Natcoll Class Manager
2009 Autumn
An Intranet portal to keep track of student attendance, in class requirements and course completion.
This project makes heavy use of Mootools and JSON to provide a light weight and fast tool for students to check their up to date attendance and course completion.
Because of the controlled environment, the decision was made to limit the site to exclude Internet Explorer and not worry about compatibility (try go to the site in IE...), this sped up development and allowed time to be focussed on more critical areas.
Students log in and are able to do the following:
- View current attendance, including graphs.
- See current assignment status (awaiting hand in, complete, failed, awaiting marking), and course completion.
- Join the class waiting list, to be put in the queue requiring the tutors attention.
Tutors can log in and do the following:
- Administer their classes waiting list.
- Update class attendance levels.
Administrators can log in and do the following:
- Add Edit Delete classes and their timetables.
- Assign students, tutors and heads of departments to classes.
Note: because this was developed for internal use, I have set up a copy on my web server. This resets every hour, so feel free to play around. Things of interest are:
- When your attendance is bad, the faces aren't so happy.
- Attendance updating auto saves in the background - watch the face flicker when updating.
- Adding students, tutors and heads of departments is done in a facebook style interface.
- When logged in as a class tutor, and someone in your class joins the waiting list - a growl-esque notification will appear.
- The animation between 'Update Password' and 'Update Profile' took 6 hours, longer than any other part.
PHP 4 + 5, MySQL- JS + Scriptaculous + AJAX
- xHTML + CSS
- Photoshop
- Server Setup
Trade Find
2006 - 2009 ongoing
Online Community Based advertising, from concept to finish.
Trade Find is an online service advertising website with a focus on dynamic user created ads. The entire system was built using PHP 4 and MySQL 4 and later adapted and moved to a PHP 5 base, with new code in an OO environment.
Originally designed with the concept of user created ads only, the system has evolved over time to include an advanced sales rep management facility. Commissions, discounts and payments are all tracked and monitored through an advanced administration area.
The web server was set up on a dedicated Debian box, before being transferred to clustered hosting after a year.
Features include:
- Standard user registration, activation and account editing.
- Users can browse ads by category, sub category, region and keyword.
- Ads are created using an online form, including auto saving and picture uploading.
- Credit Card payments are handled via the EFTPOS ANZ eGate payment gateway.
- Search is provided by a custom full text search, involving root words (searching for child and children produce the same results), and also searched by region.
- Administration allows for advanced reporting and account administration, including sales reps commission levels and copy writer fees.
- AJAX was used in several areas to optimise the retrieval of vital information, such as a drilling down to the users location.
- PHP 5, MySQL
- JS + Scriptaculous + AJAX
- xHTML + CSS
- Server Setup
New Regent Studios
2005 Spring
Online Photographic Print Ordering, with an Ajax twist.
The e-commerce side of New Regent Studios was one of my first jobs working with Ajax, and was accomplished using Scriptaculous as the Javascript library. An edited lightbox script is used to display the enlarged photograph, along with various print sizes and options - all retrieved from a MySQL database.
Because of the large amount of photographs on the site, the server is based at the clients location and they simply transfer folders of photos via SMB to the server. Once the files are on the server, New Regent Studios simply enter in the gallery name into the administration section and any details they want and voila, the gallery is live online!
Galleries, categories, sizes & products, orders and vouchers are all handled via the administration section online. The system is running PHP, MySQL and IIS on a Windows 2003 SBS Server.
Features of note:
- Weddings can be found by searching for the Bride or Grooms name, with an autocomplete box, or via a date ordered list.
- Many weddings also include a dynamic XML based Flash Slideshow as an example of the DVD of pictures available.
- Products are added via AJAX, no page refreshing.
- Shopping Cart view is also AJAX, with the total updating - including voucher & discounts.
- Orders supply invoice via email, and as a PDF attachment (generated by PHP).
- Weddings can be found by searching for the Bride or Grooms name with an autocomplete box, or via a date ordered list.
- PHP 5, MySQL
- JS + Mootools + Scriptaculous + AJAX
- xHTML + CSS
Waterbubs
2008 Spring
Waterbubs required a website to automate bookings for their underwater childrens photography sessions, and provide an area for parents to order prints & reproductions of the photographs. For obvious reasons the photos couldn't be displayed to the public, so a secure pin system was introduced (provided to parents at the photo session), and parents can view the photos of their children safe in the knowledge they're only being displayed to them.
Parents can view upcoming sessions, and book their children in via the booking system. All payments are handled via Direct Payment Solutions, using their mcrypt based hosted payment solution. A Waterbubs themed Wordpress blog for Sarah and Blair to blog about their upcoming bookings and experiences with past photoshooots was also added. Design by Bobby @ SpiltMilk.
- PHP 5, MySQL
- JS + Mootools
- xHTML + CSS
Waiora Imagery
2008 Spring
Waiora Imagery is the other side of Waterbubs, where Sarah Alice Lee and Blair Oughton display their professional under water photography showcase. Design by Bobby @ SpiltMilk.
- PHP 5, MySQL
- Zend Framework
- JS + Mootools
- xHTML + CSS
- Photoshop
NZATE
New Zealand Association for the Teaching of English
2008 Winter
The website for the New Zealand Association for the Teaching of English required a revamp. Also provided are a discussion forum, and themed Wordpress blog. The website was built using components of the Zend Framework for rapid development.
- xHTML + CSS
- Photoshop
Ott Landscapes
2009 Autumn
Catherine OTT required someone to convert the design she contracted into xHTML and CSS. Design by Plato Creative.
- PHP 5
- xHTML + CSS
- Javascript + Scriptaculous + AJAX
- Photoshop
Stablemate Systems
2005 Summer
Stablemate Systems required a website to showcase their innovative equine stabling products, and generate enquiries.
