• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Create a VM ($25 Credit)
  • Buy a Domain
  • 1 Month free Back Blaze Backup
  • Other Deals
    • Domain Email
    • Nixstats Server Monitoring
    • ewww.io Auto WordPress Image Resizing and Acceleration
  • About
  • Links

Code, Security and Server Stuff

Views are my own and not my employer's.

Personal Development Blog...

Coding for fun since 1996, Learn by doing and sharing.

Buy a domain name, then create your own server (get $25 free credit)

View All Posts.

  • Cloud
    • I moved my domain to UpCloud (on the other side of the world) from Vultr (Sydney) and could not be happier with the performance.
    • How to buy a new domain and SSL cert from NameCheap, a Server from Digital Ocean and configure it.
    • Setting up a Vultr VM and configuring it
    • All Cloud Articles
  • Dev
    • I moved my domain to UpCloud (on the other side of the world) from Vultr (Sydney) and could not be happier with the performance.
    • How to setup pooled MySQL connections in Node JS that don’t disconnect
    • NodeJS code to handle App logins via API (using MySQL connection pools (1000 connections) and query parameters)
    • Infographic: So you have an idea for an app
    • All Development Articles
  • MySQL
    • Using the free Adminer GUI for MySQL on your website
    • All MySQL Articles
  • Perf
    • PHP 7 code to send object oriented sanitised input data via bound parameters to a MYSQL database
    • I moved my domain to UpCloud (on the other side of the world) from Vultr (Sydney) and could not be happier with the performance.
    • Measuring VM performance (CPU, Disk, Latency, Concurrent Users etc) on Ubuntu and comparing Vultr, Digital Ocean and UpCloud – Part 1 of 4
    • Speeding up WordPress with the ewww.io ExactDN CDN and Image Compression Plugin
    • Setting up a website to use Cloudflare on a VM hosted on Vultr and Namecheap
    • All Performance Articles
  • Sec
    • Using the Qualys FreeScan Scanner to test your website for online vulnerabilities
    • Using OWASP ZAP GUI to scan your Applications for security issues
    • Setting up the Debian Kali Linux distro to perform penetration testing of your systems
    • Enabling TLS 1.3 SSL on a NGINX Website (Ubuntu 16.04 server) that is using Cloudflare
    • PHP implementation to check a password exposure level with Troy Hunt’s pwnedpasswords API
    • Setting strong SSL cryptographic protocols and ciphers on Ubuntu and NGINX
    • Securing Google G Suite email by setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC with Cloudflare
    • All Security Articles
  • Server
    • I moved my domain to UpCloud (on the other side of the world) from Vultr (Sydney) and could not be happier with the performance.
    • All Server Articles
  • Ubuntu
    • I moved my domain to UpCloud (on the other side of the world) from Vultr (Sydney) and could not be happier with the performance.
    • Useful Linux Terminal Commands
    • All Ubuntu Articles
  • VM
    • I moved my domain to UpCloud (on the other side of the world) from Vultr (Sydney) and could not be happier with the performance.
    • All VM Articles
  • WordPress
    • Speeding up WordPress with the ewww.io ExactDN CDN and Image Compression Plugin
    • Installing and managing WordPress with WP-CLI from the command line on Ubuntu
    • How to backup WordPress on a host that has CPanel
    • Moving WordPress to a new self managed server away from CPanel
    • Moving a CPanel domain with email to a self managed VPS and Gmail
    • All WordPress Articles
  • All

build

Using Platforma Web Wireframe Kit to build a website (prototype)

November 24, 2017 by Simon

I have blogged before about building a server for users to install WordPress, optimizing images in WordPress,  deploying WordPress via CLI, moving WordPress, speeding up WordPress and securing WordPress but what do you do if you want a non-WordPress site without the support hassles?

Advertisement:


Recently I gave the https://platforma.ws iOS prototyping library extensions a test.  I was delighted to find they had a Web Wireframe Kit (generation suite) for prototyping and exporting working websites. You can try the free version or buy a licence here.

Creating a Website with Platforma Web Wireframe Kit

Goto https://platforma.ws and click HTML Generator (or click here)

You will be presented with an empty website ready for your attention.

platformaweb001

Adding Website Elements

It’s as simple as clicking a purple add button.

Add Items to Webiste

This reveals a number of HTML templates samples that you can drag and drop to your website design.

Add Element

You can then choose a category (e.g “Header”) and see the available samples elements.

Categories

Simply drag and drop the elements out into your design.

Drag and Drop

Now, Let’s click the purple Add  (in the top left) button and add a sample Header section, sample Contents, sample Slider, sample Body, sample first Call to Action section, sample Pricing Table, sample second Call to Action section, sample Footer section.

30 seconds later and I have generated designed a site ready to edit the exported HTML.

Designed Site

Exporting Your Site from Platforma

Click on the Export button (in the top right).

Export

 

I was greeted with the following export screen, this page explains the difference in export options: http://app.platforma.ws/docs/

I don’t need “node.js” or “gulp” “Advanced Version” (PUG + STYLUS) so I’ll choose “Simple Version” (HTML + CSS + JS).

Export Options

You will need to enter a licence key to continue the export.

Enter Licence Key

The website export download came down just fine.

Code

The code looks ok, I did notice that images were missing alt tags so I added those in.

Code

Any Errors in the Code (in Chrome)?

Nope, Chrome loads the code with no errors.

Loading the SIte

Testing Online

How about HTML5 and WCAG 2.0 AA

I uploaded the zip file to my server (using the scp command), I could have used SFTP.

scp /local/folder/local-file.zip [email protected]:/www/destination-folder/

I unzipped the site with

sudo apt-get install unzip
unzip filename.zip

The site loads just fine in a web browser

Load

Accessibility

I used https://achecker.ca/checker/index.php to test the site with WCAG 2.0 AA, the only remaining issues I found were in relation to the multiple H1, H2 etc tags (this can be fixed by moving the H CSS code to custom classes and removing H1, H2 etc tags altogether (and reference the custom class matching the H* tags)).

WCAG

fyi: The potential WCAG problems that were being alerted were in relation to…

  • My alt tags were potentially short
  • Potential Colour warnings
  • Potential Contrast warnings
  • Missing a “Skip to content” block
  • Reporting of placeholder graphics and alt tags (a checker is smart)
  • etc

I tested the sites HTML compliance with https://validator.w3.org/, the code passed with flying colours.

HTML5

Customizing

I could not find a way to edit the elements in the http://app.platforma.ws/# like the Platforma iOS Adobe XD Kit but you can quickly edit in your HTML after exporting (using your editor of choice like Dreamweaver, Sublime or Notepad).

Conclusion

Platforma Web Wireframe Kit is an essential tool for anyone wanting to build quick web prototype (or even live sites) website for themselves, clients etc. I am very impressed with the code created.

Read More

Check out my guide, Using Adobe XD and Platforma Web Wireframe Kit to prototype an iOS app.

Donate and make this blog better

Ask a question or recommend an article

[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]

Revision History

v1.1 Added more, fixed  a bit.

etc

Filed Under: Advice, App, iOS, UI, UX, Web Prototype, Website, Wordpress Tagged With: a, build, Kit, Platforma, prototype, to, Using, web, website, Wireframe

How to get started in programming

June 22, 2016 by Simon Fearby

Today I was asked: Should I learn to code in Swift and what can I build? Swift 1.0 (http://www.swift.org) was launched in 2014 by Apple and it is a multi-platform programming language for iOS, macOS and Linux (but not Windows). Swift has gone through rapid changes recently and Swift 4.0 is the latest stable version. Swift updates can break a number of previous swift coding standards set in Swift 1.x, 2.x and 3.x so don’t get comfortable.

Advertisement:



Should a beginner learn Swift? Yes if you only want to develop apps for iOS and macOS and ignore Windows and Android platforms. Apple has released a learn to code in Swift app that will make learning swift much easier http://www.apple.com/swift/playgrounds/

Previously apple recommended developers use the Objective C language to code and compile apps for iOS and macOS. Objective C has been in production since 1983 and is very complex (loads of squiggles, square brackets and legacy classes).

Most smartphones and tablets run Android, not because they are better but because they are cheaper (that’s my opinion). A top of the line iPhone 6S+ costs $1500 where a reasonable Android phone will set you back about $130 to $400. I personally think Apple devices are faster, better and more secure but if you are developing you need to publish apps on android also.  Apple devices are supported for a lot longer than Android devices ( Android support lifetime v Apple iOS ).  Even the 5-year-old iPad 2 is getting the iOS 10 software update in September 2016.  In 2017 iOS 11 does not run on an iPad 2.

If you wanted to native develop android apps you would need to learn Java in the https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html IDE. Be prepared to be confused as the Android Studio has a steep learning curve.

Ok so where do beginners start.

What Companies look for when hiring programmers

https://youtu.be/QbSD4EtpVdY

Jumping right into Swift, Java, Objective C or Lua may not be a good idea if a plain old website will do. It depends on what you want to develop before you start coding. All developers should be able to knock up a website and database before jumping into making mobile apps. PHP ( http://www.php.net ) and MySQL ( http://www.mysql.com ) are good options for beginners making websites.

http://www.udemy.com and http://www.w3schools.com/ is a great place to go to learn more about coding. If you want to see what the Pro’s are doing check out http://www.sitepoint.com are great places for learning WHAT you need to know fast.

But I really want to develop a mobile app.

Development platforms like the Corona SDK http://www.coronalabs.com are a great option for beginners as it is easy to pick up and is super fast and supports eye-popping OpenGL animations and apps along with business apps. Corona allows you to code in a programming language called Lua ( https://www.coronalabs.com/learn-lua ) and compiles your app to the iOS/Android/macOS or Windows desktops. How cool is that.

Corona APp

Another possible solution is using the Electron technology

Corona wraps a common interface (API  https://docs.coronalabs.com/API/index.html) over each platforms API so your code calls the corona API and when you compile your app the platforms native API methods are called.

Corona has great guides and support pages:

https://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/programming/index.html – Getting Started

https://docs.coronalabs.com/guide/index.html –

https://coronalabs.com/blog – Keep up to date with Corona and read guides on many topics.

https://coronalabs.com/resources – Corona Resources.

https://www.youtube.com/user/CoronaGeek – Weekly Corona video podcast.

https://forum.coronalabs.com – Talk to hundreds of Corona developers and ask questions.

https://docs.coronalabs.com/api/index.html – Corona API

 

What tools do you need

  • A Mac Computer with a retina display.
  • Sublime text Editor https://www.sublimetext.com/3 (and Sublime to Corona Plugin https://coronalabs.com/products/editor/ )
  • Source Version Software http://www.zenaware.com/cornerstone
  • A good code snippet saving app is http://snippets.me/
  • Patience and drive.

Knowing what you want to develop will narrow down the technologies you need to learn.

Summary:

  • If you want to make websites learn HTML and PHP.
  • If you want to build business apps inside corporations learn Visual Studio.NET
  • If you want to make mobile apps fast learn Corona.
  • If you want to make advanced iOS apps learn Swift
  • If you want to make advanced Android apps learn Android Studio
  • If you want to make online database learn MySQL

Check out my guides here on:

How to build your first cross-platform mobile app with corona

Creating a development server for $5 a month

What is the difference between a website, app, web app, hybrid app and software?

..and many more free guides here.

Happy coding.

 

 

Still reading?  Check out the beginner guides on Sitepoint.

Donate and make this blog better




Ask a question or recommend an article
[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]

V1.2. Added short link

Sort: https:/fearby.com/go2/learn/

Filed Under: Apple, Cloud, CoronaLabs, Development, MySQL, Scalable, Security Tagged With: Android, build, code, corona, iOS, test

Primary Sidebar

Advertisement

Poll

What would you like to see more posts about?
Results

Support this Blog

Create your own server today (support me by using these links

Create your own server on UpCloud here ($25 free credit).

Create your own server on Vultr here.

Create your own server on Digital Ocean here ($10 free credit).

Remember you can install the Runcloud server management dashboard here if you need DevOps help.

Advertisement

Tags

Advice (17) Analytics (8) Android (6) App (9) Apple (10) AWS (9) Backup (18) Blog (6) Business (8) CDN (7) Cloud (48) Cloudflare (8) Cost (6) Development (26) Digital Ocean (13) DNS (11) Domain (26) Firewall (12) Hosting (18) IoT (6) LetsEncrypt (7) Linux (19) Marketing (11) MySQL (23) Networking (6) NGINX (9) NodeJS (10) OS (9) PHP (12) Scalability (12) Scalable (14) Security (40) SEO (7) Server (26) Software (7) ssl (17) Status (6) Tech Advice (9) Ubuntu (38) Uncategorized (7) UpCloud (11) VM (42) Vultr (24) Website (13) Wordpress (25)

Disclaimer

Terms And Conditions Of UseAll content provided on this "www.fearby.com" blog is for informational purposes only. Views are his own and not his employers. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. Never make changes to a live site without backing it up first.

Advertisement

Footer

Popular

  • Backing up your computer automatically with BackBlaze software (no data limit)
  • How to back up an iPhone (including photos and videos) multiple ways
  • Add two factor auth login protection to WordPress with YubiCo hardware YubiKeys and or 2FA Authenticator App
  • Setup two factor authenticator protection at login on Ubuntu or Debian
  • Using the Yubico YubiKey NEO hardware-based two-factor authentication device to improve authentication and logins to OSX and software
  • I moved my domain to UpCloud (on the other side of the world) from Vultr (Sydney) and could not be happier with the performance.
  • Monitor server performance with NixStats and receive alerts by SMS, Push, Email, Telegram etc
  • Speeding up WordPress with the ewww.io ExactDN CDN and Image Compression Plugin
  • Add Google AdWords to your WordPress blog

Security

  • Check the compatibility of your WordPress theme and plugin code with PHP Compatibility Checker
  • Add two factor auth login protection to WordPress with YubiCo hardware YubiKeys and or 2FA Authenticator App
  • Setup two factor authenticator protection at login on Ubuntu or Debian
  • Using the Yubico YubiKey NEO hardware-based two-factor authentication device to improve authentication and logins to OSX and software
  • Setting up DNSSEC on a Namecheap domain hosted on UpCloud using CloudFlare
  • Set up Feature-Policy, Referrer-Policy and Content Security Policy headers in Nginx
  • Securing Google G Suite email by setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC with Cloudflare
  • Enabling TLS 1.3 SSL on a NGINX Website (Ubuntu 16.04 server) that is using Cloudflare
  • Using the Qualys FreeScan Scanner to test your website for online vulnerabilities
  • Beyond SSL with Content Security Policy, Public Key Pinning etc
  • Upgraded to Wordfence Premium to get real-time login defence, malware scanner and two-factor authentication for WordPress logins
  • Run an Ubuntu VM system audit with Lynis
  • Securing Ubuntu in the cloud
  • No matter what server-provider you are using I strongly recommend you have a hot spare ready on a different provider

Code

  • How to code PHP on your localhost and deploy to the cloud via SFTP with PHPStorm by Jet Brains
  • Useful Java FX Code I use in a project using IntelliJ IDEA and jdk1.8.0_161.jdk
  • No matter what server-provider you are using I strongly recommend you have a hot spare ready on a different provider
  • How to setup PHP FPM on demand child workers in PHP 7.x to increase website traffic
  • Installing Android Studio 3 and creating your first Kotlin Android App
  • PHP 7 code to send object oriented sanitised input data via bound parameters to a MYSQL database
  • How to use Sublime Text editor locally to edit code files on a remote server via SSH
  • Creating your first Java FX app and using the Gluon Scene Builder in the IntelliJ IDEA IDE
  • Deploying nodejs apps in the background and monitoring them with PM2 from keymetrics.io

Tech

  • Backing up your computer automatically with BackBlaze software (no data limit)
  • How to back up an iPhone (including photos and videos) multiple ways
  • US v Huawei: The battle for 5G
  • Check the compatibility of your WordPress theme and plugin code with PHP Compatibility Checker
  • Is OSX Mojave on a 2014 MacBook Pro slower or faster than High Sierra
  • Telstra promised Fibre to the house (FTTP) when I had FTTN and this is what happened..
  • The case of the overheating Mac Book Pro and Occam’s Razor
  • Useful Linux Terminal Commands
  • Useful OSX Terminal Commands
  • Useful Linux Terminal Commands
  • What is the difference between 2D, 3D, 360 Video, AR, AR2D, AR3D, MR, VR and HR?
  • Application scalability on a budget (my journey)
  • Monitor server performance with NixStats and receive alerts by SMS, Push, Email, Telegram etc
  • Why I will never buy a new Apple Laptop until they fix the hardware cooling issues.

Wordpress

  • Replacing Google Analytics with Piwik/Matomo for a locally hosted privacy focused open source analytics solution
  • Setting web push notifications in WordPress with OneSignal
  • Telstra promised Fibre to the house (FTTP) when I had FTTN and this is what happened..
  • Check the compatibility of your WordPress theme and plugin code with PHP Compatibility Checker
  • Add two factor auth login protection to WordPress with YubiCo hardware YubiKeys and or 2FA Authenticator App
  • Monitor server performance with NixStats and receive alerts by SMS, Push, Email, Telegram etc
  • Upgraded to Wordfence Premium to get real-time login defence, malware scanner and two-factor authentication for WordPress logins
  • Wordfence Security Plugin for WordPress
  • Speeding up WordPress with the ewww.io ExactDN CDN and Image Compression Plugin
  • Installing and managing WordPress with WP-CLI from the command line on Ubuntu
  • Moving WordPress to a new self managed server away from CPanel
  • Moving WordPress to a new self managed server away from CPanel

General

  • Backing up your computer automatically with BackBlaze software (no data limit)
  • How to back up an iPhone (including photos and videos) multiple ways
  • US v Huawei: The battle for 5G
  • Using the WinSCP Client on Windows to transfer files to and from a Linux server over SFTP
  • Connecting to a server via SSH with Putty
  • Setting web push notifications in WordPress with OneSignal
  • Infographic: So you have an idea for an app
  • Restoring lost files on a Windows FAT, FAT32, NTFS or Linux EXT, Linux XFS volume with iRecover from diydatarecovery.nl
  • Building faster web apps with google tools and exceed user expectations
  • Why I will never buy a new Apple Laptop until they fix the hardware cooling issues.
  • Telstra promised Fibre to the house (FTTP) when I had FTTN and this is what happened..

Copyright © 2019 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Some ads on this site use cookies. You can opt-out if of local analytics tracking by scrolling to the bottom of the front page or any article and clicking "You are not opted out. Click here to opt out.". Accept Reject Read More
GDPR, Privacy & Cookies Policy

Necessary Always Enabled