More Blog Issues
Loading Time
Several people have mentioned that this blog takes quite a while to load. This is probably because there is quite a lot of unoptimised code running in the background.
I was thinking of dividing each of the blocks in this site into elements, which can then be deactivated depending upon the users preferences.
Before I can think about implementing something so complex, the backend of the blog needs a drastic overhaul, starting with the authentication system.
New Authentication System
I'm currently introducing a new authentication system into the blog that'll hopefully drastically improve security whilst offering me enough stability to build some cool user generated content as well.
I've opted to use dAuth which is an authentication system built for CakePHP. Sure enough I could have written my own one but what's the point in reinventing the wheel?
Mambo to use CakePHP?
Interesting! I've never really been a fan of Mambo. I prefer to develop sites from the ground up rather than having to deconstruct a default layout. But still it's cool to see one of the major CMS's adopting CakePHP.
Debugging Mess
It seems that this blog is in a constant state of construction! I've had a few complaints about the number of PHP error messages that appear from time to time on the blog.
CakePHP has a $debug setting that is declared within the core.php file. If it's set to 0, no error messages are displayed. When it's set to 1, the errors are shown which makes it easier to diagnose problems I'm experiencing with the site. I'll need to find a way to ensure that only I can see these messages in the future.
There have been times where I've been print_r'ing out an API object instance and my password has been displayed in clearText, which admittedly is a bit of a problem!
The Weeks Are Messed Up
Ever since I changed servers, the posts haven't been displaying in the correct weeks. For instance I first created this post at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon and it erroneously appeared as a Week 9 entry.
Since the blo's backend is almost non-existent I've had to manually edit the timestamps within phpMyAdmin which is a pain in the ass. It's also a makeshift fix because as soon as I correct the problem I'll have to reset all of the times back to their original values.
A stitch in time saves nine apparently...
I Can't Post Flash Videos Into This Text Editor
Everytime I attempt to embed a Youtube video into the TinyMCE editor it disappears. This is seriously frustrating.
I've been searching for a solution all day and I've finally stuck gold. It seems TinyMCE has a flash plugin that you must enable in order to play videos. The TinyMCE forum suggests the following code.
plugins : "table,flash",
extended_valid_elements : "img[class|src|border|alt|title|hspace|vspace|width|height|align|onmouseover|onmouseout|name|obj|param|embed]"
And guess what? It works! Amazing!
Ruby On Rails
I've been interested in Ruby on Rails for quite some time now. I haven't looked at it in depth but I understand that CakePHP is a direct port of it to the PHP platform. Ruby seems to be a seriously beautiful language, but it doesn't really seem to do anything that PHP doesn't.
Still, I'd love to learn it but unfortunately I'm rushed off my feet at the minute. However there are some pretty cool ROR walkthroughs on Sitepoint.
Learn Ruby On Rails the Ultimate Beginners Tutorial
Get On Track With Ruby On Rails
