Laravel released v6.2 yesterday with a new password confirmation feature that enables you to require a logged-in user to re-enter their password before being allowed access to a route. Let’s take the new feature for a spin so you can see how it works.
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A new program has been added to the Free File Managers and Graphical Shells page. This one works on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and FreeBSD. Although all modern systems have their own file managers (eg, Explorer on Windows), these third party software offer convenient features such as built-in file comparison, the ability to open two folders side by side to facilitate easy copying/moving, and so on.
WordPress 5.3 Beta 3 is now available!
This software is still in development, so we don’t recommend you run it on a production site. Consider setting up a test site to play with the new version.
You can test the WordPress 5.3 beta in two ways:
WordPress 5.3 is slated for release on November 12, 2019, and we need your help to get there.
Thanks to the testing and feedback from everyone who tested beta 2 (and beta 1) over 60 tickets have been closed in the past week.
In addition to these, Beta 3 landed a number of small consistency and polish changes to the REST API, including an improvement to the permissions check used when editing comments, a fix for post type controller caching edge cases, and most importantly, the ability to use the _embed parameter to access the full data for a post using the /wp/v2/search endpoint.
WordPress 5.3 has lots of refinements to polish the developer experience. To keep up, subscribe to the Make WordPress Core blog and pay special attention to the developer notes tag for updates on those and other changes that could affect your products.
Do you speak a language other than English? Help us translate WordPress into more than 100 languages!
If you think you’ve found a bug, you can post to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. We’d love to hear from you! If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, file one on WordPress Trac where you can also find a list of known bugs.
Web design is loaded with existential questions. One of the biggest being: Can I build a website today that will still be relevant (in both style and function) tomorrow?
The answer probably depends on how many tomorrows into the future you’re referring to. But a good rule of thumb is that, the more time that passes, the less relevant a website’s design and functionality become. The future always brings change – often in ways we don’t anticipate.
This is probably a good thing, as it keeps us busy with redesign work. But if we’re refactoring an existing site, that can be a real challenge.
The key to taking on that challenge is in designing and building websites that keep an eye towards the future. Below are a few tips for doing just that.
Content Management Systems (CMS) have come to dominate the landscape. And while we all know the big players such as WordPress and Drupal, there are untold amounts of competitors. That doesn’t even take into account the plethora of DIY site builder services out there as well.
While many of the up-and-coming systems sound compelling, there is a serious question regarding their potential for longevity. Simply put: They may or may not be around in a few years. This isn’t even a question of quality. The reality is that it’s an uphill battle and there are bound to be some casualties along the way.
For your smaller projects, this may not be a deal-breaker. But for larger websites, stability is key. Having to move to a new CMS because your current platform is languishing (or worse) is a major task.
That’s why, before you craft a design or write a single line of code, choosing a CMS is the single biggest decision you’ll make. Choose wisely.
And, once you have chosen the perfect CMS, you’ll want think long and hard about any plugins you intend to use. This is especially important when those plugins will power core functionality, such as eCommerce, member management, etc. Again, the goal is to avoid the major disruption of having to switch later on.
One way to pretty much ensure a future hassle is to box yourself in with inflexible features. This includes both design elements that are built for whatever sample piece of content a client provided and custom code that isn’t easily extensible down the road.
Websites evolve over time. New content is added and its format is always subject to change. This can be very difficult to foresee, however. And so, we tend to design for the here and now.
Still, this doesn’t mean that we can’t prepare for this inevitability. One simple way to do this is by utilizing some of the amazing new layout features in CSS. Flexbox, for example, offers multicolumn layouts that can stretch to match the tallest column of the group. And CSS Grid can be tweaked into nearly endless complex layouts with just a bit of code.
Navigation is another area that seems to always overrun its initial intent. We can prepare for this by following the trends, such as placing at least some items behind the good old hamburger menu. This allows for growth and doesn’t necessarily require any radical design changes.
Most of all, look for solutions that are both creative and practical. This will help you avoid running into a self-made design wall.
Just as content needs change, so do functionality requirements. Therefore, it’s probably worth both anticipating and accepting that the code we write today is going to change at some point.
Depending on the language you’re using and your experience level, writing code that allows for future tweaks can be a real challenge. Sometimes, just getting it to work for the most immediate need takes all of our brainpower.
Plus, there are any number of ways to accomplish the same result. This, however, is a good thing. Once you have achieved your initial functionality goal, you have the opportunity to take a second look.
From there, think about ways to streamline what you’ve done and look at how easy it will be to extend later on. Ask yourself how you can make your code as efficient as possible. Taking those steps now could prevent a future mess.
Sometimes, building websites for clients is a guessing game. Often, it involves trying to figure out vague requests and anticipating how they’ll react to your ideas. It can be difficult to get on the same wavelength.
That’s why it’s important to ask the right questions. This can be very helpful when it comes to spotting areas of a project that could expand over time.
For instance, let’s say that a client tells you that they are looking for a simple eCommerce site (which doesn’t exist, by the way). This is an area primed for growth.
New products and features will most likely be added at some point. Understanding this, you can design and build in anticipation of the possibility. One example might be implementing a shopping cart that can be easily extended to do a multitude of things, rather than one with a narrow focus.
While predicting the future of web design and our client’s needs isn’t an exact science, it’s still a worthy endeavor. Certainly, there will be times when we guess wrong. But implementing forward-thinking practices into our workflow will help us accommodate most changes.
Above all, it’s about making smart decisions every step of the way. Whether that’s in choosing a CMS or writing some CSS, it’s important to think about how it affects a website’s ability to adapt to the future.
Nothing we create is going to last forever in its current form. But with preparation, we can help to ensure that its evolution is as smooth as possible.
The post Building Websites with the Future in Mind appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.
I thought a nice all-around learning resource would be to build your own PHP fiddle. It takes many attributes into account to build a fully functional fiddler. I’m not going to use any type of framework, just to keep it simple and easy enough for anyone else to follow and repeat. So for those ...
Xdebug Update: September 2019
London, UK
Tuesday, October 8th 2019, 09:25 BST
Another month, another monthly update where I explain what happened with Xdebug development in this past month. It will be published on the first Tuesday after th...
Latest PECL Releases:
Fixes
Starting from this version, programs MUST now call flush() before shutting down, otherwise some messages and callbacks may be lost.
curl_copy_handle function #502Traffic isn’t great, online sales are even worse, and let’s not talk about the lack of phone calls.
Everyone, including you, is wondering the same thing — is your website a failure? Not yet, and not if you have anything to say about it. While a failing website can seem like a problem without a solution, that’s not the case.
Plenty of factors can cause website failure, from a slow speed to poor design, but rest assured — your website isn’t past the point of no return. Whether with the help of your design and development team or the assistance of an agency that specializes in website failure, you can bring your website back to its former glory.
Are you ready to fix your site? Keep reading to learn about the three factors behind a failing website and how to make them nonexistent. Plus, see three real-life examples from companies like Target and Myspace.
If you need to chat one-on-one about your site’s troubles, contact us online or call us at 888-601-5953!
A slow site is one of the top reasons websites fail. Go ahead and check your site’s speed (for free!) now.
No matter your industry, product, or service, a slow website can prove deadly to your website’s success.
Why?
People don’t want to wait for your page or site to load. They’re on a mission to get something done, whether it’s researching a topic, comparing service prices, or finding a new recipe for tonight’s dinner. They want answers, and they want them now.
That’s why more than 50% of users abandon sites that load after more than three seconds.
If your website’s speed is more than three seconds (or even two, as most users expect sites to load in two seconds), you may have found the cause behind your website’s failure. Give your site the best chance at success by prioritizing a fix for this problem.
Companies that make page speed a priority can experience a range of benefits.
A business that increases its site speed by one second, for example, increases its conversions by seven percent. Even better, they experience longer sessions, meaning people spend more time on the company’s website.
Creating a faster website includes several different solutions and approaches, including:
In most cases, you will need the help of a developer to implement these changes.
While you can probably compress site images with ease, optimizing code may prove challenging without a developer background. If you don’t have an internal development team, you can invest in page speed optimization services, which help your business maintain a fast site.
Sites can also flop because they’re confusing and frustrating for people to use.
A hard-to-use site can result in website failure for a few reasons, including:
Essentially, a poorly designed site prevents users from doing what they (and you) want.
When it comes to web design, you want to provide a seamless customer experience. People should move from one page to another with ease. They shouldn’t have to think about what they need to do because your website provides an intuitive experience.
A few web design elements that can lead to poor usability and frustrating user experiences include:
For perspective on the impact of poor usability on your website’s performance, consider this fact: Almost 90% of users shop with a competitor after a poor user experience. It’s no surprise, then, that usability is one of the top reasons for website failure.
If you want to make your website a place that users and web designers love, take the following steps:
Next, compile all that feedback and look for similarities.
For example, did almost everyone comment on how the text was difficult to read, because of its color? Or, did they mention that the navigation was unexpected in its organization, making the task challenging?
With this feedback, you can work with your design and development team to come up with some fixes.
A few examples of some changes to improve your website and prevent website failure include:
If you have questions about how to improve your site’s ease of use, you can always work with a web design agency. These agencies, like WebFX, specialize in web design and can help you develop a site that gives users the best experience possible.
Sites without search engine optimization (SEO) can fail too. Does your website use SEO? Check now!
When you’re planning to buy something, where do you go? The Internet, most likely.
Whether you head to Amazon, Google, or Facebook, you use the Internet to research your options, compare prices, and (in some cases) make your purchase. Studies show that around 80% of people do their product research online.
The Internet, however, features more than 1.9 billion websites.
How can people that have never heard of your business, products, or services, find you? Search engines.
Search engines, like Google or Bing, offer your company a way to get noticed by people in your target market. That’s because search engines compile a list of search results, which feature websites from across the web.
If your site appears in those results, you have the chance to connect with your audience.
Appearing in search results, however, doesn’t guarantee a fix for website failure. You need to appear on the first page of results for the most impact because most users stick to the first page. For example, only 25% of users go to the second page of results.
How can your company earn a top spot in search results? With SEO.
SEO optimizes your website for search engines, as well as users. While it includes several technical and non-technical strategies, SEO maintains a simple and straightforward goal: Provide a fast and helpful experience to users.
Companies that don’t use SEO, however, place themselves at risk for website failure.
People can’t find your site, so your site doesn’t earn traffic, leads, or sales. This problem can become worse if you have a slow, poorly designed website because search engines like Google use speed and user behavior as ranking factors.
You can check and see if your site uses SEO (and how well) with a free SEO checker.
While creating an SEO-friendly website can serve as one of the most challenging fixes for a failing website, it also offers the biggest impact. You can improve not only your position in search results but also increase critical company numbers like sales and revenue.
If you want to optimize your website for SEO, review the basics of SEO, from keywords to title tags.
Once you learn the basics of SEO, you can move forward with your SEO strategy. Start by auditing your website, whether manually, professionally, or with an SEO checker. Your audit will provide the foundation for your SEO plan.
Every SEO plan is different, but they all include a focus on the following factors:
You can also partner with an SEO agency if your team doesn’t have the resources or time to dedicate to SEO. Via the agency’s SEO services, your company can optimize its site, prevent website failure, and improve its revenue.
Curious about some other reasons websites fail? Check out these three real-life examples:
The launch of HealthCare.gov, which opened the U.S. Health Insurance Marketplace, experienced several problems. From failed security features to unsuccessful logins, the website was far from successful at its launch. Now, though, users can count on the site to perform.
While one of the world’s first social media networks launched without issue, its later management turned the website into a brief failure. Due to some developmental missteps, Myspace was vulnerable to phishing, malware, and spam, which harmed its market value and long-term popularity.
Target also experienced a moment as a website failure. Upon launching its Missoni Collection, the website crashed and experienced a second crash six weeks later. Not to mention, site security missteps led to the company paying $18.5 million in settlement fees.
If you’re worried that you have a failed website, you can change that.
With WebFX, an award-winning full-service digital marketing agency, your business can receive the support and services you need to turn your website into a success. Discover how our services, from SEO to page speed optimization, can help by contacting us online or calling us at 888-601-5953 today!
The post Is Your Website a Failure? 3 Reasons Sites Fail (And How to Save Yours) appeared first on WebFX Blog.