This blog still runs on WordPress. It’s a theme I have designed and developed years ago in B2, which was the father of WordPress. I coded the theme from scratch using only PHP hooks specifically for my blog. Even to this day, my theme has three files: index.php, style.css, screenshot.png.

These days WordPress has become way too complex to start from scratch. I can still take a starter theme like Gutenberg and go from there, but it already packed too many things I don’t need. I prefer to have control of WordPress instead of the other way around. I want to know exactly how my HTML ended up in the browser. I tried not to sweat it and just lived with whatever an existing theme spits out, but it just feels wrong.

I would love to learn how to make a WordPress theme from scratch using the Gutenberg’s blocks. I have not found any tutorial like that. If you do, please let me know.

Because WordPress has lost me, I can no longer develop clients’ website with it. I turn to Kirky instead. Kirby is not free, but it is worthwhile paying for. Kirby allows me to stand up a site quickly and doesn’t get into the way I design the website. Every piece of HTML is rendered exactly the way I have coded. The best part is that the panel knows which piece can be updated by content editors. As a result, Kirby is an ideal CMS for a small websites.

I am glad that the release of WordPress 5.0 has been pushed back. After testing out Gutenberg, the new, controversial editor, I can see why Matt Mullenweg is pushing hard to get it into core. Gutenberg will define WordPress as a powerful CMS and no longer just a blogging platform. It gives users more flexibility to create richer experience.

I can also see why it is alienating many designers and developers. For this blog, which I have intended to keep simple from the start, I won’t be using Gutenberg. I have no photos, no video, no audio, and no gallery. It is just simply text. I do put up large hero images once in a while, but they do not go into the database. I want the complete control of the text. My theme still just have 3 files. I don’t see the need to use Gutenberg, but I will see if I can develop a theme from scratch like I always had in the past decade just for this site.

I played with the new Twenty Nineteen. It looks impressive, but the theme has tons of files. I might be wasting my time developing a theme from scratch. I just have to roll with what already developed and just customize it for my needs. Once WordPress 5.0 is out and Twenty Nineteen is officially released, I’ll use it to develop a theme for Scalia Law School. It will be beneficial for the school sites than my own personal site.

Gutenberg isn’t solid yet, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. It is understandable that people don’t like new changes, but they will get around to it.

The past two weeks have been crazy at work. We managed to upgrade to PHP 7.2 on our server for Scalia Law site. I worked with a talented developer who pulled a copy of our current and tested on PHP 7.2 to make sure MODX worked correctly. I am glad we got it done before he left the University to move on to something else.

Today we completed the migration of Scalia Law School’s WordPress Multisites to WP Engine. It was a massive undertaking, but we worked with a vendor to do so.

As far as technical things, we are now in a good spot. I am looking forward to some winding down time over the summer.

In a three-part video series, Brian Haferkamp walks through the process of building a static blog using Mavo.io. Part three is particularly helpful to see how Mavo.io works. I need to learn this new tool to build websites that will allow clients to update their own content with ease.

On the front-end, nothing has changed to the Law School website, but the backend is completely upgraded. We migrated the entire site to a brand new dedicated server, upgraded to the latest version of MODX Revolution, and switched to HTTPS. Anthony Harvey is the mad genius who has made all of these happened. He is such an amazing developer. If it was not for him, we would still be stuck in the good ole MODX Evolution. He responded to tons of my questions with patience. I am so grateful for his work.

Need help migrating your site to HTTPS? Read Moving to HTTPS Guide. It allows you narrow down your specific needs based on your platform, web server, and access.

I just finished a three-day intensive JavaScript training with HOTT (Hands On Technology Transfer, Inc.). The class only had four students; therefore, the interaction with the instructor was great.

The instructor was very knowledgeable and he has the ability to explain the concept clearly and made the programming language easy to digest. Even though he had a cold and lost his voice a bit, he plowed through all the course materials and gave us the important components of JavaScript.

What I got the most out of the course was the ability to recognize and read the codes. There were loads of information in three days to soak in, but I had learned what I needed to know about JavaScript to continue to explore on my own. The training turned out to be worthwhile.

Hardcore designers and developers tend to giggle when I tell them that I am still using Dreamweaver for my editor. It doesn’t bother me at all as long as I still churn out impeccable markups. I have been using Dreamweaver for many years because it comes with the Adobe CS suite. Why not just stayed with the whole Adobe line? I tried Coda in the past, but didn’t really get into it.

Coda 2, however, is a game changer for me. I started using it a couple months ago and getting a hang of it. I made the switch because Dreamweaver has become way too slow. Firing up the same file in Coda 2 and Dreamweaver CS6 and the result is quite drastic. Coda 2 launches much quicker. One thing I still don’t like about Coda two is the preview. I keep previewing my CSS and js files by accident. I still like to preview my page in real browser like Chrome or Firefox.

Now I find myself using Coda 2 more and more and Dreamweaver less and less. By the end of this year, I should uninstall Dreamweaver to avoid accidentally launching it.

I cringe every time I see an article with a headline like this: “WordPress or MODX? The Winner Is…” Obviously fans of both camp would show up in the comment section and start a war. Let’s just stop it. Since both are open source, why not embrace both? It doesn’t cost you a dime.

Both WordPress and MODX are my favorite platforms at the moment. I use both for my full-time job as well as my freelance gigs. Rather than picking one over the other, why not use the one that is appropriate for your project?

I love the speed of WordPress. I could have a WordPress site up and running in ten minutes and I could also quickly create a custom design based off a starter theme. That’s the strength of WordPress.

On the other hand, MODX gives me complete control of my markup. I can create a site exactly the way I had imagined without the need of a starter theme. Obviously the process takes much longer, but the result is worth every minute of my time.

As someone who offers full web service (from design to front-end development to back-end development), I can give my clients the options. MODX would be more expensive because it takes more work. Then again, it also depends on the scope of the project. So for me, the winner is both.

Once again Macromedia lives up to the users expectations. Dreamweaver MX 2004 is a huge leap on incorporating CSS. The ‘Page Property’ is now replaced with CSS. Instead of defines a background color in the BODY tag, Dreamweaver defines background color in CSS. Even the links are now defined in CSS. Dreamweaver also supports shorthand properties. You have to change it in the preferences. The CSS editor is much improved from the previous version. You now can check your codes to accommodate different browsers. If you’re designing for Netscape 4.7, Dreamweaver will give you the red line error similar to Microsoft Word indicating that Netscape 4.7 doesn’t support it and Dreamweaver will give you a workaround instantly. I am so glad that the File window is now included in Mac OSX. I always missed that from moving from Window to Mac. Code hinting and automatic completion are time savers. I love those two features.

Dreamweaver is much more than a WYSIWYG. Although it allows designers to create CSS and XHTML without knowing codes, I always use its code view as a notepad on drug. I just switch back and forth to see what I have done so far without preview in the browser. It is such a time saver as the same time produces codes concisely. Furthermore, Dreamweaver displays PHP codes inside the program so you can see what you’re doing. It is extremely helpful for making includes using PHP. Dreaweaver is still leaving GoLive and FrontPage out in the cold. Love it.