If you own a Mac and frequently rip audio from streaming content on the internet, then you’ve probably already heard of Audio Hijack. The majority of times I used Audio Hijack was for ripping audio from YouTube videos such as this one. I’ll show you how to download YouTube videos in FLV format, then rip the audio from those videos and save them as an MP3 file, all on Ubuntu.
Archive for July, 2010
July 2, 2010
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First Thing’s First: Validate
Have a sweet function written that requires valid variables? Make sure you’re validating those variables at the top of your function. Validating variables before (as apposed to while) they are used is key in making sure that important logic isn’t executed using crappy data.
Here’s an example of validating first, then executing:
/* The good... */
public function insertNewInvoiceItem($item, $quantity)
{
if(!$item instanceof Shop_Item) {
throw new InvalidArgumentException ('Expecting an item to be an instance of Shop_Item.');
}
if(!is_numeric($quantity)) {
throw new InvalidArgumentException('Quantity is not numeric.');
}
// We're good to go. Continue with the function...
}
The method above is also much cleaner than if... else... statements and limits the extra (perhaps useless) work required by your code:
/* The bad... */
public function insertNewInvoiceItem($item, $quantity)
{
if($item instanceof Shop_Item) {
// Do some $item stuff...
if(is_numeric($quantity)) {
// Do some $quantity calculations
} else {
// Uh oh, $quantity was bad but we've
// run some Shop_Item logic already.
}
}
else
{
// $item is not part of Shop_Item
}
}
I used a simple example to demonstrate my point but when this technique is used on more complex logic, it’s benefits are much more obvious.
Happy coding!
July 1, 2010
5
CSS & JS Coding Standards / Organization [OOP]
By no means should this article serve as the bible of CSS & JS coding standards, though it should get the ball rolling for those who are unsure where to start. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with many talented developers, each of whom have left little bits and pieces of their coding style behind. From those pieces I’ve assembled this article.
Let’s begin…
Alphabetize Your Code
Alphabetizing your code is an extra organizational step often overlooked. It’s especially helpful in PHP classes containing getter and setter functions, but it also comes in handy for CSS and JS. Often times similarly named elements will be somewhat related in function, so clustering them together makes them easier to find.
I’d recommend alphabetizing everything from JS class and function names, to CSS classes and ID’s. You’ll notice that every code example in this article is alphabetized to further exemplify the point.
