I haven't been posting a lot lately, but had to post to recommend the latest version of Dreamweaver -- CS5. I usually upgrade to the latest version, because for my business I have to maintain compatibility with current versions of the program, but this is the first time in a while that I feel like I have to heartily recommend the upgrade to people spending good money. CS5 has quite a few of the features I've been wanting in the program for years -- foremost among them, code hints for custom code, code completion, and context-sensitive help. Most good code editors have this built in, but DW has not had capabilities in this regard. CS5 changes that and turns DW into a quality coding environment.

For ColdFusion coding I have been using Eclipse at work for the past couple years, only because that is the standard that we have at the office and require it's Subversion support, but it's sadly lacking in many key areas. It doesn't have a design view, which is a pretty basic feature for a web development environment. Also, the most frustrating part is that the code hinting, code completion, and context-sensitive help is pretty poor, and often inaccurate. I don't know how many times I've hit a key and had some bizarre code completion happen that has no relation to what I'm typing. A good coding environment is two steps ahead of you and knows what you want to type next. Apple's Xcode IDE is brilliant in this regard, as is Microsoft's coding environments. Dreamweaver is finally starting to get there, after all these years. Not quite there yet, but it's much better than alternatives for ColdFusion programmers, in my view. For PHP coding, it's pretty great, too.

All of my available extensions seem to work without issue in Dreamweaver CS5. If anyone has any issues, please let me know.

Community MX released its 3000th article the other day. It's hard to believe we have been at it for 6 years now releasing 2 articles every day. In celebration, we're having a contest that ends March 10th. Sign up to win an Adobe software title or other prize at http://www.communitymx.com/3000/. My most recent articles there are below:

Conditional PHP: Using the Ternary Operator	09-Feb-09
Category: PHP
Description: There are many uses for conditional statements in programming. The basic principle of conditional programming is that you want to execute code based on a certain condition. The essence of conditional programming is executing code based on the condition being true, with an alternate piece of code being executed if the condition is not true. The article will explain the ternary operator, which creates if/else logic that is more concise than other methods.
Using Table Aliases	29-Jan-09
Category: SQL
Description: When writing SQL statements, using the table names in the code is often necesary to avoid confusion in the database server. For example, if you have a Customers table with a customerid field, and an Orders table with a customerid field, if you are joining both tables, you will need to use the table name on the customerid field in order to differentiate between the two tables. This can turn your queries into much longer, hard to read statements -- especially if you are using proper naming conventions and your table names are long and descriptive. Using a table alias in the code is a beneficial way to increase readability and performance. Readers of this article should understand basic SQL coding, including joins. It will apply to most databases (SQL Server, MySQL, Access, etc).
Using Subqueries	15-Jan-09
Category: SQL
Description: Most database systems support the use of subqueries. If you have never used them, don't know what they are, or are confused by joins, then this article is for you. I'll be using the Northwind sample database that is readily available for SQL Server and Access, and available as a download for MySQL from my site.
Adding an Auto-Logout Feature - Part 1	17-Dec-08
Adding an Auto-Logout Feature - Part 2	06-Jan-09
Category: Javascript
Description: If you have a site that is built using one of the server technologies, like ASP, PHP, or ColdFusion, that has a login feature, chances are you also have a logout function. What happens when the user keeps the browser open and doesn't log out? Many times he will go back to the page and attempt to click on something, only to find out that he has to login again. For example, the user might fill in a complex form and walk away, only to come back to try to submit the form and be kicked out of the site. Because this is a client-side JavaScript function, it will work with any server-side language.
HTML/CSS Crash Primer	02-Dec-08
Category: CSS, HTML
Description: This article is intended as a re-introduction to HTML and CSS, and something I have used in the past to give to any new employees who may have had HTML experience, but exhibited some bad habits in actual coding. You may think HTML is simple and you may think you know all you need to know, but HTML is misused daily. Following are some basics to help correct some of the common problems.
Creating a Formatted Unique ID in PHP	19-Nov-08
Category: PHP
Description: There are often times that you need a unique id in an application, but don't want to use an auto-incrementing integer. If an application is well designed and secure, an auto-incrementing number is usually fine, but to be on the safe side a unique identifier other than an integer is better as an id. For example, a customer number is a good use of a unique identifier, or an order number.
Blank Pages in PHP	06-Nov-08
Category: PHP
Description: If you are a PHP developer, you are likely familiar with the blank page -- an error page with no error message. PHP has some default settings that prevent any error messages from appearing when you install PHP and do not adjust the error display settings. This article will show how to show your error messages.
Creating MySQL Logins for a Web Site	20-Oct-08
Category: PHP, SQL
Description: MySQL is a popular database to use for your web site, allowing the power of a server-based database management system to be used for free. With the added power comes added danger-MySQL is frequently targeted by hackers. My article on preventing SQL injection attacks mentioned database login security briefly. In this article, I will expand on how to actually create users for your web site, which is vital knowledge when you are acting as a database administrator. If you have a PHP site using MySQL and you don't have a database administrator-you are it.
Creating SQL Server Logins for a Web Site	08-Oct-08
Category: SQL
Description: SQL Server is a popular database to use for your web site, especially since the Express version has been released, allowing the power of SQL Server to be used for free, making it a much more viable solution than some of the other free databases out there, like MySQL. With the added power comes added danger -- SQL Server is frequently targeted by hackers. My article on preventing SQL injection attacks mentioned database login security briefly. In this article, I will expand on how to actually create users for your web site.

Be on the watch for new SQL injection attempts, coming from China, using an ascii-encoded binary string. Essentially, what it does is find a vulnerable database and append a string to the fields in every table. The string is a closing </title> tag with a script, followed by a comment to hide the rest of the page:

http://www.bloombit.com/Articles/2008/05/ASCII-Encoded-Binary-String-Automated-SQL-Injection.aspx

I put something like this in my application.cfm file to re-rout the attackers temporarily:

<cfif FindNoCase('user>0',cgi.query_string) OR findNoCase('declare',cgi.query_string)
OR findNoCase('EXEC(@',cgi.query_string)>
    <cflocation url="http://www.ftc.gov">
</cfif>

Adobe has released the latest version of Dreamweaver to public beta at http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/dreamweavercs4/. As always, I have had a love/hate relationship with the program. Having used it a while now, I can say the same for the new version. I like many of the new features, like the related files views, the Subversion integration, and the collapsable panels (it's about time for this feature!). I will definitely be using DW 10 in the future, and have no intention of going back to the previous version. The collapsable panels alone are worth the price of admission. DW has always had problems with the usability of panels from the earliest days, but this time they got it right.

On the other hand, some things look like they were tacked on as an afterthought, and the overall interface is not as user-friendly as a basic Windows program should be that has been around for as many years as it has. The title bar is gone and the path to the current file has been stuck into a little spot that is reserved for page tabs. It sounds like a minor thing, but it's one of the most important parts of coding in a multi-tab editor. As soon as you open more than a few pages, the file path is cut off, and with a few more open, it disappears. Major step backwards here:

The other obvious usability problem here is the black text on dark grey in the tabs. On a laptop it's impossible to see, as is the white text on the dark grey. Also, the individual pages have a close button (X) which is a great bonus, but it would have been nice to have a close button on the frequently used panels (like Find/Replace) so you don't have to right click to pick a menu item to close a panel. Also, the entire border of the program is gone, making it blend into other open programs on your desktop. I understand this is the new "owl" interface, but owls should be left in the woods to live in trees. We really don't need the artsy fartsy stuff in a code editor.

But all in all, I would recommend the program. I use Eclipse all day long at my place of employment, and it is simply not as intuitive or easy to use as DW. Code view in DW has come a long way since the days of Ultradev. Download it and try it out, and by all means make suggestions in the forums on things that can be made better.

Community MX is celebrating its 5 year anniversary this week. They said it would never last, but we have been putting out 2 pieces of fresh content every day for 5 years, for a total of 2557 articles, tutorials, extensions, Jumpstarts, and more. Congratulations to the partners at CMX for 5 good years.

There seems to be a new rash of scamming/phishing attempts, and eBay is partly to blame. It seems eBay itself has a redirection service in place on one of their pages. Scammers are using links that point to the real eBay site, but redirect to the scammer site. This is especially insidious, as the link you see and the link you hover over are actual eBay addresses, and eBay is actually forwarding you to the scammer site. Below is a the link used in one I received:

http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?RedirectEnter&partner=ShowItem&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fus.ebayobjects.com%2F2c%3B9739597%3B9123118%3Bz%3Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fcontactbay-ws-bayisapi.xm.com%2F

It's amazing that with all the phishing attempts out there, eBay is actually falling down on the job by allowing their own site to redirect unsuspecting users to the phishing web site.

Community MX is having an open house where visitors are able to view over 2400 articles and tutorials. Community MX is a subscription service, so this is a good opportunity to see what is available. The open house is from 12/24/2007 through 1/1/2008. For a full list of what I've written for Community MX, see this page: http://www.communitymx.com/author.cfm?cid=1003

Community MX is always looking for new writers to join as full-time partners, or to simply supply tutorials on a one-off basis. CMX pays it's authors, so if anyone is interested in writing one or more tutorials or extensions, contact me via my contact form and I'll put you in touch with the right people. I've been with CMX since the beginning in 2003, and it is a great place to get exposure, help out your fellow developers, and get your content out there.

CMX is focused on Adobe products, but also all web technologies -- html, asp, php, coldfusion, sql, css, javascript, and any other technology related to web development.

I created a new plugin for Cartweaver for building a digital download store that was released yesterday. The Cartweaver Downloadable Products Plug-In was created for Cartweaver 3 for both PHP and ColdFusion. Here is the announcement from Lawrence at cartweaver.com:

The Cartweaver development team is pleased to announce the release of the Downloadable Products Plug-in for Cartweaver 3 CF

Now you can deliver your digital products immediately! This Cartweaver plug in allows your customers to download documents, PDFs, music, photos, artwork, software, and other digital products right away!

- Easy to integrate with your Cartweaver 3 CF store
- Upload your digital products via the store admin
- Customers can log in and download immediately after purchase
- Customers can re-download as few or as many times as you allow
- Customers can update contact information
- View entire order history
- Print out previous history

Available now! Go to the Products - Plug-Ins page and log in for availability and pricing.

I'm in the middle of a server move for this site and a few others. I'm moving to a dedicated server on IIS 6 and ColdFusion 8 using SQL 2005. If anyone notices any problems, let me know at tommuck AT hotmail DOT com. Everything seems fine from here, but a few email problems still need to be worked out. The dark grey background is the new server...ugly green, old server.