Stiern.com » Tutorials

Create a Cool Messy List with CSS3 and nth-child

Peter — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 07:00:34 +0000

While working on a design recently, I stumbled upon Chris Coyier’s article How nth-child Works. Chris shows us the basics of the nth-child pseudo-selector in CSS. It can be used for so many things, but in this short tutorial I’m going to show you how to create a cool messy list.

First, check out the demo to see what we’re creating in the demo.

We’re going to start with an HTML5 document (why not?), and include a stylesheet, as shown below:

<h1>Messy List</h1>

 
<html lang="en">
 
<head>
	<meta charset="utf-8">
	<title>Messy List</title>
	<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
</head>
 
<body>
 
	
		<h1>Messy List</h1>
	</header>
 
	
 
		<ul>
			<li>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet</li>
			<li>Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit.</li>
			<li>Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat.</li>
			<li>Ut enim ad minim veniam.</li>
		</ul>
 
	</section>
 
	
		<p>Copyright © 2010</p>
	</footer>
 
</body>
 
</html>

That’s a pretty simple HTML document—and of course the most important part is the list. Next, here’s the stylesheet (with an HTML5 CSS reset in it as well). You can get the background from SeamlessTextures. I’ve modified it in color and size, so you can also just get my version.

/* HTML 5 Reset */
html, body, div, span, object, iframe, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, p, blockquote, pre, a, abbr, address, cite, code, del, dfn, em, img, ins, kbd, q, samp, small,  strong, sub, sup, var, b, i, dl, dt, dd, ol, ul, li, fieldset, form, label, legend, table, caption, tbody, tfoot, thead, tr, th, td {
	margin: 0;
	padding: 0;
	border: 0;
	font-size: 100%;
	vertical-align: baseline;
}
 
body {
	line-height: 1;
}
 
table {
	border-collapse: collapse;
	border-spacing: 0;
}
 
section, article, aside, header, footer, nav, dialog, figure {
	display:block;
}
 
body {
	background: url(background.png);
	width:600px;
	margin: 40px auto 0;
	font-family: Georgia, serif;
	color: #333333;
}
 
h1 {
	font-size: 3em;
	margin-bottom:1em;
}
 
ul {
	list-style: none;
}
 
ul li {
	padding: 8px 15px;
	margin: 10px 0;
}
 
ul li:nth-child(odd) {
	background: rgba(50,50,50,0.1);
}
 
ul li:nth-child(odd):hover {
	background: rgba(50,50,50,0.3);	
}
 
ul li:nth-child(even) {
	background: rgba(50,50,50,0.3);
}
 
ul li:nth-child(even):hover {
	background: rgba(50,50,50,0.5);
}
 
ul li:nth-child(3n+1) {
	-webkit-transform:rotate(-0.6deg);
	-moz-transform:rotate(-0.6deg);
	transform:rotate(-0.6deg);
}
 
ul li:nth-child(3n+2) {
	-webkit-transform:rotate(0.5deg);
	-moz-transform:rotate(0.5deg);
	transform:rotate(0.5deg);
}
 
ul li:nth-child(3n+3) {
	-webkit-transform:rotate(0.2deg);
	-moz-transform:rotate(0.2deg);
	transform:rotate(0.2deg);
}

I guess there’s not much new for you here, but let’s break it down a bit anyway. First, we define the width of our body to be 600px. Also, we include the aforementioned background, specify font and color, and add a top margin. Next, we define the size of our H1. And now comes the fun part.

We remove the dots from our list with list-style: none;, and add a little padding to our list elements. We’ll look at the nth-child selectors in bits. Check out the first one:

ul li:nth-child(odd) {
	background: rgba(50,50,50,0.1);
}
 
ul li:nth-child(odd):hover {
	background: rgba(50,50,50,0.3);	
}
 
ul li:nth-child(even) {
	background: rgba(50,50,50,0.3);
}
 
ul li:nth-child(even):hover {
	background: rgba(50,50,50,0.5);
}

We choose every second li element, and add a background to it. In this case, we choose a dark gray, and set the opacity to 0.1 (RGBA is new in CSS3), so we can see the background through the li elements. We do exactly the same for our even elements, with the opacity set to 0.3. This is just basic zebra striping. You can add several selectors to an element, so we also add a hover background color a little darker than the original element.

Next, we target 3n+1—that is, every third element, starting with the first.

ul li:nth-child(3n+1) {
	-webkit-transform:rotate(-0.6deg);
	-moz-transform:rotate(-0.6deg);
	transform:rotate(-0.6deg);
}

We rotate the list element by -0.6 degrees. We do the same thing for both 3n+2 (every third element, starting with the second) and 3n+3 (you get the idea). By rotating every third element, and doing zebra striping with every second element, the list seems sort of random, which, I think, is a really cool effect.

If you use Safari, Firefox or Chrome, this is what you should have:

UPDATE: You can target Opera with the following (thanks to ToMzorz):

1	-o-transform:rotate(-0.6deg);

You can also check out the demo again, or download the source code.

Thanks for reading.

How to Use Directions with Google Maps API V3

Peter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:20:59 +0000

Google Maps are more fun when you can get directions. And now you can! The recent release of the Google Maps API adds two new classes in order to enable directions. In this article I will show you how to add an input field in an infobox and use that to render a route.

But before that, here’s how it looks when it is done:

Please upgrade your browser

Because of the size at the page here the infobox gets a scroll bar, but just ensure to make your map large enough, then it will not happen.

What's New?

Since my last article a couple of new features have been added to the API, as you can also read about in the changelog. The most important, in my opinion, is of course the support of directions, and that's the only function I will discuss here. Worthy to note, though — you do not have to use an API code anymore.

The support for directions is possible via two new classes, DirectionsRenderer and DirectionsService. DirectionsRenderer… Well… Renders the directions, and DirectionsService computes the actual directions. But the big question is — how do we use them?

Corrections

Before we rush into the new code, we should make some corrections in our excisting code. If you haven't read my article Adding Custom Google Maps to Your Website, do yourself a favor and do so before continuing on this one.

Next, look in your code where you define your markers and ensure that your values follow these rules:

var companyImage = new google.maps.MarkerImage(’images/logo.png’,
new google.maps.Size(100,50), // (width, height)
 new google.maps.Point(0,0),
 new google.maps.Point(50,50) // (width/2, height) );
var companyShadow = new google.maps.MarkerImage(’images/logo_shadow.png’,
 new google.maps.Size(130,50), // (width, height) 
new google.maps.Point(0,0), 
new google.maps.Point(65,50) // (width/2, height) );

Dividing the image's width by 2 ensures that it's the bottom center point of the image that'll be used for the marker. Thanks to JM for this solution.

The Directions

So, first we have to call the DirectionsService constructor. Before your initialize(), create a new variable:

1	var directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();

Next, we have to create the renderer. Right before the variable you just created, define a new variable directionDisplay. This variable is going to contain the renderer.

1	var directionDisplay;

In your initialize() function, right after the latLng variable, set the directionDisplay variable to this:

1	directionsDisplay = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer();

Further down in your code, find the map variable (right after the settings variable. Write this:

1	directionsDisplay.setMap(map);

This renders the marker on the specified map, which in this case is map. Next, let's define what we want to write in our infobox by expanding the contentString variable:

	var contentString = ''+
	''+
	'
'+
	'Høgenhaug
'+
	''+
	'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
'+
	'Find your way here from:
'+
	''+
	''+
	''
+
	'
'+
	'
';

Let's look a bit into the form used to ask the user for an address:

1
2
3

	''+
	''+
	''
+

First, we write "index.html" in our action attribute. This path should be to the file where your map is placed. In onsubmit we call the function calcRoute() (which we will define later), and next we write return false to prevent the site from reloading when the user submits the form. The next two lines should be pretty self-explainable. If you want the user to be able to enter both addresses, you can just add an extra input field called end. The value of the start field can be empty or you can write a pre-defined address.

Calculating the Route

At the very end of the initialize() function, write the following:

In the form we called the function calcRoute(). That's the one we are defining here. The first thing to do is define the two variables start and end. If you inserted an extra input field before write document.getElementById("end").value; in end instead of the coordinates.
Next, define the variable request. The attributes of this one are fairly logical, but let's explain them just in case. We define the origin of the route to our variable start, and the destination to end. Also, we define a travelmode —. This can be either DRIVING or WALKING.
Lastly, insert this code:
1
2
3
4
5
directionsService.route(request, function(response, status) {
	if (status == google.maps.DirectionsStatus.OK) {
		directionsDisplay.setDirections(response);
	}
});
This issues the actual search request, and completes the initialize() function.
Conclusion
With very little effort you can show your visitor how to get to your address directly from your website, instead of sending them to Google Maps or some other place. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial — please let me know if you have questions or suggestions. You are of course free to download the source files.
While you are here, why don't you follow me on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed?
Related posts:
Adding Custom Google Maps to Your Website
Enhancing Your Site with WebKit
No More Invalid RSS

Adding Custom Google Maps to Your Website

Peter — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:56:47 +0000

Maps are often placed on a company website to help customers find their way there. For that, Google Maps is excellent. But wouldn’t it be nice to add your company logo, parking lots, train stations, etc. to the map, to help the customer even more? It is very simple, and in this article I am going to show you how.

Before we start, check out what we are going to create:

Please upgrade your browser

Now, here is an overview:

Overview

Google Maps API
Getting the Coordinates
Adding the Map to Your Website
Adding Markers
Customizing the Markers
Adding Infoboxes
Download

Google Maps API

The Google Maps API allows you to embed maps directly into your website. All it takes is a little JavaScript, and for beautifying—a little CSS. Version 3 of the Google Maps API has just been released, and of course, that is what we will be using here. You can read the entire documentation over at Google Labs, and while you are there, be sure to get an API key.

Getting the Coordinates

As I do not expect you to know the precise coordinates of your location, I will explain a very quick way Google has provided to do this. When you know the exact address, you can put it in an URL of this form:

http://maps.google.com/maps/geo?q=1+Infinite Liip,+Cupertino,+CA+95014,+USA&output=csv&oe=utf8&sensor=false&key=your_google_maps_api_key

When you enter this in your address bar, you will see this:

The coordinates of Apple's head quarter in Cupertino

The first number is the status code, and 200 means that everything is okay. The second number shows how accurate the address is—in this case the number is 8, which is good. The last two numbers are latitudes and longitudes, which are the numbers we need.

Adding the Map to Your Website

There’s no need to hesitate – let’s add that map to your website! Open your favorite HTML editor and create a standard HTML file with UTF-8 encoding. First of all, we have to create the viewport and tell our HTML file to get the JavaScript file from Google Code. Add these lines between and :

1 2	<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/api/js?sensor=false"></script>

After the URL, you will notice sensor=false. As we do not use any sensor, such as a GPS, to locate the location, this is set to false.

Just below what we have just inserted, write the following:

<script type="text/javascript">
	function initialize() {
		var latlng = new google.maps.LatLng(57.0442, 9.9116);
		var settings = {
			zoom: 15,
			center: latlng,
			mapTypeControl: true,
			mapTypeControlOptions: {style: google.maps.MapTypeControlStyle.DROPDOWN_MENU},
			navigationControl: true,
			navigationControlOptions: {style: google.maps.NavigationControlStyle.SMALL},
			mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP
    };

Let’s split this up to ensure that we understand it fully. In line 2 we create the function initialize(). Inside this function we are going to define the basic settings of the map. In line 3 we create a new variable, latlng. latlng stands for latitudes and longitudes. The variable contains the coordinates we’re going to use as the center of our map.
After that, we create the variable settings. You have a lot of options here.

zoom specifies—you guessed it—how far the map will be zoomed in. Play around with the number to get it to fit your location.

center specifies our center. By writing latlng, we refer to the variable we created earlier, and the coordinate inside that will be used.

The last code changes the layout of the map to a bit more minimalistic look in my opinion. The controls in the upper right corner (Map, Satellite, Terrain) are changed to a drop down menu, and the scaling/navigation controls in the left size are changed to small controls.

mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP defines that our map should be of the type ROADMAP – you can change this to either SATELLITE, HYBRID or TERRAIN.

Below the previous code, write this:

1	var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map_canvas"), settings);

This code creates the variable map, and defines that the map should use the settings we just created.

Write

1 2	} </script>

to end the function, and move to , and write this:

1
2
3

<body onload="initialize()">
  <div id="map_canvas" style="width:800px; height:500px"></div>
</body>

By doing this we are telling our site to execute the initialize() function when the site is loaded, and insert a

with the size we want our map to be.

Try to view your site now. Cool, isn’t it?

Adding Markers

Now we have to add some markers. Let’s start by creating a standard marker—we’ll customize it in a moment.

Right below

1	var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map_canvas"), settings);

insert the following code:

  var companyPos = new google.maps.LatLng(57.0442, 9.9116);
  var companyMarker = new google.maps.Marker({
      position: companyPos,
      map: map,
      title:"Some title"
  });

Try to update your page, and watch the magic. So, what have we done?

First, we create the variable companyPos, where we specify the position of the marker. Next, we create the marker itself using the variable companyMarker. You can add more settings than these, but we will get to that later. These settings are fairly logical, so I won’t go into more depth with them.

Customizing the Markers

Even though this could be enough to show your customer how to find you, we can still make it a lot nicer. Create an image in Photoshop with the size 100×50 pixels, and create something similar to this:

Create your logo

Next, create a shadow for your image:

The logo shadow

To add these images as a marker instead of the standard marker, change the marker code to this:

var companyLogo = new google.maps.MarkerImage('images/logo.png',
	new google.maps.Size(100,50),
	new google.maps.Point(0,0),
	new google.maps.Point(50,50)
);
var companyShadow = new google.maps.MarkerImage('images/logo_shadow.png',
	new google.maps.Size(130,50),
	new google.maps.Point(0,0),
	new google.maps.Point(65, 50)
);
var companyPos = new google.maps.LatLng(57.0442, 9.9116);
var companyMarker = new google.maps.Marker({
	position: companyPos,
	map: map,
	icon: companyLogo,
	shadow: companyShadow,
	title:"Company Title"
});

What we have done here is also really simple. The variable companyImage points to the name of the logo image. Then it defines the size of the image, the origin of the image, and the tip of the image (where the image will be attached to the coordinate). Next, we do the exact same thing for the shadow in the variable companyShadow. In our companyMarker variable we add icon and shadow, and that is basically it.

Now, if you refresh your site, you will se that the marker has changed into your own logo with an added shadow to it as well. To add more markers, you just follow the same method (remember to change the names of the variables).

If you have two markers very close to each other, you might want to add some z-index. The marker with the highest z-index, is the one on top:

Adding zIndex allows you to choose which marker should be on top

var companyMarker = new google.maps.Marker({
	position: companyPos,
	map: map,
	icon: companyImage,
	shadow: companyShadow,
	title:"Høgenhaug",
	zIndex: 4
});

Adding Infoboxes

To add a description of your company when the visitor clicks on the logo we can add a infobox. With the Google Maps API it’s peace of cake.

Clicking your company logo will bring up an infobox

Paste this code right after you define the map variable:

var contentString = ''+
    ''+
    '
'+
    'Høgenhaug
'+
    ''+
    'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
'+
    '
'+
    '
';
 
var infowindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow({
    content: contentString
});

The code here is fairly straight-forward, and you are of course not limited to headlines and paragraphs – there is room for images as well. To make the infobox appear when your logo is clicked, simply add this code right before the last } in the initialize() function:

1
2
3

google.maps.event.addListener(companyMarker, 'click', function() {
  infowindow.open(map,companyMarker);
});

To make the infobox just a little more pretty, add some styles in your stylesheet file:

body {
	font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
	font-size:10pt;
}

And there you have it. One piece of fine-looking Google Map to include on your company website, your travel blog, etc.

Download

If you’d like to download the sample files, you can get ‘em right here. Be sure to leave a comment!

Enhancing Your Site with WebKit

Peter — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:36 +0000

WebKit is an open source browser engine. Apple uses WebKit in Safari, Mail, and other applications. Google’s Chrome browser, along with the S60 browser and the iPhone browser, is also built on WebKit. Some of the cool features of WebKit is transitions and transforms. With purely CSS you can create stunning animations. Your site will still work in other browsers, but the users with WebKit browsers will just get a slightly better experience.

Take for example Elliot Jay Stocks’ new website, elliotjaystocks.com. It is in it self a very beautiful website, but if you open it in e.g. Safari 4, it’s even more beutiful. When you hover your mouse over the images, the border will slowly fade into a lighter color. In non-WebKit browsers, it’ll just be a very sudden transition. This done solely by CSS.

Elliot Jay Stocks' new website

Another example is Atebits’ website. Atebits is the company behind the Twitter app Tweetie. Let’s have a look at their front page:

Atebits' website

That’s just beautiful, huh? Well, let’s dive into how we easily can add similar function to our own site.

The first property we have to learn is -webkit-transition. The -webkit-transition property is a shortcode for the three properties -webkit-transition-property, -webkit-transition-duration and -webkit-transition-timing-function.

We’ll probably learn this the best by having a look at an example, so here goes: We want to create a div that, when hovered, fades into another color. Here’s the code:

div {
  -webkit-transition: background-color, color 0.4s linear;
  background-color: #777777;
}
 
div:hover {
  background-color:#999999;
}

And here’s the example:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

This wasn’t so hard, was it? Now let’s move on to using the -webkit-transform property. It allows you to scale, rotate, translate, and skew the object. It even allows you to use matrices for advanced transformations. Let’s try to rotate and skew the div from before:

div {
  -webkit-transition: all 0.4s linear;
  background-color: #777777;
}
 
div:hover {
  -webkit-transform: scale(1.3) skew(3deg);
  background-color:#999999;
}

This is just a little glimpse into what you can do with WebKit. Hopefully, you’ll find it useful.

i55iqj8amt

Lights and Shadows in Photoshop

Andreas — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:53:43 +0000

This tutorial is not too advanced but mostly to help to understand the power of shadow and light in short terms! There’s no “boring” text here. So if you are not used to Photoshop, do yourself a favor and read it all before continuing to the next step! You might learn something!

The thing about a good picture is to give it a feel of depth. You need not to give the receiver any reason to speculate whether a shadow is placed weird or a light source is coming in at a wrong angle. Often I can even find shadows and light sources in non edited pictures that look unreal. That is mostly in very poorly illuminated pictures.

In this picture you have an idea of where the light source comes from. Still it could handle a bit more tension and depth!

The initial picture

To bring the picture to life, we will add some depth and sharpness. Too much editing can destroy a picture as well, so be careful not to gaze too long at your editing. Your effects and layers could end indifferent to others!

Let’s see if we can end here:

The final picture

The retouching gives the receiver no reason to doubt as to where the light source is coming from.

Let’s get to it!

And don’t worry about naming the layers. We’ll not end up with more than 5 or 6 of them. I’m usually really sloppy when it comes to naming layers. It’s the last thing I do so that I can jump right into it if need be later on.

Step 1

Open your picture.

Open your picture in Photoshop

Step 2

Take your clone stamp tool (hotkey s). Now hold down the alt key and choose a suiteable area of skin you want to clone from. Run the mouse over the part you want to edit and click. We don’t ”clean” up the impurities in the skin because they’re ”unnatural”, but because they will end up standing out too much at the final outcome if we don’t.

Use the clone tool to remove impurities

Step 3

Now take your dodge tool (hotkey o, the black lollipop) and remember to set your range to midttones and your opacity to somewhat in the 60’s (in this example). Gently affect the eyes where the light would hit them. Most often in the lower part or the whole eye. Remember not too much, even if it looks cool. We want it to look natural!

Use the dodge tool to simulate light

Step 4

Press the New ajustment layer button or go Layer » New Ajustment Layer » Curves . Now go 1/6’th up the curve and drag it down until the result is pleasing. Fill the layer with 60% black. Choose a brush with opacity of approximately 25% and a flow of about 60% and go easily around the dark areas with a reasonable large brush for the cheekbones and neck. Use a smaller brush for the lines at the eyes, the mouth, the nose etc.

Create a new adjustment layer

Step 5

Now repeat Step 4. But this time with lights instead of the shadows. That means make a new Curves layer, fill with 60% black, go 1/6’th down the curve from the top, and pull it up until the result is pleasing. For the brush part, just repeat step 4. If you need more effect with the brush choose a higher opacity setting.

Create another adjustment layer

Step 6

Now the more fun part. The ”effect”. Go Layer » New Ajustment Layer » Gradient Map. Select Dither and make sure you set the Layer setting to overlay and approximately 35-50% opacity, but again, that depends what picture you are working on, how dark the colors are, how big the picture is, etc. Play around with the gradient a little to find out which one matches your picture the best. (Look at the eyes popping out now. If you brought them out too much at the beginning they would look surreal by now, and we don’t want that.)

Let's start making the actual effect

Step 7

Select the all layers (except you source picture) and group them Cmd+G (Ctrl+G on Windows). Right click and duplicate group. Next you need to merge the new group, so go Cmd+E (Ctrl+E on Windows).

Now go Filter » Other » High Pass and set it to about 4 and a layer setting of overlay. Again, that setting depends on the size, content, quality etc. of the picture. This High Pass filter is to sharpen up the image. This will do a lot to the eyes for example, but you can see for yourself.

Step 8

With the High Pass layer now selected I would, no matter what picture you are retouching, go Layer » Layer Mask » Reveal All. Get the Brush tool with 60% opacity and 60% black and go over the largest areas. In my picture it would be the cheek, grass and the shirt. Go over the things that should not be striking to the eye at first when looking at the picture.

Step 9

Clean it up, maybe add some more light or shadow if your image can handle it.

That’s it

The final picture

Hope you learned something! Take care!

No related posts.

Changing the Size of the Avatar in WordPress 2.7

Peter — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:45:03 +0000

The default size of an avatar is 32x32px, which I think is a bit small. Therefore, I’d like to change it to 60x60px instead. But back in the good ol’ 2.6 days, and of course also earlier, changing the size of an avatar (the little picture shown e.g. in comments) was a pain. Now, with WordPress 2.7 it’s easier than ever!

And while we’re at it, remember to get yourself a gravatar.

In your theme, open the comments.php and look for the following code:

 wp_list_comments(); ?>

This simple line of code has a massive amount of options available. If you want to learn more about them, head over to the WordPress Codex pages and check them out. For now, we’ll just concentrate on changing the size of the avatar.

The way we can do this, is simply by adding some text inside the function, like this:

 wp_list_comments('avatar_size=60'); ?>

After that… No, actually there is no after that! By doing this, the avatar’s size will be changed to 60px.

No More Invalid RSS

Peter — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:27:37 +0000

When I made this site, I spend hours figuring out why my feed wasn’t working. There are several examples in the WordPress Support Forums telling, that feeds aren’t working because of a blank line in the beginning of the feed before the XML declaration. Some feedreaders have no problem with this, but Feedburner does. And Feedburner is very important.

Well, let’s get to it! The fix was found at Wejn.org and is very simple to use. First of all, you need to download the script file, called wejnswpwhitespacefix.php and upload it to your blog’s root (in the same folder as index.php. Then, get your index.php file. It usually looks something like this:


define('WP_USE_THEMES', true);
 
/** Loads the WordPress Environment and Template */
require('./site/wp-blog-header.php');
?>

Now, right before define('WP_USE_THEMES', true);, add include("wejnswpwhitespacefix.php");.

This will call the script, which removes every character that isn’t text before the XML declaration in the RSS files, and before the DOCTYPE declaration in the theme files.

Installing Concrete5 locally on Mac OS X

Peter — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:57:52 +0000

If you don’t have your own webserver, or if you don’t want to waste your traffic on uploading your files everytime you make a small edit, you should consider running it all locally, and then when you’re done uploading it to your server.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of WordPress, and I have been using it for ages. But for some clients, WordPress is overkill. There’s a lot of Content Management Systems out there, and a lot of them suck, lack features, or have too many features. But then I found Concrete5, which is absolutely amazing.

But enough about that (go to Concrete5′s website to read more). Today we’ll be installing Concrete5 locally. Although this tutorial is about installing Concrete5, you can use the same methods to install e.g. WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, or even your own content management system.

The methods used here can also be used for installing Concrete5 locally on Windows and Linux. Instead of MAMP, you have to use WAMP (Windows) or LAMP (Linux).

Overview

MAMP (Macintosh, Apache, MySQL and PHP) is a piece of software developed by living-e AG, which makes using PHP and MySQL locally a lot easier. First of all, let’s start by having an overview of what we’ll be learning today:

Downloading and installing MAMP
Downloading and installing Concrete5
Conclusion

And no, there’s not more to it – so let’s get rollin’!

Downloading and installing MAMP

Download MAMP (130 MB) and drag the MAMP folder into your Applications folder. Opening MAMP will also launch your default browser with a welcome page. We’ll return to that in a moment. First, let’s have a look at the application. If everything is working, you should see to green ‘lamps’ – one for Apache Server and one for MySQL server. Click on ‘Preferences…’ and go to the ‘Apache’ tab. You’ll see this:

Choose the path where you keep all your websites and hit ‘OK’. There’s no reason to mess with MAMP’s default settings unless you e.g. use the default ports for something else, so we’ll close the ‘Preferences’ window.

Go to your browser, which should have opened the welcome page. We’ll keep that page open.

Downloading and installing Concrete5

If you haven’t heard of Concrete5, now’s the time. It’s a wonderful CMS released under the MIT license, which means you can “[...] call it ‘Cement’ and sell it for a million bucks [...]“. So, go to Concrete5.org and download your copy. You can also play with the demo or watch the screencast.

Extract Concrete5 to the folder you specified in MAMP’s preferences. Now, go back to MAMP’s welcome page and click on phpMyAdmin. Create a new database – let’s call it concrete.

So, our database is setup, now we need to setup Concrete5. I put my Concrete5 files in a folder called ‘concrete’ in the folder specified in MAMP earlier. Go to MAMP’s welcome page again, and notice the following information:

Go to the local folder where you stored concrete, and press Command + I. You have to change Sharing & Permissions for Everyone to Read & Write:

Now go to http://localhost:8888/concrete/, or whatever you named your folder (if you chose another port in MAMP’s preferences, also change 8888 to that). You’ll see this site:

Now, paste the information from the welcome page under ‘Database’ information, and give your database a name, e.g. ‘concrete’, and hit ‘Install Concrete’. You should now be given a login name and a password. Remember this, and change it as soon as you have logged in.

Conclusion

That’s it! You have installed Concrete5 locally on Mac OS X. If you want to install other stuff, just put it in the folder specified in MAMP and go to http://localhost:8888/that_folders_name/.

Have I forgotten something? Please leave a comment!

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