Graduation, Diploma and Document Application Form

logo for diploma application

One of my first jobs when helping SVC move from paper to digital workflow was to create a way for students to apply for graduation. This is a significant achievement in for Skagit Valley College because because these paper forms have been used by every graduating student since 1926!

The process toward the end result would not be as effective if I didn’t use my project management cloud to outline the project, make task lists and keep track of progress.
The following would be a sample of the task lists I created for this project…

Meet with client and get project scope.
Create all the I/A Design documents including project brief, user case studies, flowcharts and wireframes.
Obtain approval of designs from supervisors and clients.
Develop the application in an Agile Test Driven Development Environment using the Model View Controller programming technique.
Run user tests and edge case scenarios.
Deploy application in student toolbox.

While developing the Diploma and Document Application Form I have come up with an algorithm to plug into any form or content that will transform it into a paperless web application with the following features:

To a developers point of view the best thing is Automation!
Content organized and displayed to the user in an easy to navigate style.
Client side validation for form elements when and where needed.
Form summary and easy ability to make changes before submit.
Takes care of form data submission using Ajax to hand the data on a silver platter to any api.

Here are some screenshots during development when I plug in my css styles library and call a few custom styles.

diplomaappnotebookstylescreen1 — Screen shots of the diploma application with styles modified by plugging in my 3dw styles library.

Here are some screenshots of the finished product using styles provided by the marketing department.

3DW Tools CSS Styles Library

After three years of designing proof of concept and rapid prototypes I have decided to compile all of my custom css styles that were spread between multiple projects into one master library of css style design patterns. My 3DW Tools CSS Styles Library is managed via my cms, and when included into a project, grants access to some really great styles that can be called using an easy to remember style language.

In order to produce HTML 5 designs without Flash or Photo Shop, my 3DW Tools CSS Styles Library is the perfect addition to a blank HTML 5 page or a JQuery build, giving me the ability to design some really great mockups, proof of concept, rapid prototype, and user experience designs.

Here is the link to the visual reference.

Here is a css box shadow generator https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/Tools/Box-shadow_generator

Here is a css button generator https://developer.cdn.mozilla.net/media/uploads/demos/m/o/mok20123/8aff6ca4f35726d64880dd6fc77739ba/css3-button-generato_1325474481_demo_package/index.html

Here is the css border radius generator https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/Tools/Border-radius_generator

Working with dates and times in JavaScript

I need to get the current year and display it in a form. That way the form doesn’t have to be updated every year, just to change the date.

We always start with a date object, then use it to get what we need.

var today = new Date();
var theyear = today.getFullYear();
$("#theyear").html(theyear); // put the variable into a span with id of "theyear"

I would like to have a form that auto fills todays date in the following format: 2/27/2014

var currentTime = new Date();

var month = currentTime.getMonth() + 1;

var day = currentTime.getDate();

var year = currentTime.getFullYear();

document.write(month + "/" + day + "/" + year);

Here are great docs and examples from Mozilla

Upgrading Legacy Web Forms with my Content Display Wizard plugin.

Here is an example of how my plugin makes it easy for the user to navigate and successfully submit the data. And for us weary developers, the best part is the AUTOMATION. My plugin will provide content navigation, client side validation and handle the submission of the data via ajax to my api.

At Skagit Valley College, I plug my wizard into a legacy form and it’s transformed into a slick responsive paperless web application for data collection. There was an old Hall of Fame nomination form that had been moved into the cms of our new responsive version of the SVC site…

After simply including my Content Display Wizard Plugin, its now a slick paperless web application for data collection. Go check it out, go through the form to view the summary and I’m sure you will love the user experience.

How to Upgrade Your Samsung Galaxy Phone Episode 1 : Backup the phone data

Click here to launch the podcast. Then, minimize that window and read this post to follow along.

Here are the step by step instructions for smartly upgrading your smart phone. An upgrade is a big deal. You could lose data, and even in rare cases your phone could stop working permanently. That’s called “bricking”, and you do not want to do that. Don’t worry, I will help you back up your data, and then upgrade your phone. ** if your phone is rooted, UNROOT before you upgrade or your phone will brick!

Android Froyo 2.2 Operating System upgrade is now available for the SGH-i897 (Captivate). This update is only available by tethering your Captivate via a USB cable to a PC per the instructions below. Due to the large file size, the update is not available directly over-the-air to your phone.

Step: Get ready.

Here are the minimum requirements for upgrading your phone. Don’t begin this upgrade if you do not have everything.

COMPUTER

Desktop/Laptop Computer Running 32bit Versions Of Either Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, or XP
All Firewall & Anti-Virus Programs Should Be Disabled
Administrative Privileges Required To Download & Install Software Including Drivers
An Available USB Port On The PC That Supports 2.0 USB
Windows Media Runtime 11 (automatically installed by Kies Mini if not present)

PHONE

Fully Charged Battery

OTHER

USB Data Cable (Included In Retail Box)
Any Previous Samsung Kies Software Should Be Remove

Step: You must connect your phone to your pc

Connecting & Transferring

Press the Home Key
Plug the cable into the phone
Plug the other end of the cable in a USB port
- Tip: Avoid the use of multiport hubs if possible.
When prompted, tap Mass storage

Depending on whether you have used your phones mass storage before or not, you may need to configure the following screen(s)..otherwise you might need to slide down the top menu and choose “mount”..

Tap Connect USB storage

Your PC will recognize your Phone as a Removable Disk. Click on Open folder to view files.

Step: back up your phone data

On your pc, you should go to the desktop, right click and create new folder. Name the folder with your initials, then “phone backup”, then todays date. My folder is named” DWD phone backup 08012011″. open the folder and adjust the window so it only takes up a small part of your screen.

When you have the window to your phone open, you will see a list of sub folders. Most important to a lot of people would be the photos taken with the phone. These are usually located in the DCIM folder under the Camera subfolder. The best way to be safe is to select all, right click, choose copy. Then click into your backup folder. right click , choose paste and prepare to wait for a few minutes for your data to back up.

Coming soon will be part 2: Upgrading the phone.

Dee Dubs Has A Solution To Intellectual Property Protection

The Distortion of Sharing

In the physical world, if you wanted to come over and listen to music with me, you don’t have to buy a copy of the music.In fact, I could even give you the cds and movies that I bought, and you could take them home and use them whenever you want. But then, I wouldn’t have it. And that is where the term sharing has become distorted. If I give the media to you, but I still have a copy that moves beyond sharing to piracy. This has a huge impact in economics as well, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, with the music industry losing half of its profits in just one year. The two-chamber or “bicameral” setup of Congress operating on a standard envisioned in 1787, is currently debating on this topic and how to combat this problem of online piracy and intellectual property theft. They have drafted a bill with two sections: “Combating Online Piracy” and “Additional Enhancements to Combat Intellectual Property Theft.” The “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) is still being debated in the House, with what seems like a large battle ahead of them. This bill, as currently written, would give the U.S. Attorney General the power of disabling the DNS (domain name server) records that point to suspect or illegal sites. A large number of security experts believe that the bill could disrupt the underlying architecture of the Internet. The Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA).is SOPA’s Senate companion bill that is still in debate in the chamber. is intended to combat “rogue” websites operated oversea but offers a wide spread power that will affect people worldwide. This bill has drawn so much opposition that most senators have withdrawn support and news sources such as Techspot.com are reporting that PIPPA has collapsed. I am opposed to the bills as written right now due to the ambiguity of the power and its usage. The adverse effects on the backbones of the Internet architecture are also a major concern. I believe the bills need re working and also software developers need to get more innovative when it comes to intellectual property rights and security. Come on application developers and investors, all these apps for whip noises and beer mugs when we need a good way to secure movies music and videos.

DeeDubs Has A Solution For Net Neutrality

Donald Denney
CS 101 Essay 2
3/18/2012

According to research I read at the New York Times, Net Neutrality is a way of classifying Internet access and the web in its current state. They say that the entire Internet must available to anyone with the desire to access it, on an equal basis. This is currently a hot topic in the media because of the legal battle between citizens and the large corporations backed by billions of dollars. The government is forced to deal with large corporations who are spending hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying Congress to get rid of net neutrality. One problem lies with the type of information that is available. There is always a certain age for this movie or that game. Its a way of feeling that we are helping people who can’t use their own judgement about what information to access. With identity theft, child porn and sexual predators rampant, the way the Internet is presented to an end user must be monitored and distributed to the user as seen fit by some kind of standards. Opposition say to leave it to the family to monitor and secure their families internet access, but much like guns, booze, drugs and porn, there must be some kind of organized prevention continuously looking after the greater good. Perhaps new standards of surfing the web with credentials of some kind to verify age and identity could be a valuable tool for law enforcement, parents and educators. On the other hand, Net Neutrality is essential when it comes to large corporations limiting the flow of data, and access speeds of all sites but their own, for power and profit. An article on Free Press.com can be summarized by saying that reliable and high speed access to the free internet is the only way for developers all over the world to continue to contribute to new technology , software, and applications . The consequences of losing Net Neutrality would be devastating.Large corporations would take over, choices would be eliminated and life would be driven by decisions made in a corporate boardroom. We must continue to fight for and support the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009 to safeguard the future of the open Internet and protect Internet users from discrimination online.

Technical Instructions: How to use smart phone as portable flash drive

Donald Denney
2/16/2011

How to use your smart phone as a smart solid state storage device.

These instructions are for experienced users who have file management skills and a thorough knowledge of connecting devices to a computer. This is an advanced method of file storage and transportation.

Introduction

Most students have the need to transport files. Storing them on a flash drive is one of the most common methods of file storage and transportation. However, there are many problems associated with using a flash drive. Flash drives are not secure, and are very easy to lose. Carrying multiple devices around is inefficient. “Smart Phones” come with ample storage, can hold your files and interact with computers easily.

Tools For this project, you will need: A “Smart Phone”, USB cord, Personal Computer. All of these should not be more than a few years old, or they won’t have the proper firmware, software and file transfer protocol installed. Steps

The first step is to figure out if your phone will work for this purpose. If your phone came with a USB cord for connecting to computers, then it should work. Also, if the phone uses external memory card storage, then it has a good chance of working for this purpose.

The second step is to connect the USB cable to your phone. Carefully insert the correct end into the proper slot on the phone. Use extreme caution not to insert the cable improperly, and don’t use too much force or you can permanently damage your device.

The third step is to connect the other end of USB cable to your computer. If you have a choice, use the High Speed USB port usually located toward the front of most computers. If you don’t have a choice then just use whatever port is available.

The fourth step is to wait while Windows recognizes your device. Sometimes this can take quite a while. If you are prompted, answer the prompts using your desired settings. You shouldn’t need to install any software from CD or the Internet. Windows comes standard with the default drivers you will need.

The sixth step is to navigate to the folder where you will store your files. From “My Computer”, a new drive letter will appear in the same manner as when a flash drive is inserted. Navigate into the drive, and choose a location for your files.

The final step is to transfer your files. Copy and paste, or save the file from your favorite application directly onto your phone flash drive.

Conclusion The phone can be a wonderful file storage medium, and it is a lot more convenient than using a separate flash drive. The benefits of having your files with you wherever you go are plentiful, including knowing they are secure, having the latest version of a file, and always knowing who has access to your files. As new phones are released, they are packed with features that make it easy to use as file storage for music, videos and documents.

XHTML Template

Here is the 3dw tools XHTML Template.

Working with date and time in ASP VBScript

Here is a sweet way to perform a function based on the date.

If DateDiff(“n”,Now(),”9/15/13 08:00:00″) <= 0 Then
openorclosed = “open” ‘open form to public access.
Else
openorclosed = “closed” ‘close form to public access.
End If

Lets break down the use of the DateDiff function. From the msdn docs I see DateDiff(interval, date1, date2 [,firstdayofweek[, firstweekofyear]])

Interval lets us decide how precise we want this function to be. If we want, we can call it as broad as a year or down to the second we want to define.

For example, since its December and all the kids are freaking out, lets make a Christmas countdown timer to show how many days until Christmas.

today = Now()
christmas = “12/25/2013”
interval = “d” ‘ we use d since we want to count the days.
numberofdays = DateDiff(interval, today, christmas)
Response.Write(“There are only ” & numberofdays & ” days until Christmas.”)

Screen shot of code display — Here is the output of the script.

To really automate the open and closing of a form, I need to see if the date is in the range of open and closed dates provided by administration.

opendate = “July 1, 2015″
closedate=”April 20, 2015”

If CDate(NOW()) > opendate and CDate(NOW()) < closedate Then
response.write(“the form should be open”)
Else
response.write(“the form should be closed”)
End If

How about if I want to format a date to look good for the user. In some cases we would want the date to look formal: Lets take Christmas:

christmas_date=”12/25/2015 24:00:00″

FormatDateTime(open_date, 1) // this would output “Wednesday, December 25th, 2015”

FormatDateTime(open_date, 3) // This would output “12:00 AM”

Response.write(date & “<hr>”)
Response.Write(MonthName(Month(Date)) & “<hr />”)
Response.Write(Day(Date) & “<hr>”)

Response.Write(Month(“8/10/2008”))

Response.Write(Month(“Aug 10, 2008”))

Response.Write(Month(“10 Aug, 2008”))

Response.Write(Month(“10 August, 2008”))

Response.Write(Month(“August 10, 2008”))

Response.Write(“ ”)