)

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Holden’s 3rd Birthday Party

Ryan Stemkoski — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:02:45 +0000

Yesterday, Kayla and I made the trip to her family farm just outside Ritzville for her Nephew Holden’s 3rd birthday party. It was an outdoor party and we were fortunate enough to enjoy some beautiful early fall weather. At the party I decided to snap a few photos and I thought I would share.

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Starting Tonight: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea

Ryan Stemkoski — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:21:21 +0000

Sunbeam Falls Mt. Rainier National Park" title="sunbeam_falls_mt_rainier_national_park" width="250" height="375" style="float:right; margin-left: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;" />Tonight is the first episode of an exciting new series directed by Ken Burns highlighting the beauty and history of our national parks system. This 6 part series airs on PBS at 10PM Sunday thru Friday of this week. (September 27, 2009 – Oct 2, 2009) This documentary was an enormous effort. The 12 hours of footage is the compilation of 10 years of work by Burns and his team. According to Burns, “This film is not a travelogue. It is not a nature film. It is a history; it is full of drama and conflict.” Burns has a history of creating exciting and innovative documentaries and I am sure this one will be no different.

I personally love to hike, fish, camp, photograph, and explore the wonders of nature. I grew up in a family that appreciated these activities and provided me with countless opportunities to experience nature firsthand. I was very lucky. I grew up just a short drive from the Pacific Ocean in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. Chehalis, the community in which I was raised was surrounded by the beauty of nature. Some of my best memories are from experiences that took place in our state and national parks. I read about this documentary while it was in the making and am very excited to watch it and learn more about national park system.

America is filled with beautiful places and thanks to our national parks system many of these wonderful places have been preserved and made available to the public in a controlled sustainable manner. If it were not for our national park system the Grand Canyon would be surrounded by mansions and Mt. Rainier would be the home to a number of fancy ski resorts. Instead, they have been preserved so that generation after generation can experience the beauty of God’s creation.

More Information:
http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/

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Engagement Photos of Kayla and I

Ryan Stemkoski — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:18:00 +0000

Kayla and I are getting married in just under 2 months on November 14th. We’re very excited to get married and I am particularly excited to have the wedding over with. It is amazing how much time and planning goes into a wedding. It seems like we’re always trying something, reviewing something, or doing something. Recently we spent an afternoon at the Finch Arboretum having our engagement photos taken. I have included a small gallery of some of my favorites.

I really like the Finch Arboretum and have photographed there a few different times myself. I am amazed how many people live in Spokane and don’t even know this area exists. If you haven’t been there you should definitely check it out this fall when the leaves are turning. Follow the link below to see some of my shots of Finch Arboretum in the fall!

Finch Arboretum in the Fall: http://www.stemkoski.com/fall-in-spokane-the-fincharboretum-is-cold-in-the-morning/

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