Writing

I wrote an article on the Zaengle blog discussing how we integrated AI into an application that resulted in the automation of a previously time-consuming process. This wouldn't have been possible without recent advances in AI.

Here is an approach I reach for when writing Laravel applications:

One of the more challenging aspects of being a professional programmer is spending the majority of the day immersed in code, trying to maintain a mental construct of what I’m building.

As the projects I work on have grown, I realized that it’s impossible for me to grasp all of what is going on in the application at once. I don’t have enough RAM!

As a result, I’ve been forced to leave myself breadcrumbs to keep me oriented. One of those breadcrumbs that has proven immensely helpful is logging. As a younger programmer I failed to realize the benefit logging offers but these days I’m relying on it more consistently.

I wrote about the strategy I use when dealing with high-pressure bugs in code.

When was the last time you heard that little voice in your head suggesting something might be amiss in your web app? 🤔 You know that nauseous feeling that forms in the pit of your stomach, when you realize something bad has or is happening?

For years my dad reminded me that if I took one of the tools from his workbench it was critical I returned it. Through my grade school years, I was notorious for taking a wrench or socket from dad's toolbox, using it to fix my bicycle, and leaving them strewn across the garage floor as I rode off with my buddies. It wasn't until I became a father, and watched my son exhibit the same behavior, that I realized why he was so insistent on me returning the tools.

Why did it matter so much to him, and now to me?

It mattered because even though I addressed my immediate problem, straightening the handlebars on my bike, I had inadvertently created a new problem for someone else. A sneaky one that would avoid detection until the next person needed the 3/4" spanner to fix something else, or I needed to fix my bike again. By not putting the tool back where it belonged, I hadn't finished the job. And an unfinished job is not a job done right.

This article collects some of the most important takeaways I've learned after building web applications.

At Zaengle we have built a number of web-based software applications over the past 12 years. Some have been transient, only serving a specific purpose for a window of time, while others have persisted for years on end. We've learned a number of key lessons while building and maintaining these long-term applications and we wanted to share them with you.

Recently I've been dabbling in building an iOS application for JobStruct, a business management tool for concrete contractors. Since I'm familiar with Vue we decided to use Ionic framework which allows an app to be written in javascript and then run as an application on ios and Android using web views. The two-part article series from Naveen Bommidi regarding authorization with JWT has been a good starting point.

Visit Part 1 & Part 2.