Technical case study: simple, invisible language switching
Using a website visitor's browser settings to seamlessly display content in a language they can understand.
Blog posts about Internet
The internet plays a huge role in my life, from a place to share photos and videos, to a career, to a means of communication linking me to friends and family all over the world.
Technical case study: simple, invisible language switching
Saying hello to a better future
I'm moving to Swiss web agency Say Hello as partner, client consultant and full-stack developer from January 2019.
How to get your visitors where they need to be
I presented at the WordCamp conference in Lausanne a couple of weeks ago, on the subject of website usability. The video of my talk is now online.
The (Not So) Secret Powers Of The Mobile Browser
I have a 16Gb iPhone, with comparatively few apps installed. 70% of these 16Gb are filled with data for these apps, although only 6% are music stored for offline listening, and only 2% are photos. From the apps, the main offender is Facebook, which currently needs 571.6Mb to tell me what’s going on. One has to ask why so many apps…
Screen resolutions in Sketch
Defining custom artboards in Sketch to better reflect modern screen resolutions.
Modular functionality – making WordPress development easier
A summarized insight into maintaining individual features in your own WordPress plugins through the flexibility and organisation of modular development.
Examples of WordPress as a headless CMS
WordPress is much more than a simple tool for building websites. Here are a few prominent sites which use WordPress and its new REST API for much more than a simple blog.
Base code for a WordPress theme using PHP namespaces
I provide a free public Github repository containing example code for starting work on a WordPress theme which uses PHP namespaces and template parts.
Base code for a WordPress plugin using PHP namespaces
I provide a free public Github repository containing example code for starting work on a WordPress plugin, which uses PHP namespaces.
Tailoring your web design process to site visitors’ needs
An analysis of the visitor statistics during a recent web project showed that a large number of visitors were visiting the site using medium-small devices with 1024px x 768px screens. This corresponds to an iPad held in horizontal format. But further research into the statistics showed that a large proportion of the visitors with this screen size were using…
New Slack channel opened for WordPress Switzerland
Providing WordPress developers and designers in Switzerland with an online place to hang out and exchange tips and ideas.
Handling file requests with the WordPress Rewrite API
I occasionally have a need to divert file requests on a website to a PHP script. By doing so, I can determine whether the visitor may access it, see whether an image should have a watermark automatically applied, or notify an administrator that a PDF has been viewed or downloaded. The easiest way to do so on an Apache web…
The JavaScript argument is racist
The battle royal du jour in the web development community is the argument of whether websites should be built with a JavaScript-based technology like AngularJS, Node.js or React, or using the classic composition of HTML and CSS, then extending it with JavaScript for those browsers which support it. Without reading the detailed arguments from informed developers on both sides of the argument, the…
Technical case study: the SBB CFF FFS brand panel
Using modern web technologies to replicate the ubiquitous red panel used by Swiss railway company SBB CFF FFS.
The WordPress technology behind my new photo galleries
Publishing photos to WordPress directly via FTP using Adobe Lightroom.
Managing WordPress Theme plugin requirements
I’m in the closing stages of development for a new WordPress site for a client. (A private one, so I can’t go into details.) As the development phase has progressed, the management of the required plugins in the Multisite installation has become ever more complex. Some sites are running an older Theme, which are dependent on a set of plugins, while new sites…
An easy introduction to WordPress plugins with PHP classes
There are many copy-and-paste examples of how to write your own functions and apply them through WordPress’ hooks and actions. But with a little simple knowledge of PHP’s namespace syntax, developers who regularly work on WordPress projects can make their lives a lot easier, whilst making their code much more robust, portable and secure. The first thing to recognize is whether the modification…
Happy birthday, Permanent Tourist!
I wrote and posted my first blog post in this version of my website ten years ago today. To celebrate, I'm reviving the “Photos” section of the site, which will contain my best and my favourite photos.
Technical case study: SBB RCS
The latest project we've launched at !frappant is for SBB (Swiss Railways): a microsite for the Rail Control System team, which promotes their work controlling the flow of rail traffic throughout the national network.
Customizing Twenty Sixteen
(The WordPress theme, not the year.)…