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Goodies to Go ™
July 5, 2005 — Newsletter # 344
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Featured this week:
* Goodies Thoughts – Caution Colors
* Q & A Goodies
* News Goodies
* Feedback Goodies
* Windows Tech Goodie of the Week
* And Remember This…
* Q & A Goodies
* News Goodies
* Feedback Goodies
* Windows Tech Goodie of the Week
* And Remember This…
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Caution Colors
First, let me welcome you to the first ever Goodies To Go Newsletter edition
to be officially released on a Tuesday! Just in case you didn’t already
know, Goodies To Go has, until today, always been a Monday publication. As
it happens, even if we had not made this official move, today’s newsletter
would have been published today (Tuesday) instead of yesterday (Monday)
because yesterday was a holiday in the US (Independence Day.) The biggest
difference is to be found in the date sensitive sections (News Goodies &
Remember This.) In the old days, if a newsletter was published on Tuesday,
it would still have carried Monday’s news and events; now it will carry
Tuesday’s. Enough of this! I had something else I wanted to discuss.
to be officially released on a Tuesday! Just in case you didn’t already
know, Goodies To Go has, until today, always been a Monday publication. As
it happens, even if we had not made this official move, today’s newsletter
would have been published today (Tuesday) instead of yesterday (Monday)
because yesterday was a holiday in the US (Independence Day.) The biggest
difference is to be found in the date sensitive sections (News Goodies &
Remember This.) In the old days, if a newsletter was published on Tuesday,
it would still have carried Monday’s news and events; now it will carry
Tuesday’s. Enough of this! I had something else I wanted to discuss.
There used to be a lot of talk about which colors are "safe" to use on a
website and which should raise a caution flag to the webmaster. While it is
not talked about so much any more, questions are still periodically raised
as to whether "safe" colors are still something to be concerned about.
website and which should raise a caution flag to the webmaster. While it is
not talked about so much any more, questions are still periodically raised
as to whether "safe" colors are still something to be concerned about.
To recap the original problem: Windows and Mac OS include a basic set of 216
colors into their native palettes. These colors are always pure. Every
other color is made by blending, or "dithering", these basic colors. The
problem comes with the fact that different applications, graphic cards, or
whatever, might not always use exactly the same blend, and might not always
truly "blend" them, creating a spotty, dotted effect – not very attractive.
There’s a great piece on the HTML Goodies site concerning this issue; you’ll
find it here:
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutorials/colors/article.php/3479001
colors into their native palettes. These colors are always pure. Every
other color is made by blending, or "dithering", these basic colors. The
problem comes with the fact that different applications, graphic cards, or
whatever, might not always use exactly the same blend, and might not always
truly "blend" them, creating a spotty, dotted effect – not very attractive.
There’s a great piece on the HTML Goodies site concerning this issue; you’ll
find it here:
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutorials/colors/article.php/3479001
Now, to the original question: does the lack of recent noise mean that you
no longer have to concern yourself with the "safe color" palette? The
answer is definitely no and yes!
no longer have to concern yourself with the "safe color" palette? The
answer is definitely no and yes!
No, you don’t need to worry about it because the graphical capabilities of
modern computers are far more advanced than they used to be, and even
dithered colors are rendered beautifully and pretty much uniformly.
modern computers are far more advanced than they used to be, and even
dithered colors are rendered beautifully and pretty much uniformly.
Yes, you need to worry about it because the "no" answer above doesn’t always
hold true. You might need to consider who your audience is, and whether or
not the above is likely to be true. Does your audience tend to use older
equipment / operating systems / browsers / etc.? Do you expect that you
audience is all running Windows XP, MacOS 10, up-to-date Linux or better on
a nice modern and powerful machine? Only you can answer that.
hold true. You might need to consider who your audience is, and whether or
not the above is likely to be true. Does your audience tend to use older
equipment / operating systems / browsers / etc.? Do you expect that you
audience is all running Windows XP, MacOS 10, up-to-date Linux or better on
a nice modern and powerful machine? Only you can answer that.
What do you do if you’re not sure? Here’s a hint: there’s a reason they’re
called "safe" colors!
called "safe" colors!
Thanks for Reading!
– Vince Barnes
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Q & A Goodies
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Questions are taken from submissions to our Community
Mentors. You can ask a Mentor a question by going to
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
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Questions are taken from submissions to our Community
Mentors. You can ask a Mentor a question by going to
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
Q. I am having trouble with using named parameters in JavaScript code. For
example, in this simple mathematical code:
var number : integer = cos (30);
document.write (" the Cosine of 30 Degrees is " + number + " ")
This is where I’m trying to calculate the cosine of 30 degrees and have made
a rule that the "number" variable must always be an integer. However, when
I attempt to run this code, I get the error message in Netscape: [missing
";" before statement] in the line of code "var number : integer = cos(30)".
I always get this type of message whenever I try to set any variable to
always be an integer or string. What am I doing wrong?
example, in this simple mathematical code:
var number : integer = cos (30);
document.write (" the Cosine of 30 Degrees is " + number + " ")
This is where I’m trying to calculate the cosine of 30 degrees and have made
a rule that the "number" variable must always be an integer. However, when
I attempt to run this code, I get the error message in Netscape: [missing
";" before statement] in the line of code "var number : integer = cos(30)".
I always get this type of message whenever I try to set any variable to
always be an integer or string. What am I doing wrong?
A. Unlike other languages you cannot specify if a variable is a string or
integer in JavaScript. Here is an example of how it would be done.
<hmtl>
<head>
<title>Test</title>
</head>
<body>
<script language="javascript">
var number = Math.cos(30);
document.write (" the Cosine of 30 Degrees is " + number + " ");
</script></body></html>
And here is link to a tutorial on the Math object:
http://www.javascriptkit.com/javatutors/math.shtml
integer in JavaScript. Here is an example of how it would be done.
<hmtl>
<head>
<title>Test</title>
</head>
<body>
<script language="javascript">
var number = Math.cos(30);
document.write (" the Cosine of 30 Degrees is " + number + " ");
</script></body></html>
And here is link to a tutorial on the Math object:
http://www.javascriptkit.com/javatutors/math.shtml
Q. Is is possible to place a cell that provides scrolling capabilities into
a specific location within a table? I have information that I wish to place
in the cell, but do not want to enlarge the height of the page.
A. What you are looking for is an inline frame. The problem that you will to
look out for is that inline frames are only recognized by Internet Explorer
4.0 and above and I think Netscape 6 and above. Here is a tutorial on inline
frames:
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutors/inlineframes.html
look out for is that inline frames are only recognized by Internet Explorer
4.0 and above and I think Netscape 6 and above. Here is a tutorial on inline
frames:
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/tutors/inlineframes.html
Q. I was curious about shopping carts and wondering what type programming
was need to created these.
A. Shopping carts are written in different languages and use different
technologies. You server type will determine what you can use and cannot
use. I use Active Server Pages(ASP) and for that I need to host on a Windows
server. A UNIX server will support PERL and PHP. There are JavaScript carts
but I have never used them. The shopping cart features will tell you if it
updates the product amount.
was need to created these.
A. Shopping carts are written in different languages and use different
technologies. You server type will determine what you can use and cannot
use. I use Active Server Pages(ASP) and for that I need to host on a Windows
server. A UNIX server will support PERL and PHP. There are JavaScript carts
but I have never used them. The shopping cart features will tell you if it
updates the product amount.
Q. I’m having trouble understanding how to get an image map to work like a
frame page. I want my map in one place, but the links to come up in another
frame.
A. It sounds as if you are not using the "target" correctly. If you have two
frames, one on the left and one on the right and you have the navigation in
the left frame. When you click on a link in the left, you want the page to
open in the right frame. If the name of the right frame is "right" then in
the hyperlink tag you have to have target="right"
<a href="some_page.htm target="right">Click Here</a>
That should do it. Change the target name to the frame name that you have
designated in your own frames.
[Exactly the same appies to the href’s in your maps. Note that if you create
the map with a graphics program like Painshop, however, you might have to
add the "target"s manually, after the mapis created. Ed.]
frames, one on the left and one on the right and you have the navigation in
the left frame. When you click on a link in the left, you want the page to
open in the right frame. If the name of the right frame is "right" then in
the hyperlink tag you have to have target="right"
<a href="some_page.htm target="right">Click Here</a>
That should do it. Change the target name to the frame name that you have
designated in your own frames.
[Exactly the same appies to the href’s in your maps. Note that if you create
the map with a graphics program like Painshop, however, you might have to
add the "target"s manually, after the mapis created. Ed.]
Q. My site uses 3 frames, heading, links and the third is the body, which is
the only thing that changes as you move through different parts of the
site. I’m using css for fonts, colors and background images on the site. I
would like to use a watermark logo, but I do not want to show it in the
heading or links frames, only the body. Is there some way to override the
background image in the css file in my heading and links frame so it remains
as just a white background?
A. Put a class="withbg" in the body tag of your BODY.
Put the background declaration in body.withbg {background-image….}
Put the background declaration in body.withbg {background-image….}
News Goodies
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Broadcom Hits Qualcomm Over 3G Patents
[July 5, 2005] The chipmaker alleges in a lawsuit that its rival’s use of 3G
patents violates antitrust laws.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3517576
[July 5, 2005] The chipmaker alleges in a lawsuit that its rival’s use of 3G
patents violates antitrust laws.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3517576
Microsoft Fixes Date For New SQL Server
[July 5, 2005] Redmond promises a November launch date for SQL Server 2005,
Visual Studio 2005 and BizTalk Server 2006.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3517531
‘Young’ Servers Could Lead to Spending Freeze
[July 5, 2005] Corporations would seem to be happy with the machines they
have now, leaving the hardware sector open to stagnation, Merrill Lynch
reports.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3517431
Finance Firms To Give FTC ID Theft Data
[July 5, 2005] Industry consortium to pool data for FTC’s Consumer Sentinel
Network.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3517571
Nokia’s Java Future
[July 5, 2005] Series 60 platform gears up for Sun’s middleware features in
latest Java releases.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3517446
China Joins Spam Fight
[July 5, 2005] The second-largest originator of spam, behind the U.S., joins
the international effort to slow the flow of unwanted e-mails.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3517626
Next Stop For Google Toolbar: Mozilla’s Firefox
[July 5, 2005] Mozilla browser’s latest accessory: the Google toolbar
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3517631
Rockin’ in the Fee World
[July 1, 2005] Companies line up to pay licensing fees in order to be part
of the music event of the decade.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3517391
Microsoft, IBM Settle Antitrust Claims
[July 1, 2005] Microsoft pays out millions to IBM over decade-old conflicts.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3517141
U.S. To Keep Control of Internet DNS
[July 1, 2005] The Dept. of Commerce reverses the policy of ceding
governance control to ICANN.
Read the article:
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3517281
Feedback Goodies
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Did you ever wish your newsletter was an easy two way communications
medium? Ploof! It now is!
If you would like to comment on the newsletter or expand/improve on
something you have seen in here, you can now send your input to:
medium? Ploof! It now is!
If you would like to comment on the newsletter or expand/improve on
something you have seen in here, you can now send your input to:
mailto:nlfeedback@htmlgoodies.com
We already receive a lot of email every day. This address helps us sort out
those relating specifically to this newsletter from all the rest. When you
send email to this address it may wind up being included in this section of
the newsletter, to be shared with your fellow readers. Please don’t send
your questions to this address. They should be sent to our mentors: see
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
those relating specifically to this newsletter from all the rest. When you
send email to this address it may wind up being included in this section of
the newsletter, to be shared with your fellow readers. Please don’t send
your questions to this address. They should be sent to our mentors: see
https://www.htmlgoodies.com/mentors/
Thanks for all your feedback!
Windows Tech Goodie of the Week
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Microsoft Announces "Atlas"
Microsoft has announced a new technology designed to make AJAX-style
development easier. We probably won’t see a working copy until the PDC, but
it’s nice to know something is in the works.
development easier. We probably won’t see a working copy until the PDC, but
it’s nice to know something is in the works.
*** AND ***
Retrieving Scalar Data from a Stored Procedure
Stored procedures typically return resultsets, but sometimes it can be
useful to just retrieve scalar data. This article looks at the various ways
to get scalar data back from a SQL Server stored procedure and how to access
the returned data in your ASP.NET code.
useful to just retrieve scalar data. This article looks at the various ways
to get scalar data back from a SQL Server stored procedure and how to access
the returned data in your ASP.NET code.
*** AND ***
Reading and Writing XML in .NET Version 2.0 – Part 3
In the final article of his series on reading and writing XML in .NET 2.0,
Alex Homer looks at how the updated XML document store objects XmlDocument,
XmlDataDocument and PathDocument can be used to read, persist and write XML
documents and fragments more easily and more efficiently than in .NET 1.x.
Alex Homer looks at how the updated XML document store objects XmlDocument,
XmlDataDocument and PathDocument can be used to read, persist and write XML
documents and fragments more easily and more efficiently than in .NET 1.x.
And Remember This …
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On this day in…
1865 The Salvation Army was Founded
Preacher William Booth and his wife Catherine started the Christian Mission
in London’s East End on this day in 1865. The Mission later (1878) changed
its name to the Salvation Army to "wage war against the evils of poverty and
religious indifference". The structure of the Army imitated the British
army, wherein the ministers wear uniforms and are called "officers" and new
members are called "recruits". Quoting their mission statement: "The
Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the
universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its
ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ." The Salvation Army is still headquartered in
London. Funded by contributions and by the sale of their publications,
they operate evangelical centers, hospitals, emergency and disaster
services, alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs, community centers,
social work centers, secondhand stores, and recreation facilities throughout
the world.
in London’s East End on this day in 1865. The Mission later (1878) changed
its name to the Salvation Army to "wage war against the evils of poverty and
religious indifference". The structure of the Army imitated the British
army, wherein the ministers wear uniforms and are called "officers" and new
members are called "recruits". Quoting their mission statement: "The
Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the
universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its
ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ." The Salvation Army is still headquartered in
London. Funded by contributions and by the sale of their publications,
they operate evangelical centers, hospitals, emergency and disaster
services, alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs, community centers,
social work centers, secondhand stores, and recreation facilities throughout
the world.
Today was also the day that in: 1687 England’s Royal Society
published Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica; 1811 Venezuela became
the first South American country to gain independence from Spain; 1841
Thomas Cook opened his first travel agency; 1891 six horses in Rapid
City, South Dakota were killed by hail; 1946 Louis Reard presented
his two piece swimsuit design at a Paris fashion show (named after the site
of the US atomic tests earlier in the week at Bikini Atoll); 1948
Britain’s National Health Service started; 1950 the Law of Return
passed, guaranteeing all Jews the right to live in Israel; 1962
Algeria gained independence from France (after 132 years); 1968 John
Lennon sold his psychedelic painted Rolls-Royce; 1969 Rolling Stones
played a free concert in London’s Hyde Park; 1971 US voting age was
reduced to 18 as the 26th Amendment to the Constitution passed: 1975
the Isle of Man began issuing their own postage stamps; 1975 Cape
Verde Islands gained independence after 500 years of Portuguese rule;
1983 a baby girl was born to a Roanoke Virginia woman who had been brain
dead for 84 days; 1989 Rod Stewart hit his head on stage and knocked
himself out;
Born today were: in 1794 inventor of the graham cracker, Sylvester
Graham; 1810 circus promoter Phineas Taylor Barnum; 1853 South
African diamond merchant and politician Cecil John Rhodes; 1879
tennis cup donor Dwight Filley Davis; 1904 actor Milburn Stone
("Doc", Gunsmoke); 1909 former USSR president Andrei Gromyko; 1928
actor Warren Oates; 1929 actress Katherine Helmond; 1944
musician Jamie Robertson; 1951 musician Huey Lewis;
