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SQLite 2: The Killer Features (and the sadly lacking)
As we saw last week, SQLite is an SQL database engine that will be supported in PHP5 and which can be embedded directly into your applications.
In this second tutorial, Allan looks at the killer features- temporary "in memory" databases and triggers which can "cascade" one change throughout the database, and looks at ways around the most important feature yet-to-be-implemented feature, the lack of an ALTER TABLE function.
If you've ever despaired at not being able to include database functionality in your PHP pages because the machine you're using as a web server doesn't have MySQL installed, or if you ever need the features of the SQL language without having to connect to database servers, then this article is for you.
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Free! A send-a-friend application with ASP Smart Mailer
The great thing with DMXzone's extensions is that they make the tedious work of developing advanced functions easy, allowing you to concentrate on the exciting aspects of the job.
In this free tutorial, Matt Machell shows how to use the DMXzone ASP Smart Mailer to add a "send-a-friend" link to your web pages, allowing a user to alert a friend to an interesting page by clicking a link, entering an email address and the DMXzone extension and your web server do the rest. It'll have you up and running this functionality on any page, on any number of sites, in practically no time at all!
Read MoreBeginner's SQL: Aggregates and Grouping
When you create a database-driven Web site, you will encounter a number of common data retrieval scenarios. Simple lists, header/detail listings, row difference calculations, and reports with subtotals can all be satisfied using fairly basic SELECT queries. But when you move on to functions that aggregate data - to find sums, averages, counts and the like, there's a few gotchas that can baffle the newbie and trip up even the experienced developer.
Wave goodbye to Aggregate and groupings gotcha misery with Rudy's easy-to-follow tutorial on some of SQL's powerful aggregating functions!
Read MorePHP Basics: email contact forms
Have you ever wanted a contact form on your website that will automatically email you, instead of leaving a mailto: address? Or maybe a form that the user controls via radio buttons that is directed to the correct person by the logic?
It's easy in PHP, and Gareth shows you how in this article, going through every step - setting up the mail headers, the forms and the PHP code.
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Free: Remaking DMXzone in CSS and XHTML
Read for free the trials and tribulations of our intrepid tech team as they wade through 6000 articles-worth of tag spag hell, nested table horror, and emerge victorious with a fully validating CSS and XHTML site that loads twice as fast, renders better and is more maintainable!
The ASP and JavaScript we used to convert the all our articles into xhtml and the full DMXzone.com CSS file is included for download too!
Read MoreCornerstones: DMX Forms
Forms are one of the most important aspects of web interactivity. Without forms, we wouldn’t be able to use the web to shop, make hotel and airline reservations, and contact companies and individuals via their sites. Dreamweaver MX makes it especially easy to implement forms.
Of course, forms can get very complex, depending upon how detailed your needs are. What’s more, processing forms can be handled in numerous ways—often relying on server-side scripts to process. In this article, I’ll focus on how to create a form using the most common techniques and leave advanced and server-side information to future or related articles. The point here is to get you familiar with Dreamweaver’s form options and commonly used form components.
Read MoreSQLite: new PHP-bundled database
SQLite is an SQL database engine that will be supported in PHP5 and which can be embedded directly into your applications. Because the engine works with a single data file, this means that you can use full SQL functionality without having to install an SQL server. If you've ever despaired at not being able to include database functionality in your PHP pages because the machine you're using as a web server doesn't have MySQL installed, or if you ever need the features of the SQL language without having to connect to database servers, then this article is for you.
Since most PHP people are familiar with MySQL, we'll show you how it differs from that database. We'll then take a look at how to enable SQLite in the new PHP 5, and with a little bit more effort, PHP 4.3.x. With that out of the way we'll get down to the important stuff of using SQLite.
Read MorePHP Basics: Forms, GET and POST
In this beginner's tutorial, Gareth shows the options available in HTML forms via Dreamweaver and how to retrieve data passed via a form through the GET and POST methods, and discusses the difference between these different ways of passing user data. Read MoreNext Step CSS: Image Replacement Techniques
There are times when your design calls for images as headings rather than just text - maybe you want a font more interesting than the verdana/ TNR web-safe clones, maybe you want imagery and texture. For a while now, the leading "image replacement technique" has been FIR - Fahrner Image Replacement but this has been deprecated by the CSS police due to accessibility concerns. In this tutorial, Rachel details other emerging image replacement techniques, looks at the pros and cons of each and shows how you apply them to your own pages.
This is the first tutorial in a new series called "Next Step CSS" which goes further into the intricacies of CSS than is can be accurately rendered by Dreamweaver's Design View. For this reason there is some hand-coding required and so we emphasise that this is NOT FOR NEWBIES who don't like to handcode.
Read MoreTextural Troubles and Triumphs
So many sites either have no texture, or are else over-textured through (ahem) enthusiastic use of Photoshop or other image editors. In this tutorial, Linda discusses decorative texture as an integral part of web design when done properly.
The tutorial concludes with a check-list of design elements and principles to be taken account when designing texture for your web site.
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