Friday, March 20, 2009

Another test entry

Not progressed much over the past week or so. Finally got a problem I had with Google authentication sorted - apparently I had to register my sandbox URL with Google, something I could find absolutely no information on for absolutely ages - and then I went and found a reference to this page, elsewhere:


... where I could register everything, allowing unfettered API access. (How two different installations of Firefox were managing to post using the sandboxed app though, no idea.) Nice of Google to make it so easy to find... by searching on an unrelated website.

No attempt has been made this week to do much more than get this access sorted. And this API access will be moot (m00t!) when it goes from online to AIR, but the first phase was always to get this working in a browser. Something I was desperate to do was get it all going on a WebKit based browser (I'm using Chrome right this second, the Google whore that I am) because AIR uses the same technology.

Next up is to try a different rich text editor (to try and sort out the XHTML output), and then start hitting the harder stuff - the management of the blog, and a more joined up authentication system. And make it look less like a mishmash of disparate bits of code written in snatched opportunities, and more like something I can be vaguely proudish (kinda) of.�I've laid my hands on a couple of highly recommended O'Reilly books to help me along the way - Javascript: The Definitive Guide and CSS: The Definitive Guide.

I'm such an exciting fella.

Coming up soon - my report about the Maker Faire up in Newcastle... but not now. Now I'm going home!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The continuing test cycle... continues

Just put the rich-text editor into Bleditor. It's the first third-party code (well, besides the API) I'm using. Need to make sure that it posts something sensible. So...
Hmmm. Well, immediately I can see that the XHTML support (which the author admits openly is flaky) is flaky. I may have to look at other editors; XHTML is important to me. I read virtually everything in an RSS feed reader and I'd like XHTML for that please. Hmmm.

But otherwise, I'm guessing (as I type this, not knowing for sure) that this has been a success.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Work continues on Bleditor

It's a terrible name, I know, but my Blogger editor is called Bleditor. It's Stephen Fry's fault (or should I say @stephenfry) for referring to his long, thoughtful blog posts as blessays. I couldn't help but stick the words together using the finest Fry glue.

I've got a terrible logo for it as well, once again ripping off inspired by the classic Sinclair logo:


At the moment there's no rich-text editor, or any sort of blog management. I need to get more used to DHTML (and find the time to work with it) to get the management in. Work continues, but not with speed.

When there's something I'm not utterly embarrassed about showing, all my odds and sods will turn up on the project page, but the functionality is so basic right now (not quite a million miles away from the polished AIR app I desire, but a good 900,000 miles away) that right now it's just my claim being staked.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Test entry

This is just a quick test. Coming from the earliest version of the Blogger editor project thing. Um, so there. Pardon me if I don't stay to chat, it's getting late...