Dependent Dropdown – jQuery Plugin for Cascading DropDownList

Dependent Dropdown is a jQuery plugin that enables to add and control multi level dependent dropdown lists. It works both with normal select options and select with optgroups as well.

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Preparing for ECMAScript 6: Destructuring Assignment

Destructuring assignment sounds complex. It reminds me of object oriented terms such as encapsulation and polymorphism -- I'm convinced they were chosen to make simple concepts appear more sophisticated!

In essence, ECMAScript 6 (ES2015) destructuring assignment allows you to extract individual items from arrays or objects and place them into variables using a shorthand syntax. Those coming from PHP may have encountered the list() function which extracts arrays into variables in one operation. ES6 takes it to another level.

Presume we have an array:

[code]
var myArray = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
[/code]

We can extract these values by index in ES5:

[code]
var
one = myArray[0],
two = myArray[1],
three = myArray[2];

// one = 'a', two = 'b', three = 'c'
[/code]

ES6 destructuring permits a simpler and less error-prone alternative:

[code]
var [one, two, three] = myArray;

// one = 'a', two = 'b', three = 'c'
[/code]

You can ignore certain values, e.g.

[code]
var [one, , three] = myArray;

// one = 'a', three = 'c'
[/code]

or use the rest operator (...) to extract remaining elements:

[code]
var [one, ...two] = myArray;

// one = 'a', two = ['b, 'c']
[/code]

Destructuring also works on objects, e.g.

[code]
var myObject = {
one: 'a',
two: 'b',
three: 'c'
};

// ES5 example
var
one = myObject.one,
two = myObject.two,
three = myObject.three;

// one = 'a', two = 'b', three = 'c'

// ES6 destructuring example
var {one, two, three} = myObject;

// one = 'a', two = 'b', three = 'c'
[/code]

In this example, the variable names one, two and three matched the object property names. We can also assign properties to variables with any name, e.g.

[code]
var myObject = {
one: 'a',
two: 'b',
three: 'c'
};

// ES6 destructuring example
var {one: first, two: second, three: third} = myObject;

// first = 'a', second = 'b', third = 'c'
[/code]

More complex nested objects can also be referenced, e.g.

[code]
var meta = {
title: 'Destructuring Assignment',
authors: [
{
firstname: 'Craig',
lastname: 'Buckler'
}
],
publisher: {
name: 'SitePoint',
url: 'http://ift.tt/dZTkxh'
}
};

var {
title: doc,
authors: [{ firstname: name }],
publisher: { url: web }
} = meta;

/*
doc = 'Destructuring Assignment'
name = 'Craig'
web = 'http://ift.tt/dZTkxh'
*/
[/code]

This appears a little complicated but remember that in all destructuring assignments:

• the left-hand side of the assignment is the destructuring target; the pattern which defines the variables being assigned
• the right-hand side of the assignment is the destructuring source; the array or object which holds the data being extracted

Continue reading %Preparing for ECMAScript 6: Destructuring Assignment%

by Craig Buckler via SitePoint

Building a WordPress User Login Counter Plugin

WordPress is arguably the most popular content management system on the web.

According to Forbes, over 60 million websites globally are powered by it. Numbers like this show that WordPress is no doubt a leading contender when it comes to Content Management Systems (CMS).

A major attractiveness of WordPress is its large pool of plugins. Want to build an eCommerce store, there is WooCommerce and how about a job portal, there is WP Job Manager.

In this tutorial, we will learn how to build a plugin that counts the number of times users log in to a WordPress powered site with the login stats been displayed in a custom column in user list page.

Plugin Development

Majority of files in a WordPress plugins consist of PHP file, located in /wp-content/plugins/ directory. In our example, the file will be called wordpress-login-count.php. I assume you’re comfortable with connecting to your server using FTP/SFTP/SCP or SSH.

If you want to follow along, create the plugin PHP file wordpress-login-count.php. The complete plugin will be available for download at the end of this tutorial.

Continue reading %Building a WordPress User Login Counter Plugin%

by Agbonghama Collins via SitePoint

Creating a Simple WordPress Plugin in 60 Seconds

The process of creating a WordPress plugin can be daunting especially as you're just getting started. But before trying to create a large, multi-featured plugin, why not start off with the basics?

In this video, we take a quick look at everything that's needed in order to get started with laying the ground for a WordPress plugins

As you can see, there's no "magic" to creating a WordPress plugin. It's about knowing how to format code comments, a little about WordPress hooks, the WordPress API, and a little bit of PHP.

WordPress Plugins To Study

If this particular video has caught your attention and you're looking to study some other examples of WordPress Plugins, checkout some of the work that's available in our marketplace.

by Rachel McCollin via Envato Tuts+ Code

Is Hiring a Full Stack Developer Worth It?

Full stack developers are somewhat mythical figures in the tech world.

Most developers spend their entire career specializing in one specific layer of the stack – yet full stack developers can, apparently, do it all? Where are these technological geniuses? And are they truly that talented?

The answer to the first question, of course, is in the world, like everybody else. But the answer to the second question – are they truly that talented? – is more complicated.

Full Stack Developers Do Exist

Full stack developers do, in fact, exist. However, you have to be careful when assessing the skills of a full stack developer. Being a good full stack engineer is not about familiarity; it’s about an intuitive and deep understanding of both front-end and back-end best practices and paradigms.

Of course, full stack developers are capable of coding for every layer in the stack, and if they’re talented, they’ll do a good and thorough job of it. That requires a substantial amount of skill and a larger amount of experience.

That being said, however, a full stack developer’s work on the front-end will never compare to that of a front-end specialist, and that holds true for every layer of the stack. A full stack developer who is an expert in every layer of the stack is incredibly rare – the kind of genius you meet once in a lifetime. Granted, they exist, but they likely won’t be the full stack developer you’re hiring.

Full Stack Developers Aren’t a Solo Act

And so, a full stack developer is less about expertise and more about breadth and knowing how the different elements of development interact with each other and come together to form a product.

This has its pros and cons. In Peter Yared’s article The Rise and Fall of the Full Stack Developer, he points out how development has gotten far more complicated in recent years, and that a full stack engineer won’t cut it anymore. Given the complications of development, an expert is required at each layer in the process.

The flaw in Yared’s piece, however, is that he takes for granted a common misconception surrounding the full stack developer – that you don’t need a team if you hire a full stack developer.

This statement isn’t entirely false, but it only applies to young startups that are on a tight budget and building a minimum viable product. For that specific scenario, a full stack developer is a great choice. But once the product grows and becomes more complicated, a full stack developer will need support from a team of developers with expertise in specific areas.

In all fairness, Yared does address this in the closing paragraphs and phrases it succinctly:

it is critical to have at least one person with at least a functional understanding of each of the composite parts who is also capable of connecting various tiers and working with each expert so that a feature can actually be delivered.

And here’s where we get to the meat of the full stack developer’s role in modern development.

Continue reading %Is Hiring a Full Stack Developer Worth It?%

by Josh Althuser via SitePoint

Play Any Media File on Your iPad or iPhone for $15

Drag and drop—with WALTR, it’s that simple to play any media file on your iOS device. Get it for $14.99 at SitePoint Shop. You don’t need a third party iOS app to play any music or video file on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Just drag, drop, and play. WALTR is the only app […]

Continue reading %Play Any Media File on Your iPad or iPhone for $15%

by SitePoint Offers via SitePoint

iOS From Scratch With Swift: Table View Basics