CakePHP 2.0

If you use SSL (https, secure) for User login action in CakePHP, the session cookie by default works only for SSL connection.

<?php
class UsersController extends AppController {

    public $components = array('Security');

    function beforeFilter() {
        $this->Security->blackHoleCallback = 'forceSSL';
        $this->Security->requireSecure();
        parent::beforeFilter();
        $this->Auth->allow('login', 'logout');
    }

    function forceSSL() {
        $this->redirect('https://' . env('SERVER_NAME') . $this->here);
    }
}

So, when you do the login under a secure page/https, after a successful login CakePHP will save a session cookie under https protocol only, and by default will continue serving under https.

While this suits most requirements in practice, some people prefer redirect back to normal page/http afterwards to save server’s CPU. Using this default configuration, when you move to non-SSL (http) pages, the cookie is lost and the system will redirect you again to login screen. This may cause a loop of unsuccessful logins.

After searching for solutions from many resources, the answer is actually there in CakePHP’s Cookbook under “Session” topic.

http://book.cakephp.org/2.0/en/development/sessions.html

From the page:

CakePHP’s defaults to setting session.cookie_secure to true, when your application is on an SSL protocol. If your application serves from both SSL and non-SSL protocols, then you might have problems with sessions being lost. If you need access to the session on both SSL and non-SSL domains you will want to disable this:

<?php
Configure::write('Session', array(
    'defaults' => 'php',
    'ini' => array(
        'session.cookie_secure' => false
    )
));

Put the code above in core.php along with other directives.

1. A dedicated server may be too much for an online application — maximum resource utilization never reached and causing it wasting too much resources. This is especially a problem for a new/developing application.
2. A dedicated server is not easily or quickly expandable when more resource is required.
3. For small web site owners, like me, server crash means downtime and the time required to take it back online is unpredictable.

A popular solution for efficient resource usage is by using server virtualization (virtual servers/machines). Initially this solved the efficiency problem by putting many virtual servers into a single physical server. This way, we can add up virtual servers until near full resources of the physical server are used. Every individual virtual server can also be scaled easily.

Recently, a virtual server technology called Xen is developed to have a self-healing feature. This is possible by having a software controller to monitor the virtual servers running on several physical servers. If a virtual server is down, the controller will immediately move the virtual server to another running physical server. So, your server is in ‘always-on’ state and this solves the problem #3.

In practice, Virtual Private Servers (VPS) play a significant role in growing the Software-as-a-Service business. The provider can start by using a small VPS and upscale later when the application needs more resources as the business grows.

Many questions about LG’s strategic choice needed answering. After all, Windows Mobile was a hastily cooked-up OS designed to keep up with Apple and Google. Microsoft had basically scaled down its PC-based Windows OS and squeezed it into a handset, making the OS painfully slow. Moreover, the problems with Windows Mobile were not restricted to speed. While in Barcelona, Ballmer was busy criticizing Apple’s App Store — not on product merit, but on the basis of Apple’s closed system. Ballmer said it was important that the App Store be open, because he viewed openness as a basic requirement.

Quite interesting.

See the demos of both libraries on GUI effect called ‘Accordion’ below (and yes, try clicking on the ‘headers’ to see the panels’ slide effects):

Mootools: http://mootools.net/demos/?demo=Accordion
jQuery: http://jquery.com/files/demo/dl-done.html updated to http://docs.jquery.com/UI/Accordion (checked: 2011-07-31)

Moving further, I also see that thin clients will be used more. Mobile platforms (mobile phone handsets) and their operating systems will also be seen more in the market. So, client platforms such as iOS, Android, Chrome, and others (like Symbian and Bada), may be the way of the future for operating systems.

Don’t bother the big players, but see this as a good opportunity to grow. The market is growing fast.

Many advantages brought by this new software distribution system. One significant one for users is lower maintenance cost since applications are maintained centrally by the provider. Another one is accessibility, like the ones provided under Google Apps. You don’t need to use your own computer in order to access the same application set up for you and your organization. You can go to another country and immediately use the local computer there to access your same web applications you have been using. No re-installation, re-setup, and memorizing your technical settings.

In some years from now, I expect to see less “Software Installation Wizard” running in our computers and also reduced software piracy.

Use standard variable naming

CakePHP uses Inflector to relate variables. This is actually a very useful feature for software developers. For instance, models are suggested to be named in singular form while controllers are in plural. You can still name those whatever and in any format, just in case you’re curious. But, following this standard will help you save some time to deal with the hassles in variable management.
One important benefit is when you relate a field with a selection (or combo) box. Let’s say you have a field named user_id in table/model Recipe. When preparing for a list of users in RecipesController you may write this way:

function add() {

$users = $this->User->find('list');
// This will pass $users variable to the view
$this->set(compact('users'));

}

And in your form in add.ctp view, you can simply write this:

<?php

// This will display a combo box with values from $users variable
echo $this->Html->input('user_id');

?>

CakePHP internal use of it’s own Inflector system is smart to automatically relate user_id variable with a list from $users variable. Very convenient.

• Microsoft Windows API,
• COM/COM+, ATL, WTL,
• Microsoft Jet Database Engine,
• Microsoft SQL Server,
• SQLite,
• Microsoft Visual C++ and Visual Basic,
• Microsoft ASP (IIS).

Since 2005, I have also seriously been developing using Open Source technologies for mostly web database applications. The following technologies are used:

• FreeBSD, Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu,
• Apache Web Server,
• PHP,
• MySQL,
• PostgreSQL,
• CakePHP Framework.

Currently, I am sticking with the Open Source Software and joining the trend in online accessible applications development for Small and Medium Businesses (SMB). So, if you’re looking for someone to develop systems under those technologies in Indonesia, get in touch with me.

The job: Software Architect

“I put together applications people actually use. So for me, the greatest joy comes from seeing people use the product in a way that makes their life better or makes it easier for them to do their job.”

Similar to the above, a Software Developer may say

“I develop/create applications people actually use.” (The joy would be the same)

Software developers, keep dreaming, keep aiming high, and say “I love my job!” Not only in America of course.

CakePHP version: 1.2.x, 1.3.x

Add two sections into the function:

function value() {

}

in dbo_mssql.php:

/* Yodanto, 2010-01-21 */
'datetime', 'smalldatetime'

to prevent empty date stored as 0 (zero) and make it ‘NULL’ instead..

To find the exact location, find the following lines (in your core CakePHP dbo_mssql.php):

if (in_array($column, array('integer', 'float', 'binary')) &&
    $data === '') {
    return 'NULL';
}

and change it to:

if (in_array($column, array('integer', 'float', 'binary',
    'datetime', 'smalldatetime')) &&  $data === '') {
    return 'NULL';
}

Additional note:  there’s probably another way officially to prevent this 0 (zero) value problem in date/datetime field, but so far I have not digged into it.