Using VBA And The File System Object To Search A Text File

The use of text files is often overlooked when it comes to developing an Excel application. If you've got additional data you need to reference, you might not want to keep the information in the current workbook and directly accessing a file is efficient and easily coded.

This article will explain how to use the File System Object(FSO) to open a file and search its contents.

Using The FSO

Before you can access any files, you need to add a reference to the Microsoft Scripting Runtime library. You can select the library from a list of references under the tools tab in the code window.

We'll use as an example a document which contains an organization phone list and the obective of the code is to find the extension number of "Jonas Franco".

Peter James,5956

Jonas Franco,4567

Melissa Ramirez,9897

To create a FSO requires just 2 lines of code:

Dim fso As Scripting.FileSystemObject

set fso = New Scripting.FileSystemObject

With access to the file system enabled, the code can now open the file.

Dim myFile

Dim filePath As String

filePath = ActiveWorkbook.path & "\files\code.txt"
Set myFile = fso.openTextFile(filePath)

Now the code can search and show the phone number of "Jonas Franco".

myName = "Jonas Franco"

Do Until myFile.AtEndOfStream

txt = myFile.ReadLine

If InStr(txt, myName) > 0 Then

msgbox split(txt,",")(1)

Exit Do
End If
Loop

The code reads each line until it finds the name and displays the phone number in a message box. At glance, it may not be obvious how the code moves from line to line; this is achieved with the ReadLine which moves to the next line each time it is encountered.

This solution might be implemented where the data you are accessing doesn't need to be incorporated into the Excel workbook, or is being constantly updated in a text file. As long as the data is structured in a consistent format, then the information can be extracted with minimum coding.

One opportunity for developing the code might be to use a series of text files as a code library. You could structure the text file so that it could be searched for key words or procedure names, without any knowledge of advanced programming like XML, XLS or Regular Expressions.

Summary

This article has demonstrated how to open a text file and search for a specific text string within the file. Although most problems in Excel are solved by importing data into a workbook, sometimes it's easier to work directly with a text file and this code snippet shows the versatility of VBA in a business environment.

How To Create Your Own VBA Code Library In Excel

Once you've begin developing VBA applications in Excel it's worthwhile creating your own code library. Reusing procedures and functions makes sense when a little fine tuning is all you need to make the code work for a current project.

There are several ways to save and organize your own code, and this article will explain how you can save and import code into a VBA module when needed.

Developing The Code Library

Sorting a column using Excel's sort function might be a typical code snippet you'd like to save. Here's the code:

Sub sort()

Dim rng As Range

Set rng = Range("a1").CurrentRegion

rng.Sort Key1:=Range("a1"), Order1:=xlAscending, Header:=xlYes

end sub

The question is where should you save the code so you can readily access it? One option is to save the code into a text file and then use VBA to read the contents of the file into a code module.

For this example, we've saved the code in a file called "sort.txt" in a folder called "library" under the current workbook folder.

First, we'll define the file and path where the code is stored.

path = ActiveWorkbook.path & "\library\"

myFile = path & "sort.txt"

We're going to import the file contents into a module called "Library". This is simply a module to hold any code you import before deciding how to use it.

First, we'll delete any previous use of the "Library" module. We've turned off the display alerts option to save time because we definitely want to delete the module.

Application.DisplayAlerts = False

For Each a In Modules

If a.Name = "Library" Then

a.Delete

Exit For

End If Next

Now we can create the module "library" and import the contents of the file.

Set m = Application.Modules.Add

m.Name = "Library"

m.InsertFile myFile

It will depend on your own situation as to how best to set up the code library. Here are some ideas:

    Have an index file which allows you to easily search for key words
    Add code to the library module rather than start from scratch each time
    Have some standard procedures in a separate file which you can use without modification.

Summary

In just a few lines of code, this article has shown how you can use previously written code for future reference when required. It makes sense to save your previous work and VBA makes it easy to retrieve and search for your own code snippets.

Prefer Moodle Development to Develop Excellent E-Learning Apps

MOODLE stands for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It is commonly known as free-source E-learning application. MOODLE is also recognized as Course Management System (CMS), Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and Learning Management System (LMS). It can be termed as education software on which you can easily expand educational application with ease. MOODLE development is serving more than 57 million users through around 72K registered sites, which are developed on it. This factor assures that MOODLE is quite popular among the people and especially among the students.

Basic Features

MOODLE offers varied features for the development of e-learning application. Some of the core features are as follows:

    Compiling Assignments
    Online Calendar Chart
    Grading
    Files or Documents Downloads
    Quick Messages
    Online Questions and Quiz
    And Various Others

Moodle is very flexible from the developers' point of view as they can manipulate the software according to their wish to generate better applications. Moodle also allows the programmers to create plugins for supportive functionality. It is noticeable that Infrastructure of Moodle permits following plug-ins:

    Graphics Based Themes
    Resource Types
    Authorization Methods
    Enrollment Procedures
    Data Sector Types
    Content sort outs
    And Other Additional

Developer can generate new modules for Moodle using PHP language. The open-source nature of the Moodle gave an opportunity to the programmers to develop the software and they came with the positive results. The whole credit for moodle development goes to the enthusiastic and expert developers.

When moodle appeared for the first time in the technology market, it was packed with few complex features that were hurdles in path of its development. In course of time, moodle came with new and better version that raised its standard as well as offered developers a great platform to create e-learning application without worrying about the quality measures. It is noticeable that you can even install moodle in the variety of operating systems, including- Linux, MAC OS X, Windows, Net-ware and UNIX without modifying its original version.

All the expansion factors of Moodle, including - up gradation, bugs and latest features are maintained in the Moodle tracker. You also have right to view the work that others are doing and are permitted to participate in the conversation. If you are looking ahead to search any specific issue, initially, you have to search it in tracker.

The core expansion of the moodle is handled by its main team, which is assisted by the developers around the globe. You can also contribute in moodle development by generating modules or other features for it.

How To Position A User Form In Excel With VBA

The addition of a user form in an Excel worksheet can add a lot of functionality into your application. For example, you can use a form for data entry where you can programmatically check for errors and validation.

But sometimes the standard positioning is inconvenient and hides data in the sheet and you need to move the form before using it.

This article will explain how you can position the form using a few lines of VBA code.

Setting The User Form Start Up Position

First, you'll need to set the start up position to "manual" which you can do in the properties window of the form.

Before you activate the form, some calculations need to be performed to determine where you want the form to be displayed on the worksheet.

Our code will work out the width of a current region of data and position the form to the right of the table and just below the top of the screen.

First, we'll select the region of data:

set r=activeCell.currentRegion

We can get the width of the data table but need to take into account the frame of the worksheet.

fromLeft = r.Width + Application.Width - ActiveWindow.UsableWidth

myForm.left = fromLeft +20

One issue is that the calculation positions the form exactly on the edge of the table and you might need to move it slightly, depending on your preference. We've added 20 to the left position for some comfort.

We'll position the form slightly below the top of the screen so that it's away from any of the toolbars you might need to use.

fromTop = Application.Height - ActiveWindow.UsableHeight

myForm.top = fromTop

One issue might be that as you add data to the worksheet, the form might get in the way again. To solve this problem, you could add a refresh button which would reposition the form based on the code above whenever you required it.

Determining the position of a form in an Excel worksheet can be a challenging problem. A complete solution involves taking into account the existence of toobars which affect the height calculation but sometimes it can be just as effective to work out a practical solution for your situation.

Summary
With just a few lines of VBA code, we've been able to reposition a form to make it easier to use. As you increase your library of code snippets, you'll discover there's many ways you can use VBA to make your use of Excel more efficient and productive.

Looking to Hire WordPress Developer? - Read This

Rise of WordPress is simply phenomenal. According to the studies, more than 22 percent of new websites are based on WordPress. Plugging, themes, widgets provides some great features and tools and you can alter the design and functionality as per your needs. Above all, it is open source nature has contributed to a dedicated and loyal community of users.

Plug-ins and widgets adds certain amount of customizations to WordPress website; however, if you are looking for one just according to your requirements, you need customization done at a professional level and hiring a WordPress developer is the way to achieve the same without breaking the code.

While looking to hire WordPress developer there are few points your should keep in mind

· Cost: WordPress is super intuitive and easy to learn. Many basic customizations could be easily achieved. You will get WordPress developers with varied skill sets. Most of them are amateurs who could achieve certain level of customizations with their limited set of knowledge.

However, other developers are extremely professional and experienced. They are the ones who could achieve any level of customizations and that too in short period. Of course, there would be difference in the rate they offer. It depends solely on the level of customization required by you. While the amateurs would cost your less, they would limit your ability to achieve the expected. Professional would cost little more, but will open a new horizon and degree of customization for your website and are the perfect WordPress developers for hire.

· Experience: Amateurs or professionals, experience is very important. Whatever service they are offering, it is very important to see carefully if they are experienced in it or not. Check their profile, their portfolio. If possible, have a discussion with their previous employer. A positive word of mouth is always better to add more credibility. You would not like a broken service or a service provider, who give up in between.

· Knowledge of XML, JavaScript and SQL: Maintenance and basic customization of WordPress website is a gentle wind through the CMS panel. However, adding custom functionalities to your website requires a developer having knowledge of JavaScript, XML and SQL. Then only, you could demand a complete control over user interactivity and experience.

· Developers should provide themes: The themes should be W3C compliant. This is one of the most important criteria. If they could not develop W3C compliant theme then it is best not to hire them. Though there are several professional themes available either free or paid; however, at the end of the day, having complete control over user experience require custom theme for your website and it is the job of the WordPress developer hired by you.

Exporting Excel Data Into A Word Document Using VBA

If you've been working with Excel for a while, sooner or later you'll need to export data into a Word document for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you need to use the data as part of a mail-merge or Word is the preferred application in your workplace.

Instead of using copy and paste, this short code snippet will show you how to export data directly into a Word document.

Opening The Word Application And Exporting The Data

First, you'll need to add the "Microsoft Word 10,0 Object Library" to your project which can be found under tools then references, in the code window.

You might have some simple sales information which looks like this in Excel:

Names Sales

Peter 100

John 120

Mary 130

Maria 102

Jacques 122

Henri 98

Mary 85

We'll write some VBA code which will copy the data, and include the current date in a new Word document.

First, we'll select the data from the Excel worksheet:

Dim r As Range

Set r = ActiveCell.CurrentRegion

r.Copy

Next we'll create the word document and specify the path of the new file.


myFolder = ActiveWorkbook.Path

Dim myWord As New Word.Application

Set myWord = CreateObject("Word.Application")

myWord.Visible = True

myWord.Documents.Add

Now we can copy and paste the Excel data into the new Word file, placing the current date at the top of the file.

With myWord.Selection

.Font.Bold = True

.TypeText "Report for " & FormatDateTime(Now(), vbLongDate)

.TypeParagraph

.TypeText vbNewLine

.PasteSpecial

End With

Application.CutCopyMode = False

Finally, using a decision box the file can be saved and closed.

t = myWord.WordBasic.MsgBox("Save and close Word", vbYesNo)

If t = -1 Then

myWord.ActiveDocument.SaveAs fileName:=myFolder & "\test.doc"

myWord.Quit

End If

Set myWord = Nothing

This produces the following text in the Word document:

Report for Thursday, 8 November 2012

Names Sales
Peter 100
John 120
Mary 130
Maria 102
Jacques 122
Henri 98
Mary 85

If you're creating a fully automated process, you can hide the Word application and close the document once the code has finished without any user interaction.

You can also format the document on the fly. For example, to print the title in italics just add the following code before the type text command.

.Font.Italic = True

You can process other tasks such as sorting the table or filtering the data, directly in Excel or using VBA before exporting the information into Word.

Summary

Using VBA in Excel to interact with other applications is a definite plus in any developer's library. If part of your job involves producing regular data orientated reports, then automating Word from Excel should be an essential part of your skill set.

How To Filter An Excel Table On Multiple Columns Using VBA

Filtering information out of a larger data set is standard Excel functionality but sometimes it's necessary to fine tune the filtering to get the information you need.

For example, you might have a list of customers prioritized as A,B or C. Additionally, you could have them listed by region. Something like this.

Customer, Category, Country

ABC Limited, A, USA

ZYZ Trading, B, UK

IJK Co.,A, Australia

You can use the filtering tool to select, for example all the A category customers or those residing in the UK or Australia. But you might want to select all customers that are rated A OR live in the USA.

An Excel Solution To Filtering Multiple Columns

One solution is to create an additional column holding a formula to identify customers matching the criteria. The formula might be similar to this one:

=IF(OR(b2="A",c2="USA"),1,0)

The new column can then be filtered to extract the data required.

A VBA Alternative To Multiple Column Filters

If the thought of multi-bracketed formulas doesn't inspire you, a few lines of VBA code might do the job just as well. We'll create some code which will select customers that are rated "A" OR live in the USA.

First, select the first column and create a string to hold the search criteria.

Set r = ActiveCell.CurrentRegion.Columns(2)

searchStr = ",USA,A"

It's good practice when using a string for searching to enclose each item in a delimiter. For example ",UK," and not "UK". Otherwise, a search for "England" might return matches for "New England"

Now we can loop through each row to see if there is a match on either of our parameters.

For x = 2 To r.Rows.Count

item1 = "," & r.Rows(x) & ","

item2 = "," & r.Rows(x).Offset(0, 1) & ","

If there isn't a match on the row, then we hide the entry.

If InStr(searchStr, item1) = 0 And InStr(searchStr, item2) = 0 Then

r.Rows(x).EntireRow.Hidden = True
End If

To "unhide" the rows, we'll use a decision box and reverse the hide command.

unhide = MsgBox("Show hidden rows?", vbYesNo)

If unhide = 6 Then
For x = 2 To r.Rows.Count
r.Rows(x).EntireRow.Hidden = False
Next
End If

With some development the code would work equally as well with more columns, or you could use VBA to code a formula to match the criteria and then filter the new column.

Summary

This small code snippet uses standard programming techniques to filter a table by applying criteria across multiple columns. It's another example of how a little knowledge of VBA and Excel can improve your productivity many times over.

How To Sort An Excel List Conditionally Using VBA Code

It's easy enough to sort a list using Excel's standard sorting tools or applying a function directly in VBA code. But it's a little more challenging to sort a list where you need to apply your own criteria.

An Example Of Conditional Sorting

A typical scenario might be to sort alphabetically the following list of countries, but always have the big regions like the USA, UK and Japan at the top of the list.



Country

New Zealand

Australia

USA

Mexico

Belgium

UK

Japan

We'll create a new list using some simple VBA code which you'll be able to adapt to meet your own needs.

Organizing The Code

One solution to this problem is to reorganize the list so the top countries are at the top and then sort the two areas of the list separately.

First, we'll define the names and number of countries we want to appear at the top of the list.


topItems = ",USA,UK,Japan,"

ctItems = UBound(Split(topItems, ",")) - 1

Next, we can select the list and set a counter for the number of "top" countries and "others".


Set rng = ActiveCell.CurrentRegion

top = 1

others = 1

Now we're ready to separate out the list into the top countries and others which we'll do by moving each country into a new list alongside the old one. Don't forget we need to ignore the header row.


For x = 2 To rng.Rows.Count

If the current cell value is one of the top countries then we'll move the value to the top of a new list, and if not we'll move it to the bottom of the new list.


If InStr(topItems, "," & rng.Rows(x) & ",") Then

top = top + 1

Cells(top, 2) = rng.Rows(x)

Else

others = others + 1

Cells(others + ctItems, 2) = rng.Rows(x)

End If

Next

Our list is now reorganized in the following way, and we just need to sort the bottom part of the list in column 2.


USA

UK

Japan

New Zealand

Australia

Mexico

Belgium

The following code sorts the list below the top countries in column 2. Because we know how many top countries there are, the range begins two rows below that value - to take into account the header row.


Set rng = Range("b" & ctItems + 2 & ":" & ActiveCell.End(xlDown).Address)

rng.Sort Key1:=Range("b1"), order1:=xlAscending

The code produces a final result looking like this:


USA

UK

Japan

Australia

Belgium

Mexico

New Zealand

One area for development might be to arrange the top countries in a certain order. It would be easy enough to hard code a solution, but it is good practice to have a scalable solution; for example it might be a list of customers and you need to highlight your top 100 purchasers.

Summary
This short VBA code provides a solution to a problem not readily solvable by using the standard Excel tools. It's the type of scenario VBA developers often face and a good candidate for saving in a handy location for future reference.

Joomla Development - Vibrant Option for Web Expansion

Are you stressed about your website development? Yes then, you should switch to Joomla development to get easier, faster and reliable web and related applications expansion. You must be wondering that why just Joomla for entire website development? The answer is straight forward as well as quite simple and i.e. Joomla is an open-source content management system that consists of special abilities to offer offshore web and application development at affordable cost.

Core information about Joomla

PHP is base of Joomla programming language as it is written in the same language. The main and basic feature of Joomla customization is that it supports OOP (Object Oriented Programming). The superiority of the language can be derived from a record-breaking fact that it has been downloaded more than 30 million times till the date and these figures makes it second most famous CMS on the net. For better and comfortable access, the latest version of Joomla i.e. 3.0 was released just a month ago.

Joomla has number of extensions that carry out their separate functions for the betterment of website development. Some of the main extensions of Joomla are:

    Modules of Joomla
    Joomla Components
    Templates of Joomla
    Plugins
    Languages

You should also know that all these components are further divided into sub-divisions, for e.g. - let's have a look over the sub-categories of templates, which are as follows:

    Effects and Images
    Fonts
    Design
    Layout
    Color Schemes

What all Facilities Joomla ca offer you?

Joomla provide several numbers of services for the website and relevant apps development. Some of the important amenities that Joomla proposes are as under:

    Business web-apps development
    Community site development
    Social- Networking websites development
    E-Commerce web-applications development
    Job and Hiring Site Development
    And a range of other additional sites development

Joomla can be helpful for you only when you find a faultless Joomla developer that has core and wide knowledge regarding the same. It is absolutely a daunting task to hire Joomla developer from the bulk crowd of the Joomla programmers. A Joomla developer must be expert in Joomla theme designs and Joomla design integration because both these factors play a vital role in proper and ideal expansion of a website. In addition, you must also ensure that developer has resonance experience in the same field as well as superior grasp over the PHP language. Last yet primary thing, the Joomla developer or the Joomla development company must tender the services at affordable cost as well as on time.

How Long Does It Take To Learn Java Programming?

In Information Technology, people who are programmers should update themselves with the latest platforms, versions of several programming languages such as Java. IT is a field that continues to evolve, improve every now and then. Do you know that since it's first released, Java has a total of 7 versions already? Imagine the impact of the continuing release of versions to programmers. Say for instance, if you have learned Java programming in the late 90s chances as what you have studied will become obsolete or not applicable at present times. Why? The version that is widely use now is Java 7 which has currently had its update 9 released within this month.

Now you have an idea as to how important it is to learn Java, then you need to determine certain factors which will affect you. First is money. Do you have the money to pay off a one-on-one tutorial with a good programmer, view video tutorials online, or browse through e-books for further insights. Second is time. For having time as an issue, a hindrance it would always be like that.

If you are on a bit of a hurry to learn Java the quickest time possible, sorry to disappoint you but there is no such thing as a guarantee. Indeed, time will be your enemy especially if you are grabbing for a promotion or earn more in the world of IT development. To safely say, it may take a couple of months and even years for some to learn this programming language. But there are those who are gifted with a good memory and academic skills. Therefore, it is much easier for them to learn Java. It's more of less of an effort on their part. By simply reading a book, watching video tutorials, or listening to podcast all at once can do the trick for them. Good for those who can learn things fast.

What about those who are a bit slow and can not process information as fast as they want it to be? Fret no more! There will always be a way to do resolve such issue. This is where pacing comes into the picture. Take it slowly. Be sure that every bit of information is processed and absorbed. Once it's in, then apply it through doing the real thing. It is through application which a person's learning about a particular thing will be tested.

As with regard to the time frame of learning Java, it may take months or even a year. This would always depend upon the person. Not every person is alike. One may have only 2 months to learn everything and master it but another person may take a year to do so. You can never tell.

Best Way To Learn Java Programming

Java programming has been in the forefront in the world of Information Technology development. This can be better viewed within a company's IT development. Most often when it comes to corporate development Java is being used. One good example where this programming language is being used is on a company-specific tool i.e. airline booking. Have you ever thought how airline companies make it easier to book a flight in a matter of minutes by simply logging into the system? Thanks to Java this is made possible.

Not every programmer is diverse and has learned all the ropes about Java. Some may know the basics but a little bit of the advanced ones. This is where a programmer who wants to excel in this field must do everything to learn Java programming. How is this possible when you got to juggle from your 8-hour job five days a week and got some responsibilities as well? Good thing that the Internet is filled with resources which you can use to your advantage. All you have to do is to go find a person who knows Java, can teach you one-on-one during your free time, and has enough resources to share with you about this complex programming language.

Yes, the best way to learn Java programming is for you to have a mentor or tutor who have the patience to give you a review about the basics and help you learn more about the advance stuff. Be very ready to shell out money a little bit more of what you expect especially if you want to learn from the best guy. Apart from the knowledge which you can gain from it, you can also update yourself with the latest versions. To date there are a total of 7 versions of Java since the first release of JDK 1.1 way back in February 19, 1997. The current version is Java SE7 which was released in July 28, 2011. Update 9 for this Java 7 has been released recently on October 16, 2012.

As you can see, if you have learned Java way back in 1997 and you have not updated yourself with the latest versions plus all of the updates you will be left behind. Therefore, it is really a must to learn Java programming and update your skill set. Not the basic but more of enhancing your learning and skill at the same time.

How-To Teach Yourself How to Program?

The web is full of free resources that can turn you into a programmer and if you've always wanted to learn how to build software yourself or perhaps write an occasional script but had no clue where to start than this guide is for you!

If you're interested in becoming a programmer, you can get off to a great start using tons of free web-based tutorials and resources. Since the early days of the internet programmer communities have been using it to discuss software development techniques, publish tutorials, and share code samples for others to learn from and use online.

Choosing a Language

A common issue for beginners is getting hung up on trying to figure out which programming language is best to learn first. There are a lot of opinions out there, but there's no one "best" language. Here's the thing: In the end, language doesn't really matter. Understanding data and control structures and design patterns is what matters. Every programming language, even basic scripting languages will have elements that will make other languages easier to understand.

Many programmers never actually take accredited academic courses and are self-taught in every language throughout their careers. This is achieved by reusing concepts already known and referring to documentation and books to learn its syntax. Therefore, instead of getting stuck on what language to learn first simply, pick the kind of development you want to do, and just get started using the one that comes the easiest to you.

There are several different kinds of software development you can do for various platforms; web development, desktop development, mobile device development, and command line.

Desktop Scripting

The easiest way to try your hand at programming for your Windows or Mac desktop is to start with a scripting or macro program like AutoHotkey (for Windows) or Automator (for Mac). Sure, now advanced coders may disagree that AutoHotkey or AppleScript are not "real" programming which is technically true as these types of tools just do high-level scripting. However, for those new to programming who just want to get their hands dirty, automating actions on their desktop, using these free tools provide essential fundamentals towards "real" programming later on. The lines of when an application comprises of scripting and when it is considered to be programming is often blurred, keep this in mind. Once your code is compiled it is considered to be "real" programming. Most end-users of an application usually don't know and shouldn't care as long as it is designed well and functions in a dynamic and robust way in order to serve its intended purpose.

Web Development

If being bound to specific programming languages and with the look and feel of a particular operating system is not your desire, consider developing your application for the browser instead and distribute it to a wider audience, as a web app.

HTML and CSS: The first thing you need to know to build any web site is Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) the page markup that makes up web pages and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) is the style information that controls design appearance of the markup. HTML and CSS are scripting languages that just contain page structure and style information. However, you should be familiar with writing coding by hand before you begin building web applications, because building basic webpages is a prerequisite into developing a dynamic web app.

JavaScript: After mastering development of static web pages with HTML and CSS, learning JavaScript is the next step in programming dynamic web pages in a web browser. JavaScript is what bookmarklets, Greasemonkey user scripts, Chrome Web Apps, and Ajax are made of.

Server-side scripting: Once you're comfortable at making dynamic web pages locally in a web browser, you're probably going to want to put some dynamic server action behind it. To do this you will need to learn a server-side scripting language. For Example, to make a web-based contact form that sends an email somewhere based on what a user entered, a server-side script is required. Scripting languages like, Python, Perl, or Ruby can talk to a database on your web server as well, so if you want to make a site where users can log in and store information, that would be the proper way to go about it.

Web frameworks: Instead of reinventing the wheel for every new web development project, some programmers have come up with development frameworks that do some repetitive work of rewriting similar code over and over to build dynamic web sites. Many scripting languages offer a web-specific structure for getting common web application tasks done easier. Web development frameworks include; Ruby on Rails framework (for Ruby programmers), CakePHP (for PHP programmers), Django (for Python programmers), and jQuery (for JavaScript programmers).

Web APIs: An API (Application Programming Interface) is a programmatic way for different pieces of software to talk to one another. For example, if you want to put a dynamic map on your web site, you would use a Google Map instead of building your own custom map. The Google Maps API makes it easy to programmatically include a map in a page with JavaScript. Almost every modern web service uses an API that lets you include data and widgets from it in your application. These include; Twitter, Facebook, Google Docs, Google Maps, etc. Integrating other web apps into your web application via API's are great resources for enhancing rich web development. Every major web service API should offer thorough documentation and some quick start guide.

Command Line Scripting

If you want to write a program that takes textual or file input and outputs something useful, the command line is ideal. While the command line isn't as visually appealing as a web app or desktop application, development of quick scripts that automate processes, it is the best suited.

Several scripting languages that work on a Linux-based web server also work at the command line including: Perl, Python, and PHP. Learning one of those languages will make you conversant in both contexts. If becoming fluent in Unix is one of your programming goals, you must master shell scripting with bash. Bash is the command line scripting language of a *nix environment, and it can do everything from help you set up automated backups of your database and files to building out a full-fledged application with user interaction.

Add-ons

Modern web apps and browsers are extensible with bits of software that plugin to them and add additional features. Add-on development gains popularity as more existing developers look at existing applications and frameworks and want to add a specific feature to make it better.

With only a mastery of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS you can still do plenty in any web browser. Bookmarklets, Greasemonkey user scripts, and Stylish user styles are created with the same code that makes regular web pages, so they're worth learning even if you just want to tweak an existing site with a small snippet of code.

More advanced browser add-ons, like Firefox and Chrome extensions, let you do more. Developing Firefox and Chrome extensions requires that you're familiar in JavaScript, XML, and JSON which is markup similar to HTML, but with stricter format rules.

Many free web applications offer an extension framework as well such as WordPress and Drupal. Both of which are written in PHP, making that particular language a prerequisite for development.

Desktop Development

Learning web development first is a great Segway into obtaining the needed skills from one context in order to apply to another like desktop application development. Desktop Development programming will vary on the Operating System (OS), use of Software Development Kit (SDK) provided, and desire for cross-platform development. Using previous web development skills can also be re-utilized in distribution of your desktop application across the web to market to a larger audience.

Mobile Device App Development

Mobile applications like the ones found on smartphones and tablets are increasingly popular, and having your app listed on the iTunes App Store, Google Play Store (formerly known as the Android Market Place), Windows Marketplace, BlackBerry World, etc. However, for the majority of beginner coders, delving into mobile development can be a steep learning curve, because it requires a great deal of comfort and familiarity with advanced programming languages like Java and Objective C to develop much more than a basic "Hello World" application.

The Long Road Ahead

Great coders are often meticulous problem-solvers whom are passionate at what they do and fueled by small solitary victories of overcoming issues through trial and error. The path to a career is both a long road of endless learning and frustration but very rewarding and profitable none-the-less.

Kayol Hope has a deserve background and working knowledge specializing in the areas of IT Consulting, Programming, and Web Development. His blog and online community of social networking was established to house and showcase some of the best information technology & programming tutorials and articles around. His published tutorials not only produce great results and interfaces, but explain the techniques behind them in a friendly, approachable manner.

iPhone App Developer - Going With Technology

Designed and launched by Apple Inc., iPhone is counted one of the most liked Smartphones. The first release of the iPhone is recorded on June 29, 2007. This useful device works on Apple's iOS mobile operating system. With its exceptional features, this tiny gadget is touching new heights of success at the marketplace of mobile phones. It is apparent whether it is a person or a thing, if it is experiencing great success it means it is appearing with some improvisation every time. Same with the iPhone, all its offered versions got admiration as they came with some kind of changes.

If you want to follow iPhone application development then it is good to hire an experienced iPhone app developer. Make sure that you appoint a developer who possesses enormous experience and knowledge of the required field. It also needs to be kept in mind that iPhone has seen six generations so he must be abreast with all its versions. Besides it, he must be talented enough to strike a balance between your thoughts and his own. For this, you can take reference from his completed projects as well as talk to his previous clients and share their experiences and the extent to which their expectation were met. In addition, conduct interview sessions with multiple iPhone application developers and go for the one who suits the best as per your exact needs.

iPhone application development is not confined to one type as it revolves around several fields. There are entertainment based apps with those you can relish with listening to music, watching movies, etc. With gaming app, you can access your desired game like quizzes, racing and puzzles. In the same way, sport lovers get all the latest updated of sports with sports application development. And, more applications are counted including social networking, weather, travel information and there are specific business apps. Apart from this, the selection of iPhone app developer is conducted while taking your desired app into account.

Services related to such iPhone application development can be availed at yearly, monthly or hourly basis. And, if your project is too small and has less development work then it is better to go for a freelance developer. But, for medium to high end projects, it is considered the best option to appoint a developer from a renowned outsourcing company especially where Mac developers are more. As such companies have their own project managers so you do not need to get worried about project management. And, most of the reputed companies are facilitated with advanced mediums of communication like video conferences, telephone, net chatting and many more.

Developing an advanced application will not be considered a success till it is downloaded by more and more users. For this, developers are suggested to boost up the ranking of their application so that it can become a success. Thus, make a robust title and make sure that it is at par with the laid criterion of iTunes store before you submit it to Apple store.

Hire PHP Developer - To Develop Multipurpose Smart Website

PHP is most common and most popular programming language used for creating dynamic web pages. It is a prime fact that PHP is the base of most of the successful websites. The developers find PHP as a friendly programming language because it provides them flexibility to use it as per their wish.

The demand of the PHP developer is really high in the web market as most of the users choose PHP for their web sites development. Though, PHP has wide approach still, there are few countable developers that have vast knowledge of the language.

A simple website can be developed by a fresh developer also, but to design a heavy or bulk web-site, expert PHP developer is required because complexity of the task increases with the increase in the number of web pages of the site and the same can be handled by an experienced PHP programmer only.

How to Hire PHP Developer

If you are looking forward to hire PHP developer to develop your web-site then, it is quite necessary to test the capabilities of the developers by measuring its key specialties on following parameters:

    First of all, a client must check that how much experience the developer has in the same field because more the experience better will be the quality of work.

    Secondly, test the problem solving ability of the developer by assigning a complex yet short task to him.

    Thirdly, have a look over the previous work of the programmer because it will help you in judging its level of superiority

    Fourthly, ensure that developer is not demanding extra money and asking for genuine time to complete the task.

    Fifthly, examine the creativity and presence of mind of the developer by asking him some difficult questions.

    Finally and most importantly, you must make sure that programmer have deep and sound knowledge of PHP language.

On the other hand, client should also prepare himself/herself before creating a website and selecting a developer or a team of PHP programmers. A customer should do the following thing before hiring a PHP developer:

    Planning for the project

    Making the list of essential elements, he wants to introduce specially in the project.

    Must prepare a list of benefits that he wants to receive.

    Preparing a list of terms and conditions

    Setting up a meaningful quotation for the project.

The above mentioned points will help you in employing a perfect PHP developer or programmer.

Using The Timer Function In Excel To Find The Best Solution To VBA Problems

Usually there is more than one solution to any given problem facing Excel developers. For example, you could use the range method to select cells or the current region function.

Fortunately, Excel provides the functionality to test your preferred method for speed and this article explains how to use the timer function to compare different strategies.

Scenarios For Speed Testing

One example might be to determine the best way to total a selection of cells using VBA. You might loop through each cell and add to a sub-total or use the in-built sum function directly in code. Common sense will tell you the sum function will be faster but let's work through the timer function and put it to the test.

Our scenario involves adding the values of 1500 separate cells.

First, we'll create two separate functions which will hold the different solutions.

function TimeSum() ct = Application.WorksheetFunction.Sum(Range(Selection.Address)) end function function timeCells() total=0 for x=1 to selection.rows.count total=total + activeCell.offset(1,0).value next end function

Now we'll create a procedure that will select the range, and time the two functions separately.

sub test startTime = timer Application.Run ("timeCells") endTime = timer elapsed = endTime - startTime Debug.Print a(x); elapsed startTime = timer Application.Run ("timeSum") endTime = timer elapsed = endTime - startTime Debug.Print a(x); elapsed end sub

As you might expect, the sum function is much faster and the timer returns a value of 0 seconds.

timeCells 0.0390625 timeSum 0

To get a more accurate figure, we'll increase the iterations to 50, meaning each function totals the cells 50 times. We can pass a string which tells the function how many times to perform the calculation, allowing us to extend the testing over a number of iterations.

In this scenario the timer returns a more meaningful result.

timeCells 2.191406

timeSum 0.0078125

With the number of iterations greatly increased, the sum function has taken less than.01 seconds to complete the task, whereas looping through each cell took over 2 seconds.

This scale of difference could be particularly relevant in large spreadsheets or in cases where you are using one worksheet to update another.

Summary

In most cases whichever method you use to solve a problem doesn't affect performance noticeably until the iterations become sizeable. However, it's good programming practice to ensure you're using the optimum method for the task at hand.