Thursday, August 30, 2007

Illusion Technologies: PHP Developers

Web Development Process-Development Life Cycle
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nik_Chauhan]Nik Chauhan

Web Development process can also be classified into different development life cycle steps just like traditional software development process. Basically Web development is process of designing a website for World Wide Web using various programming and designing technology.

Web development includes six processes:

Analysis:

Study and analyze the exact requirements. This can be through emails, questionnaires, interactive sessions, etc. Analysis must cover all aspects including the existing web system as well as audience.

Specification and documentation:

Create system functionality document which perceive all the requirements of the client with all the minute details. It will create better understanding about the system to be developed. Also mention all the future requirements as well as all the costing details.

Design:

This process includes designing a small prototype or small working model. It covers activities directed towards the architecture of the system and function flow diagrams including detailed specification of the system. In this process there can be lot many suggestions from the customer and those changes should be noted down and should discussed and before moving onto the next phase.

Development:

Development phase transforms the detailed design and specification into actual product through various hard code programs. It includes the integration of source code, database files and content into a single module or product.

Testing and Deployment:

It includes testing the product or modules of the product through various testing process like load testing, cross-browser compatibility testing, resolution testing and integration testing. It also includes the validation of pages through w3c consortium. The finished product is deployed and functions are carried out through the system, which the system is supposed to do.

Marketing and Maintenance:

Marketing is a process which involves preparation of Meta tags, optimizing pages from various factors, submitting the website to different search engine. Maintenance is the important step of the whole process. It includes frequent updating of the web site to keep it fresh. Various bug fixes and errors will be done during maintenance phase.

The above mentioned all the steps are not fixed for web development process. It may vary according to the company’s policy and strategy. [http://www.corporatesitesolutions.com]Web Development.
Source: [http://www.corporatesitesolutions.com]www.corporatesitesolutions.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nik_Chauhan http://EzineArticles.com/?Web-Development-Process-Development-Life-Cycle&id=344293

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Illusion Technologies: PHP Developers

Choose Wisely: PHP Templates and Search Engine Rank
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Filipp]Jacob Filipp

This article is intended for PHP web developers who create template systems for consistently presenting website content. PHP designers who create their own template systems should be concerned about how their choices affect the website's position in search engines. Below is a discussion of three types of systems, their impact on search ranking and a recommendation for the best approach.

Webpage as a CGI Argument

In this architecture one PHP script contains the entire template, and plugs in content from a file it reads in - getting the file name from a CGI parameter. These types of systems are not only prone to security problems (as users can modify the path argument to retrieve arbitrary files) but are also ineffective for search engine optimization.
This particular design does not allow for titles and keyword/description meta-tags to be associated with individual pages. This is because the header portion of the template includes the section within it, and only allows for one site-wide title and set of meta-tags. Titles are one of the most important page elements, and having one title - unrelated to the actual content retrieved - results in a lower rank in search engines.

There are two other detrimental SEO effects this type of system has. The first is that each unique page is viewed as an aspect of the template script, rather than as a unique standalone page. This can result in search engines lowering the importance of individual content pages relative to the template script - which is often not the desired result. The other weakness of this approach is that having individual pages set up as CGI arguments makes site metrics harder to track, as statistics often show a visit to a specific page as a visit to the general template script. The popular web statistics packages AWstats and Webalizer are most affected by this.

However, this type of templating system is popular and sucessfully used in the world of e-commerce. In such systems, product information is stored in a database and is inserted into the template when a product is requested by its code. This means that both a unique title and a set of meta-tags can be stored alongside the product data (or generated on the fly), and inserted into the global template effectively. The only detrimental effects that remain are the latter mentioned two, and are usually an acceptable tradeoff for the increased ease of administration that a database-driven system provides.

Template as an Include

In this architecture, each page on the website has its own filename with a .php extension. The top and bottom portions of the template are stored in separate files that are included (using include_once() ) by each content file. This technique increases the importance of the page with search engines, as each page is its own standalone page rather than a CGI argument. This type of template system also makes it simple to track page views through regular website statistics software.

On the other hand, this type of template system still has the weakness of having one title and one set of meta-tags for the entire site. This is, again, because the header portion of templates has to include everything from the opening of the tag to the end of the code for the header portion of the template. And this area includes the title and meta-tags. One workaround for this type of system is to code the top template page to check which file it is being called from, and to substitute a suitable pre-coded title. Although effective, such a system is cumbersome to maintain as each new page that is published warrants a new title and meta-tag entry in this secondary system.

Body-Only Includes

The ideal PHP templating system will permit content producers to enjoy the reusability of templates, while maintaining unique titles and metadata for each page with ease. The system that meets all of these SEO needs is a "body-only include" system: a system where each php content page includes the top and bottom portions of the template (as in the previous approach), but only includes the elements below the body tag. This translates into a document that has its own html, head, title and meta tags, has an include_once() statement which is called at the top of the body element and includes the top portion of the template, has the content, and an include for the footer portion of the template. Such a system allows for individual editing of the title and meta-information during the creation of documents and solves the problems that both of the aforementioned systems face.

I find this system the most search-engine friendly, because it keeps the title information and the content together - allowing for the presence of relevant, unique titles for each page. This system is also the most human friendly, as storing the title information in the same file as the page content allows for fast updating and avoids maintaining a second "workaround" system that attempts to match titles to content.

Conclusion

The types of template system that PHP developers choose to implement for clients' sites have a crucial impact on the future search-engine popularity of the client's webpages. Important factors to consider when developing a template solution are: relevant titles tied to content, relevant meta-tags, standalone files and ease of statistics tracking. The popular approaches of page-as-an-argument and template-as-an-include do not effectively provide these functions. Including template information after the body tag, and keeping headers intact is the best way to ensure that sites are optimized for search engines - and this is why you should consider using the Body-Only Includes model during your next project.

Jacob Filipp is a Canadian search engine optimization specialist at [http://powerspiritonline.com/contact.html]Powerspirit. Jacob has 7 years of experience as a web developer and webmaster.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Filipp http://EzineArticles.com/?Choose-Wisely:-PHP-Templates-and-Search-Engine-Rank&id=597857

Monday, August 27, 2007

Illusion Technologies: PHP Developers

Web Development Tricks and Techniques
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sean_R_Mize]Sean R Mize

In the recent past many industries have flourished as a result of internet life style becoming en vogue. One of these industries is the industry of web development. Web development means the work of constructing web sites. There are a number of freelancers and other web developers who are making a more than decent living through web development. The reasons are obvious. There has been a lot of increase in the number of web sites which are existing on the web today. The number of web sites is still increasing now.

Never before was the number of web sites on the internet as big as it is today. The competition has increased and as a result people need state of the art kind of web sites for their businesses. Success in the online business is dependent on the web traffic flow a web site gets. To ensure this flow, those web developers are preferred who can help you in promoting your web site by designing it properly. Web development is a full fledge industry now. It has its own rules of the game.

Being a web developer means you need to know everything about the current technology which is being employed to construct web sites these days. You need to be clear about the importance of promoting a web site. The web site designs which help a web site in promoting it are feasible these days. The use of media streaming and such other features is also important. The most important tack is that you need to know the latest technologies being used in the web development industry these days. You also need to assess the need of your client before you design the web site for your client. Paying attention towards these tricks will help you in being a successful web developer.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: [http://www.secrets-of-internet-success.com/ezwebdevelopment.html]Secrets of Article Promotion

Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 1574 articles in print and 11 published ebooks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_R_Mize http://EzineArticles.com/?Web-Development-Tricks-and-Techniques&id=666611

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Illusion Technologies: PHP Developers

3 Reasons Why PHP Message Boards Rock
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Keegan]Matthew Keegan

If you are web designer, chances are you include forums on at least some of the sites you manage. If you haven't explored PHPBB2 you are missing out as this type of message board offers to designers a forum that is well supported, easy to manage, and above all else: free! Let's see why PHPBB2 is a hit with so many web designers.

Compared to some web designers, I am relatively new to the business. I created my first forum with MSN groups in 2002 then, six months later, I made the move over to EZBoard. Sure, it did not have all the bells and whistles of vBulletin and other corporate developed boards, but it did the trick for me. That is, until EZBoard was hacked and my livelihood nearly disappeared in moments some two years later!

In search of something different, I considered the move to vBulletin, but I was quite frankly not wanting to shell out license and upgrade fees on a regular basis. At the time of the EZBoard incident, I was running six forums, so I knew that I would eventually have about that many when I completed my transition away from EZBoard.

So, why PHPBB2? For three reasons:

1. It is free. Yes, absolutely! Since it is "open source" code, developed by the developers, it is offered as a free download to whosoever will. Believe me that is a big appeal and, apparently, many designers around the world feel the same way as over 200,000 people are members of their support forum.

2. It can be used across platforms. Whether you work in Windows or Linux, IIS or Apache PHPBB2 is usable and fully functionable.

3. Highly modifiable. Open Source extensibility is evident with the incorporation of PHP, HTML, CSS, and MySQL into the forum.

For the novice, PHPBB2 does take some getting used to especially since you are responsible for installing, maintaining, backing up, upgrading, and modifying your own forum. For your benefit you can access onsite Flash tutorials which are a great way to walk your way through the installation process too. As with any software it is vulnerable to outside attacks, so take care to make sure you regularly back up your forums and familiarize yourself with the security procedures.

In all, PHP message boards really do rock and at a price that cannot possibly be beat!

Matt runs two PHPBB2 sites at http://www.aviationemploymentboard.net and http://www.corporateflyer.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Keegan http://EzineArticles.com/?3-Reasons-Why-PHP-Message-Boards-Rock&id=58185

Friday, August 24, 2007

Illusion Technologies: PHP Developers

Web Development - An Overview
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Munish_Dev]Munish Dev

A web page may be created for personal or professional purposes. Technology has made web development a convenient process. In fact the benefits of technology vis-à-vis the web are meant for both developers and users. The increased usage of the web and the growing number of websites are an indication of this. And what sets the web apart from other technologies such as the television and radio is the space it gives to the user. Everyone can have a web site of their own, but not everyone can, for instance, have a show on television.

The mix of personal and professional web spaces is interesting to track. In the initial days of the web, the purpose was purely idea-sharing at an academic level. In about two years, the web was opened up as a public place and you started seeing a mix of personal and professional sites. In the next stage of its growth, the web was filled with everyone’s personal sites. Everyone had a web page up and ready with personal photographs, ‘about me’ etc. And then came the boom of companies on the web, and business on the web grew like never before. The web became an inimitable marketplace for people to buy and sell all kinds of products and services.

In the lifecycle of website creation, the development team evaluates and, if necessary, revises ideas storyboarded by the design team. Web development is a specialized area of work which involves an understanding, even if not knowledge, of all other related processes. It can be said that the development team is directly responsible for the creation of a finished website. Evaluation is not just a technical procedure, and involves some degree of subjectivity also. Developers do not just mechanically use rules to create webpage. Individual web developers would bring their own style to the work, and the final product would be influenced in that way.

Web development is carried out with the use of languages such as HTML, XML, Flash, Perl, CSS etc. Like languages we use in our day to day life, each of these languages used for web development has their own respective logics. A web developer must be well-versed in the use of one or more of these languages. The lay person has a very simplistic understanding of what web development involves. The development stage of a website is in fact a long-drawn process often requiring rework and multiple revisions. Both creation and maintenance of a web space is known as web development.

As mentioned earlier technology is now geared towards making it easier for a common person to develop a web page. There are, now, many tools available to help a person develop a website and make the web development process easier to an extent. The very fact that there are websites taking care of the complete development side of website creation for users, speaks volumes for the complexities involved in web development. A lot of the complexities of web development arise from the fact that a web developer must possess the ability to troubleshoot serious technical problems.

Asynchronous JavaScript And XML (AJAX) is a web development technique used to create interactive web applications. Even though the phenomena itself has been around on the web for about a decade, the term AJAX was recently attributed to this technique which is often misunderstood as being to be a technology. AJAX is very relevant in present day web surfing. There are times when you need your website to seem more responsive. But at the same time to continually process small amounts of data requested by the user you cannot afford for the whole web site to be reloaded. AJAX allows this activity to go on behind the scenes which accentuates the sense of interactivity on the web without affecting the speed of the web site. Filling up forms on websites, and other such activities become particularly easy because of this technique.

The technicalities can be avoided, but any company doing business online must have a good understanding of web development. These companies looking for a resounding web presence must be aware of issues like browser compatibility, accessibility, and web standards. Web standards in particular have been put in place to ensure that websites meet their fundamental purpose if communicating with a user.

In the field of web development ‘web development India’ is the new mantra of success. Global companies are recognizing the path-breaking working being carried out by web developers in India. Companies from across the world are partnering with Indian firms because of the cost-effective, superior quality services on offer. Web development professionals in India with their expertise are attractive key global players towards India. Touted as an industry that will see phenomenal growth in the next couple of years, web development India is surely going to be the way of the future.

Munish Dev Rathee working as an SEO cum Content Writer for an [http://www.namahatechnologies.com/]Web development India
Firm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Munish_Dev http://EzineArticles.com/?Web-Development---An-Overview&id=436932

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Illusion Technologies: PHP Developers

Offshore Software Development - How to Select Projects That Will Succeed
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mandli_Sathyanarayan]Mandli Sathyanarayan

One of the key decisions a company needs to make in off-shoring software development is which projects to offshore. You cannot simply offshore “maintenance” projects, because your staff in the U.S. wants to work on new product development. This issue must be carefully thought through and here are time tested and proven guidelines:

1. Business objective: It may sound simple but make sure you clearly define your objectives for offshore outsourcing. Are you going offshore for cost only, for cost and skills, do you wish to use local expertise to develop or customize products for that part of the world? Each of these can lead you to a different list of potential projects.

2. Adequate resource pool offshore: This issue is not always obvious; but depending on the technologies you employ, you need to ascertain if there is a large enough resource pool. Competition for the right resources in countries like India is intense; if you are in a narrow niche and you need to invest significant training dollars to get the staff up to speed, you need to think through how you can retain your staff. Industry has experienced many instances where one company invested in training key staff, only to find that 6 months later a competitor offered enough incentives for the recently trained staff to leave the first company. A mid-sized company who experienced this is evaluating if they should bring the project back to U.S.

3. ROI: A small software company recently considered off-shoring; the proposal was to offshore the equivalent of four to six developers. The financial analysis indicated that at this level, the overhead needed to establish and manage an offshore effort was significant and the cost savings after considering all associated costs didn’t exist. The company decided against outsourcing. This example points to another criterion for determining whether a project makes sense for offshore -- return on investment. After all, one of the most common reasons for off-shoring is to reduce cost.

4. Deliverables and level of interface with the U.S. team: Can you define clearly what the offshore team needs to do? The more you can do this, the better your chances of success. What is the level of interface? How much interaction does the offshore team need to do with the U.S. team? If you need to provide ongoing (read: some times daily) management guidance, it will take significant management effort make it successful or worse yet, it may not succeed at all.

5. Specialized equipment or tools: If your development environment involves specialized tools and equipment, it can impact financial feasibility and schedules; you need to think through the time it will take to create the necessary environment offshore.

6. Transfer of Information and Training: How long does it take, at what cost and whether you have personnel available to devote to this, in addition to doing their own current tasks?

7. Cultural fit (Contextual knowledge necessary); is it possible to train offshore personnel within a reasonable time frame? For example, projects that deal with user interfaces are harder to transfer because of the need to understand the cultural issues in the U.S.

8. Attracting and retaining offshore talent: If you are doing new development or you are in a hot technology area, this will work in your favour. If you are considering dated or proprietary technology with limited market appeal and/or sustaining effort, this will work against you.

For a free download of Sath’s e-book “6 Key Steps to achieving success in global Outsourcing”,
"click Here" http://www.offshoringsuccess.com/web_log.php

M. M. “Sath” Sathyanarayan is President of Global Development Consulting, Inc., an advisory firm focused on global outsourcing. Sath is a pioneer and an internationally recognized expert; he led HP/Tandem’s entry into global outsourcing beginning in early 90s, was CEO of 24by7 Corporation and now consultant, author and trainer. He is author of the book, “Offshore Development and Technical Support: Proven Strategies and Tactics for Success”, a must read for anyone involved in global outsourcing.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mandli_Sathyanarayan http://EzineArticles.com/?Offshore-Software-Development---How-to-Select-Projects-That-Will-Succeed&id=618279

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Illusion Technologies: PHP Developers

How to Install WordPress Using Fantastico
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Shawn_DesRochers]Shawn DesRochers

Using Fantastico to install WordPress

Using Fantastico to install your WordPress Blog is one of the easiest methods and probably the quickest ways of setting up a blog. Fantastico will install the WordPress software and create the database and the configuration file for you.

How to use Fantastico to install WordPress?

Login to your web hosting control panel, and in this tutorial we'll assume your using cPanel.

It can usually be accessed by the default method. http://your-domain.com/cpanel

1) Login to your control panel "cPanel"

2) Click on the Fantastico icon or look for the Blue Smiley Face icon.

3) Select WordPress from the list on the right.

4) Click New Installation.

5) Select the domain name you want WordPress installed on.

If you have more than one domain hosted on your account, be sure to select the domain you want your WordPress Blog installed in.

6) Decide if you want WordPress installed in the root or a sub-directory.

Example: if you want it in the root directory leave it blank. If you wish to install it in a sub-directory make up the directory name you want it installed in like "blog or wordpress".

7) Next enter an Admin username and password, but be sure to write them down as you will use this information to enter your WordPress Admin Panel.

8) Now enter your Admin nickname that you will go by when posting articles.

9) Enter your admin email address that you wish to use to be notified of comments etc.

10) Enter your Site name

11) Enter your Blog Description

12) You can also set up your email configuration; usually the default settings are ok as most host support PHP Mail or SMTP support throuth the PHP.INI Settings.

13) Click Install WordPress.

Once installed, you can choose to have the details of the setup mailed to your email address for safe keeping. This is highly recommended in case you forget your admin login and password.

You're done! You now have WordPress installed on your domain.

To access your blog if you installed it in a sub-directory. http://www.your-domain.com/sub-directory-name

To manage your WordPress Blog you would login using the following. http://www.your-domain.com/sub-directory name/wp-admin/

If you installed it in the root directory you would use the default method of accessing your WordPress Blog. http://www.your-domain.com

And you're WordPress Admin Panel http://www.your-domain.com/wp-admin/

Enjoy your new WordPress Blog!

About the Author:

Shawn DesRochers is the CEO of a successful SEO & Web Design Support Forum [http://www.Invision-Graphics.com]http://www.Invision-Graphics.com. He also helps administrate one of the most popular Blogger support forums online at http://www.bloggertalk.net where bloggers can get answers to their current questions. If you need blog hosting we recommend [http://www.visionthishosting.com]VisionThisHosting.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shawn_DesRochers http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Install-WordPress-Using-Fantastico&id=683606

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