Workbench Articles

Applications and Technical Articles

Below is an archive of both discontinued and ongoing projects that have been documented through this site. Most are comprised of Web applications, CSS examples, and the like.

  • CSS Organization Methods and Writing Style

    There are many ways to organize and optimize your CSS. This document discusses some of those methods.

    Originally posted September 1, 2008. 12 comments

  • Raising the Bar with Adaptive Templates

    A recent project got me thinking about combining Super-Easy Blendy Backgrounds with CSS constants.

    Originally posted April 28, 2008. 3 comments

  • Improving Your Process: CSS Techniques Part 2

    Nearly a year ago, I jotted down a few CSS techniques that I use day to day. Some tips included controlling browser defaults, avoiding box model headaches, stylesheet organization, and using a color glossary. I find myself using many of these techniques a year later, but had some updates that might make the lives of some a bit easier.

    Originally posted January 14, 2008. 7 comments

  • Crop and Resize Images with GD or ImageMagick (v1.1)

    A new GD version has been released to complement the ImageMagick crop and resize with JavaScript and PHP. Crop and resize images from within your browser.

    Originally posted December 17, 2007. 14 comments

  • PHP, MySQL, and Contact Management: Contacts 0.1

    Contacts is a free and open source (FOSS) contact management Web application running on PHP and MySQL

    Originally posted October 22, 2007. 11 comments

  • Installing and Running WebKit in Linux Using Qt

    Running WebKit in Linux is quite easy now that it has been ported to Qt. This article is a walk through on installing WebKit in Ubuntu Feisty 7.04.

    Originally posted April 23, 2007. 26 comments

  • Linux Font Equivalents to Popular Web Typefaces

    Linux should not be ignored when thinking about typography on the Web. I’ve taken some time to compile a list of fonts that ship by default with Ubuntu with type that has come to be considered Web safe.

    Originally posted April 2, 2007. 39 comments

  • Improving Your Process: CSS Techniques Part 1

    This group of tips revolves around some CSS techniques I find myself using constantly. I’m sure you’ve heard of some, if not all, but hopefully something comes across as new and possibly helpful. This list consists of just a few ideas I keep in mind while developing, and there are more to come in future articles.

    Originally posted February 26, 2007. 22 comments

  • Suckerfish HoverLightbox Redux

    After taking some time to play with the design as well as functionality, a new version of the Suckerfish HoverLightbox is here.

    Originally posted February 19, 2007. 138 comments

  • Crop & Resize with JavaScript, PHP, and ImageMagick

    This demo was put together in an effort to make very basic image editing easier for less technically inclined users. The main intention is to provided it as a component to include in a variety of applications including custom content management systems or Web applications.

    Originally posted January 22, 2007. 104 comments

  • Site Testing with Text Based Browsers

    Originally posted December 18, 2006. 8 comments

  • The Best Browser Extensions for Web Development

    The Web Developer Extension and Firebug extension have proved to be most valuable to me when developing for the Web. Here’s an account of the features I find myself using every day in hopes that I can pass some information along to those who may not make use of these features.

    Originally posted December 11, 2006. 12 comments

  • My Latest Take on Image Replacement

    The new design got me thinking about image replacement techniques and I think I’ve come up with a good technique for solving the problem of readers with images disabled and CSS enabled.

    Originally posted October 23, 2006. 18 comments

  • Introducing MBN DuoTone Headings

    One thing that JavaScript is absolutely great for is enhancing the average browsing experience for your user. On the other hand, requiring the presence of JavaScript compatibility can be an utter disaster. In my opinion, JavaScript is great for visual or functional enhancements, but those features should not be necessary to make proper use of any particular document. If a user doesn’t arrive equipped with the ability to run JavaScript, they shouldn’t know they’re missing out on anything.

    Originally posted July 15, 2006. 13 comments

  • Suckerfish HoverLightbox

    The Suckerfish HoverLightbox is a mashup of three very popular Web design techniques blended together to offer a new way of presenting your image galleries.

    Originally posted March 27, 2006. 171 comments