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Bash em Down - part 3

In our last session we expanded our backup script to be a little more robust (with dated backups), yet be kinder to our bandwidth (via rsync). This time around, let's take a look at how we can make managing that script easier on us. We'll do this with the introduction of variables.

Bash em Down - part 2

In our first instalment on bash scripting, we created a simple script to copy the home directory to another location. Let's expand on this and explore some other options. Specifically, let's see how we can use the rsync and date commands to improve our backup script.

Kubuntu and Kdevelop

What a weird week. I won't bore you with the details, but it's strange that I'm seeing more and more (paying) work come my way, and I'm not even looking for it. I won't turn it down though either...

Bash em down!

System Administrators have many monotonous tasks. In a some cases, it's just a matter of clicking the right thing at the right time. Some of this can be automated via a series of shell instructions - or Shell Scripting. So, we begin the first of many posts on shell scripting - specifically the Bash shell.

Dump it!

Cold Fusion has a great tool called CFDUMP, that can be used to dump out the values of any object. This is a great thing for debugging. PHP has something similar in the "print_r();" function. JavaScript doesn't have anything like this. So, I have created a routine to do something similar, and I'm posting it here for you to use as you see fit in the hopes that it will help someone.

Starting a project

I teach some continuing education classes at the local University, and do presentations occasionally. These activities put me in touch with a number of people who are just getting started with programming. So, I get to hear all the usual questions one would expect. The three I hear most often are

  • How did you do that?
  • Can you help me find this bug?
  • How do I start this project?

The AJAX plunge

So, I've taken the plunge and have implemented an AJAX solution. I got my code working just fine, but then ran into a problem I can't seem to find a solution for. I was testing in FireFox so that I could use the javascript console (type "javascript:" into the address bar - in case you didn't know). But once I opened the page in IE, the page breaks. The issue at hand is that IE is not populating the .responseXML property, which breaks all the XML processing code I had implemented. And this appears to be a known problem with few work arounds... sighs.

Editing the Code

If you are coming from the Windows world, you're likely looking for a good Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Linux offers a few. I would likely recommend either Eclipse, or Kdevelop. The right choice is up to you, but depends on what kind of coding you are doing. For myself, I don't like the IDE approach for my work. Simply because most of the code I do at this time is web development, and for that I just need a good editor.

JavaScript & Complex Data - Objects

In my last post, we talked about how we could use a JavaScript array to represent complex data. but there's another option. And in my eyes, it's the better choice. Custom Objects.

JavaScript & Complex Data - Arrays

Often times, we need to store more than a simple value. For instance, we might need to store contact information about our friends. In this case a simple list just isn't up to the job. However, an array can still be used to store complex data. In fact there's a number of ways to do so...

Arrays are wonderful tools that allow us to do so much with them. But arrays are often the misunderstood child of JavaScript. So, let's spend some time talking about how arrays can be used. No, I don't mean that we can use them to store our grocery list, or form objects (though it does these tasks fantastically). I mean let's get fancy with them. Let's talk about multi-dimensional arrays, or associative arrays, or creative ways to use an array.

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