Apps, resources, & tips for web design business owners

Archive for the ‘Software’ Category

TopUp a very cool lightbox style script

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Lightbox scripts are everywhere. The problem is finding one that’s easy to setup, looks great, and works with multiple types of content. I just came across a jQuery plugin that accomplishes all 3 of those. Check out TopUp.

Symphony: The CMS you’ve never heard of, but must see

Friday, December 18th, 2009

With a title like that you’re probably wondering what one more CMS could possibly do that makes it so special? Before I get to that, let’s take a look at a typical CMS system.

We’ll use WordPress as our example. Don’t get me wrong, WordPress is great for the purpose it’s designed for – to be a Blog platform with some static content added on. It’s true that we can make WordPress work for nearly any type of site, by combining plugins, custom fields, and a bit of php. This works ok until you really need to setup something more complex, with several types of content, all requiring custom fields. Pretty soon you’ll have a long list of custom fields to choose from. It gets tough to remember which field goes with which content type, which fields are required for this but not that, and so on.

This is where Symphony CMS really shines. The basic idea of Symphony is that you first model your data types. So, if you have the following data types: blog posts, gallery images, dealer locations, and latest deals – you will setup a data model for each of these. You also design the url structure and have complete control over the output of the data via templates. This kind of power allows you to build a very robust system much easier than by using custom development.

symphony

(Screenshot of the Symphony Admin)

Now, a word of warning – Symphony CMS is a bit complex to understand, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll have all the power you need to build incredible websites.

You can checkout Symphony here. Be sure to read about Symphony’s features and the beginner’s guide to understanding Symphony. As an added bonus, Symphony is free and open-source. You can’t beat that price!

Plan your website content with Jumpchart

Monday, November 30th, 2009

I just came across a pretty cool web app called Jumpchart. Basically it enables you to easily plan the content for your website (or more likely a client’s site).

When you first create a new site, you’re presented with the following screen:

jumpchart-home
(more…)

Sharing files with DropBox

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

My absolute favorite way to share files is with DropBox. Once you signup for an account, you download the DropBox app to your computer (Mac/Windows/Linux) and enter your account details. This creates a “DropBox” folder on your computer. Anything you place in this folder will be automatically synchronized to your online DropBox account, along with automatically synchronized on any other computers that you share your account with. This makes it super easy to share files with family, friends, or co-workers – whether they’re in the next room or the next country.

A couple of my favorite features are:

  • Undo history & Undelete – you can revert back to previous versions of files and undelete files & folders
  • Mobile access – all your files are available on the go, via the web interface (or via the upcoming iPhone DropBox app)
  • Easy – it’s just plain easy to use DropBox – set it up and forget about it

DropBox offers a free plan (2GB) along with a couple of paid plans. It’s well worth trying if you haven’t already.

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