Dave Schwab

Checking if a class_exists() results in an uncaught LogicException

Dave Schwab — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:48:42 +0000

I know they say it’s not a bug, but the other day I was using class_exists() and the spl_autoload() functions to load my libraries. I discovered that class_exists() automatically returns an Exception when the class indeed does not exist! This was a problem, since I had created a custom exception MyException. Check out the code… …

Remove white background in Photoshop

Dave Schwab — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:54:58 +0000

I’ve been working with a website design that includes a black background. Part of the challenge has been taking some of the clip art files that were made to work with a white background and convert them to work with dark backgrounds. Sure you can use the magic want or a clipping mask, two ways …

Use a PHP class to connect to a database

Dave Schwab — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 03:44:13 +0000

Often times I’ve found myself wanting a quick and easy way to set up a connection to a MySQL database in PHP. In procedural code this was often accomplished by adding a few lines of code atop the first PHP file in the program. I’ve decided to write an object that uses the constructor to …

Dangerous trend: huffing

Dave Schwab — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 04:22:23 +0000

So the latest trend in the everlasting pursuit of a high is huffing. A lot of people are surprised when I explain what this is. Since it’s basically getting high where no one though a high was possible, it’s pretty misunderstood. And because it can kill you in under a ten seconds the first time …

Create a PHP Object

Dave Schwab — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:46:34 +0000

Object oriented programming was a foreign concept when I first started with it. I grew up writing procedural code all the way back to when I was 6 and coding in BASIC on my Atari 400! Procedural code was the way, but no longer. I am all about OOP now that I’ve grasped the basics …

Are you ready for some football?

Dave Schwab — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:01:36 +0000

It’s hard to believe that the NFL has been locked out the better part of this year. I’ve heard so much talk about lockouts, injunctions, anti-trust lawsuits and even something about an eight week regular season that I’ve almost forgotten how many yards are in a first down! Now that the lawyers have made hundreds …

The image … cannot be displayed because it contains an error.

Dave Schwab — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:30:18 +0000

I’ve been working in PHP with images and trying to get the GD and ImageMagick tools to work with my Windows 7-based PHP dev machine. My production servers are all LINUX because, let’s face it, who has time to reboot Windows that many times a day! But at home I’ve got a Windows PC that …

Life on the road

Dave Schwab — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:00:05 +0000

Well, it’s that time of year again. Right around the 4th of July it’s time to head out on vacation to visit family and friends in Pennsylvania and hit a stop or two along the way. Coming from south Alabama, there’s just something always special about a 1,000 mile road trip (one way) with my …

WordPress Mobile Edition rocks my iPhone

Dave Schwab — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 06:07:22 +0000

So I thought I’d mention a little something about WordPress Mobile Edition which is sort of a hybrid plugin and theme that pushes a nice mobile-ized version of my blog to those of you surfing around with iPhones, Androids and other such things. Although I miss my lovely theme that I found on the desktop …

My new blog

Dave Schwab — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:25:20 +0000

Well, I finally decided to put a nice little blog on the net to fill the blogosphere with the mindless drivel that spills from my mind while it floats around inside my brain. The first thing I want to talk about is how my spell check just indicated that blogosphere isn’t a valid word. It …