Side projects and summer time
Now that Sale season is over, I typically spend the summer scrambling to complete the next round of changes. The Auxiliary went live with their revamped look and a few nice little widgets. I have 4 major projects running in tandem: building new web forms instead of asking the users to download and print .doc and .pdf files; testing the .net framework; converting sites to .net; and yet another site redesign. The last one will be the shortest project.
Building forms has really opened my eyes to the issue of Simplexity. I understand how a form should work and I have an idea of how to present it to a user so it’s easy to fill out. (Simple aspect). I get that it should look Simple to a user. Getting my code to check form fields and make the form run in a logical manner is incredibly hard. (Complex aspect.) The good news is, I know when I feel pain that I’m growing my skills.
Portfolio
Oh, are you looking for my résumé?
The Process
Involves slicing a Photoshop file and using a hand-coded XHTML template with a blueprint stylesheet. Clients choose a custom design from the style gallery. I am usually the one who updates them, but they are converted to Dreamweaver templates so others can also edit them.
Web Design & Layout
Logos are sent to API Web Services before site design begins.
Just Code
Existing websites, rebuilt from tables to (X)HTML and CSS:
- Silveira Bros.
- Gardiner Angus Ranch [post 1] [post 2] [post 3]
- National Swine Registry [post]
- Lindskov-Thiel Ranch
- Wyoming Angus Association
New websites
Print Work
Downloadable PDFs of print designs I have created.
Misc. Projects
- Freelance site rebuild for Fantastic Fido’s
- Google Maps API for Wyoming Angus Association’s Herd Locator Map
- Skinned a custom theme for a WordPress-powered site
- Used microformats with vCards available for download
- Playing with scripts based on frameworks
- Gestation calculator for Pedro Angus
JavaScript Training
Workshops, seminars, classes and courses. How the heck do other professionals find them? I am in search of some practical training in JavaScript. While there are many free resources and tutorials available, as well as a slew of online courses, I need something with a little more substance – live help. A person I can talk to face to face when I have a question. When I am learning something new and complex, it is easier to grok the big picture when I have access to a local expert.
Of the few workshops I have found locally, JavaScript has become a hot commodity – the cost for a 2 day workshop can run between $800 and $1600 for a course titled Intro to JavaScript! AJAX must be the best buzzword around, because classes for JavaScript and XML are almost always sold out.
On the bright side, we have already been approved to go to a Dreamweaver refresher course (since we are migrating from GoLive to Dreamweaver) and if I can find a reasonably priced JavaScript or AJAX workshop, it is likely to get approved as well.
Like the CSS training Tim and I attended, I feel like I can read the code and know what it does just fine, but I am not confident enough to program it myself. And like the CSS training, all I needed was a block of time to sit down with another professional and practice. The resources we were left with afterwards have helped push us into more advanced CSS territory. I am hoping to do the same with JavaScript. While I understand there is no need to reinvent the wheel – when methods already exist that solve a problem gracefully, I use it – but I do tire of leaning on others’ work. It would be nice to occasionally have something to contribute to the developer community, too, instead of always taking. 
