20 Dropbox tools you should know

Posted by Raffael on 12/20/2013 Posted in Test Tagged Dropbox, dropbox productivity tips, Dropbox service, Dropbox tools, Tool

When it comes to online storage and sync, then Dropbox is my number 1 and because I’m pretty sure I’m not alone with this sight, below there is a collection of 20 tools which will help you to realize the full potential of your Dropbox.

#1 – dropplets.com / Blog with Dropbox
With dropplets your Dropbox becomes a blogging platform. After the “installation” your Dropbox behaves like a web server.
New articles can be written in the easy to learn Markdown language and published by simply save them in your Dropbox. The whole thing is quick, easy, and also looks quite chic.

#2 – calepin.co / Publishing by Dropbox
Calepin.co is the second blog system in our listing. Also Calepin supports the markup language “Markdown” and allows easy publishing […]

Benchmark: strtotime() vs DateTime vs getTimestamp in PHP

Posted by Raffael on 12/19/2013 Posted in PHP Tagged benchmark, comparison strtotime Datetime, DateTime, DateTime vs strtotime, getTimestamp, PHP, strtotime, strtotime performance, Timestamp

Recently I wrote about how one can implement date comparison in PHP. In the article I presented two approaches. Firstly, using the strtotime() method and another with the DateTime class.
Then, in the comments on the german division of this blog, it was pointed out that the strtotime() variant is probably faster. Because I wasn’t sure about this, I decided to make a small performance test and share the results with you in this article.
How did I test the performance?

Since the question aims on strtotime() vs. DateTime, the DateTime class is contrary to the strtotime() function. So because DateTime class offers more functionality, I had first to create the DateTime object and then get the timestamp of it, because the strtotime function gives a timestamp as return value and I wanted to compare the time needed to generate the identical output.
As input I have taken a date without a custom time […]

How to compare dates in PHP

Posted by Raffael on 12/17/201311/03/2017 Posted in PHP, Test Tagged compare dates in php, compare two dates in php, date, DateTime, how to, strtotime, Tutorial

How to actually compare 2 dates in PHP with each other? The question sounds easier than it is. The first thought that usually comes is the following. We store both dates as strings and compare them.
Preliminary

<?php
$date1 = "2012-1-12";
$date2 = "2011-10-12";

if ($date1 > $date2)
echo "$date1 is newer than $date2";
else
echo "$date1 is older than $date2";
?>

Output:

2012-1-12 is newer than 2011-10-12

At first glance this seems to be a workable solution. But what if the two data is in a different format?

<?php
$date1 = "12-1-12";
$date2 = "2011-10-12";

if ($date1 > $date2)
echo "$date1 is newer than $date2";
else
echo "$date1 is older than $date2";
?>

Output:

12-1-12 is older than 2011-10-12

Now the date in 2012 is declared to be older than the date in 2011, which is of course wrong. However, from PHP’s point of view, this behavior is correct, because two strings were […]

How to execute Perl scripts in Notepad++

Posted by Raffael on 12/17/201311/04/2017 Posted in Perl, Tutorials Tagged notepad++, notepad++ perl, Perl, run perl in notepad

notepad++_perl_execute A few days ago I already described how to set up the Eclipse development environment for usage with Perl scripts. If you don’t want to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, you can also use the Notepad++ editor to relatively comfortably write Perl scripts.
Besides syntax highlighting and intellisense aka auto completion, Notepad++ also offers the possibility to execute Perl scripts directly from the editors interface. However, therefore a one-time setup is necessary, which I want you to briefly explain below.
Step 1 – create test scripts:
perl-skripte_in_npp_ausführen_1
To be able to check if you have set up everything correctly later, you should definitely first create a small Perl script and save it. Important: Only stored scripts can be executed afterwards. So always […]

Best of Web #6

Posted by Raffael on 12/16/2013 Posted in Best of Web Tagged Best of Web, BoW

New week, new episode of “Best of Web”. This time I have prepared myself in time, so I could publish the article for this week even before the late evening. One learns to do so.
Today there is again a more “colorful” mix than last week – in other words, not just software topics. Among other things a Turing machine out of LEGO, a few practical tips for SublimeText users and some stuff out of the programmers corner.
I hope you enjoy reading and now I give the “ring-free” for the link tips of the week.
Measure battery lifetime with Windows
That there is available the one or the other useful tool in Windows, which is not found right away, each should be clear about. From the remote assistance solution, up to the “God Mode” – there are […]