The first in a series of Screencasts showcasing the CodeIgniter for Intype snippets bundle is now online.

In this screencast, I demonstrate the easiest method for installing the CodeIgniter bundle for Intype.

Also included is an introduction to using the snippets snippets included in the bundle.

Watch now

Following a very positive experience with the Windows 7 beta on my HP laptop, I decided that once the Release Candidate came out that I would run Windows 7 as my main O/S for the next few months.

The installation on the laptop went very smoothly. In addition to my Windows partition, Windows 7 reserved a 100Mb partition (down from 200Mb in the beta) to be used by EFI boot and BitLocker. As expected, my data partitions remained intact.

Once installed (approx. 35 minutes) Windows 7 successfully connected to my Wireless network - Windows Vista x64 failed - and I was up and running very quickly. So far I haven't found any of my day-to-day applications that will not work, however I will be testing out the new Windows XP Mode (which I will use for IE6 backwards compatibility testing).

I'm glad to be able to say that Windows 7 RC is much faster for me than the beta, it seems far more polished and there is no question that I'll be returning to use Vista any time soon. It really is that much better.

Regarding drivers, once I'd run through Windows Update to get the drivers for the nVidia graphics and Connexant High Definition Audio there was one solitary device ("Coprocessor") left. To fix this, I installed the Vista nVidia nForce Chipset drivers and everything was looking much better. Unlike the beta, the Audio was not 'crackling' on startup, and despite the beta being quite fast, the startup times for the Release Candidate were even quicker. Unlike XP and Vista, I have now reverted to a full Shutdown rather than using Hibernate as it's actually quicker on the laptop to start from a cold boot.

Over the next few weeks I will be trying out Windows 7 deployment using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 beta, and then with SCCM (once SP2 is out)

The first Alpha Release of the updated Intype Snippets for CodeIgniter is now available for download at Intype Snippets for CodeIgniter Google Code site.

In order to update to CodeIgniter 1.7.1 the Validation snippets have been replaced with the snippets for Form_Validation, as well as the new Form_Validation Helpers. To use the new bundle, if you were using the previous release delete/move the previous CodeIgniter 1.6.3 bundle directory and extract the new snippets. The new replacement tab triggers are listed in the menu - almost every trigger has been changed to avoid the multiple snippet search list wherever possible

A screencast showcasing the new snippets will be available later in the week on this blog.

Sometimes things come along that really capture your imagination. At the moment I'm working on 5 CodeIgniter applications, both in my day job (finally!) and for a new startup company in the UK.

The company site is a simple web presence, nothing fancy. The applications for work are more interesting, replacing old reporting systems and creating a slick AJAX interface using jQuery. As I don't get to do much web development work as a part of my day job, I'm really enjoying getting my teeth into some serious development. It's quite refreshing!

For all of this, CodeIgniter is saving me (and therefore my employer) time and effort. Re-using libraries, and extending existing applications, I've been able to maintain the core elements of the system (for example, a single login session) across them all.

Thank you CodeIgniter!

I've opened up a Google Code project for the Intype Bundle for CodeIgniter.

All of the changes made to the snippets will be submitted to the project while I update the files for CodeIgniter 1.7.1

This site needs more blog posts!

A recent article on ProBlogger '7 Ways to Keep Fresh Content Flowing On Your Blog' has given me a few new ideas for blog posts and I'll be writing the first in a new series this week. I've had a few emails asking me if I've stopped updating this blog. Truth is, I've been so busy recently that I haven't had the time to devote to the site I'd like to.

Forthcoming Site Updates

1. Requested often is an update for the Intype bundle for CodeIgniter. Work on this is already under way on for the new Form Validation library and other changes in CodeIgniter 1.7.1. The new bundle will also include snippets for use with the built-in helpers, which I believe is an important addition. I will also be submitting my changes back to the originator of the bundle for Textmate.
   
   
2. I'll be adding some more functionality to the blog. I'm not using a product like WordPress so I'll be adding the updates in phases. First up will be enabling the overdue User Comments and RSS feeds.
   
   
3. New sections on the site, including Screencasts, Tutorials and Articles. Although not yet shown, these sections are ready to go and are just waiting for content. Currently I have ideas for a wide range of subjects - though I expect to focus on I.T. related issues at first.


CodeIgniter Version 1.7.1 has been released. This version contains many new features and enhancements, as well as nearly three dozen bug fixes. It also includes a critical security update for applications using the new Form Validation library with field arrays. For a list of all changes please see the Change Log
Source: CodeIgniter News

This site has now been updated, and I'm glad to say I haven't found any issues!

Where have I been? I completely missed the boat on the whole Twitter revolution

I'm hooked!

....and the whole country grinds to a halt! Honestly, its like the whole country just decided to stay in and make snowmen in the garden.

Even the Football Association has gotten in on the act, asking FIFA for an extra day in the transfer window. Is that just because Arshavin might not make it to Arsenal in time for his medical? I could understand extra time if Alex Ferguson was involved, of course, but it all seems to be quiet at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Tottenham seem to be attempting to buy every player under the sun including our own Robbie Keane (for just 15m). What worries me is whether the transfer was sanctioned by Rafa Benitez, or if the owners have once again undermined him. And if so, has he got a replacement lined up?

With just over an hour to go until the window closes, I for one hope the squad stays the same (unless someone comes in with a cheeky 9m bid for Kuyt, which I would welcome with open arms!)

UPDATE: That's it.. Keane's gone, and Liverpool are left one striker down. What's the betting Torres is injured in his next match?

Unheard of, 2 updates from Martin on the Intype blog in a week! This time he's talking about paired characters, tab trigger and updates to the the conflict selector (the menu that comes up when more than one command matches the tab trigger), and the licensing library.

More information on the Intype blog