I’m using XAMPP on Mac OSX to design my Wordpress themes, and now my setup features:

• a sensible, unique hostname for my local site (eg. memelab.dev)
• prettylinks using url rewrite
• functioning Wordpress and plugin updates
• a wp-config.php edit which eliminates the need to edit the database when uploading the site to the production server

Installation

Install XAMPP and Wordpress.

This is pretty straight forward, but for the sake of completeness, I’ll mention this comprehensive guide from Six Revisions (which I haven’t examined too closely, but looks solid).

Configure prettylinks

I found that my prettylinks failed when I initially installed… I think this is fixed in later versions of XAMPP.  I’m running XAMPP 1.7.3, and I don’t recall needing to do anything on since upgrading, but if you’re having trouble, you may need to edit some config files.  You can open them in TextEdit.app if you don’t have a favourite editor (I love TextMate) by adapting the following:

sudo open -e “/Applications/XAMPP/etc/httpd.conf”

You may need to:

Enable URL rewrite) by opening xampp/xamppfiles/etc/httpd.conf and deleting the hash/pound sign at the front of the line to uncomment:
LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so
Fixing Permalink problems

When I intially had trouble (several years ago I think) the post which helped me out was:

“…Clean URLs do not work out of the box on XAMPP 1.5.x with PHP4 due to a problem in Apache’s module load order…
“Clean URL support in XAMPP

Bottom line – its working a charm now!

Configure local servers

To access your local site at an address like http://memelab.dev/, you’ll need to configure XAMPP.  XAMPP stores its virtual hosts configuration in a separate file called httpd-vhosts.conf, which is not actually used by default, so:

1. In /xampp/xamppfiles/etc/httpd.conf uncomment the line: Include /Applications/XAMPP/etc/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
2. You can now make entries into httpd-vhosts.conf.  There is an example in there – adapt it to your needs!
3. Enter your hostname into /etc/hosts like so:
   127.0.0.1 yoursite.dev
   (Your hosts file is not visible in finder, and needs to be edited with admin privileges, so open the terminal and paste:
   sudo Open /Applications/TextEdit.app /etc/hosts
4. Reload apache, and you’re done! (XAMPP control > Modules > Restart Apache).

I adapted my solution from a post in the Wordpress Codex.

Enable Wordpress updates whilst using XAMPP

This is the breakthrough which has prompted this post, thanks to Ian at messaliberty.com.  If you’ve come this far, you’ll have no trouble returning to /xampp/xamppfiles/etc/httpd.conf and replacing

User nobody
Group admin

with:

User yourusername
Group staff

You can find more detailed instructions at the source:

edit the XAMPP apache config file to run it as your local user.
How to fix WordPress automatic upgrades and plugin installs on XAMPP

(And make sure that LittleSnitch, if you use it, is allowing httpd to access wordpress.org)

Tweak wp-config.php

Ordinarily, migrating your database to your local installation, and vice-versa requires that you the Wordpress database – in particular the WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL.  Ian at messaliberty.com again has a solution!  This is working well for me:

“set-up the wp-config.php to check to see if it is a local server, if it is then set the configuration one way, otherwise set it using the production values”
create a single wp-config file for local and remote WordPress development

A bonus tip on whilst we’re here – Joost has offered this addition:

“a quick hack I do in almost all WordPress installs I manage, that allows me to quickly switch on debug mode when needed”
Joost – Simple Wordpress debuggin

Next recommendation from me: use some versioning software – I use Versions.app, which is a simple SVN client for the mac.

Save time with three simple but rarely mentioned strategies which can take the pain out of filing your documents.

Save it to a temporary location

Of course the desktop is the obvious choice here, particularly because you can hit Cmd-D to use the system-wide shortcut for selecting the Desktop as the save location.

Then you can do a cleanup at the end of the session, or use the tips below to tidy-up as you go.

This make saving a two step process, but doesn’t require you to navigate throught the awkward Save As dialog.  The Save As dialog will remember the last place you saved a document, so if you always save to an accessible temporary location, the whole caper is a lot simpler.

I prefer to keep the Desktop really clean, so I keep my unprocessed files in my Temp folder, which I’ve created in Documents, and lodged in Finder’s sidebar (see below!).

Create a Sidebar Alias in Finder

This is a great method to implement anytime you’re going to be working on a project for more than half an hour!   Because the chances are you’ve already got a Finder window open showing your project’s files. You can drag any folder into the Finder sidebar and it will show up in all dialog boxes system-wide.

• Simply navigate to the desired folder, and drag its icon over the sidebar
• Watch for the Insertion bar to show, then drop the folder.  Presto!
• To remove the icon from the sidebar, simply drag it out; it will disappear with a ‘puff’.

This process creates an alias, or shortcut of the folder, meaning that the actual location of the folder remains unchanged, and removing the alias from the sidebar won’t delete any files!

Just make sure that you drop the folder when you see the insertion bar; if you drop it when you’re hovering over another folder in the sidebar, you’ll end up moving the folder.  If this happens, don’t worry, Edit > Undo (Cmd-Z) is your friend.

Drag the document directly from the application

Here are some nice ninja tricks which don’t require you to do any setup..

Little known fact for you: applications’ title bars are often clickable!  You can Cmd Click on a filename to see where it is located in the folder hierachy on your drive.  You can also drag the icon next to the filename in order to move (or copy, or create an alias/shortcut) the file.  This is true of Finder, Word and Office apps, Preview and many others, but may not be relevant for apps like Photoshop, which may change the default mac interface, and Thunderbird which are not dealing with actual files.

To make use of this gem, simply

• click and drag the icon, but don’t release the mouse button, or
• switch to a Finder window and drop the file directly into place.

There are a raft of options here: you could:

• Open a Finder window to the correct location in advance, ready to receive the file using
  • Exposé hit F9 (you may need to hold the Fn key depending on your keyboard) and drag the file onto the Finder window
  • Hit Cmd-Tab to switch to Finder.
    This is my usual tactic (my greatest peeve is that Finder does not permit you to switch between its various windows using Cmd~)
• Use the ’spring-loaded’ functionality of Finder to navigate through your file system.)
  • Hover over the each waypoint briefly and wait for that location to open, then hover over the next step.
  • Whilst dragging you can hit the spacebar to immediately open a folder.
    Sounds complicated, but in practice it can be really quick!

Mix and Match!

Well, that just touches on some component skills which you can combine to shape your own workflow.  I find that file management becomes like driving: it’s second nature in your own car, but driving someone elses system can feel like navigating a tractor!

If you’ve got a tip to add to the lost, drop me a line in the comments!  If there’s enough interest, I’ll have an excuse to do a screen cast of these techniques

You can postion and scale objects precisely using the transform toolbar, which runs along the top of the screen if it is set to visible.

To show it, you must be in transform mode (Command-T [Mac] or Control-T [PC] or Edit > Free Transform), and the options must visible (Window > Options).

Positioning an object exactly

In the first of the following screenshot,

• I’ve shifted the Ruler Origin to 20,20, then
• I’ve gone into transform mode and set the anchor point to top left (by clicking the top left box in the grid of nine boxes at the top left of the screenshot).
• You can then type the offset from the Ruler Origin into the X and Y boxes.  If you knew that you needed to shift the object 23 pixels down and 17 across, you could enter ‘relative’ mode by clicking the triangle between X and Y.

Scaling with precision

Here, I’m transforming the circle using the Width and Height controls to resize my circle.  Note that the units displayed can be changed by typing them in.  You can even have a mix on units!  Here I’m using percentage and Pixels, which is just a gimmick .  Clicking the chain icon here is useful to ensure that aspect ratio is locked, and your object doesn’t get squashed.

You can also finetune the rotation and skew of the object using the transform toolbar, but I’m sure you’ve fugured that out already!  That’s it for today; let me know if you’ve got something to add by leaving a comment!

I’m a big fan, because its the very best way to recycle, and its cheaper!  I’ve had really good experiences, having bough a Powerbook secondhand, sold 2 macs to friends, and advised several other friends on satisfactory purchases.  I’ve covered everything that comes to mind, and included links to more information where relevant.

Terms you should know

There’s an infinite amount of lingo, right? In this case you should know:

• Polycarbonate – refers to the white plastic Macbook
• Unibody – is the new aluminium model of Macbook and Macbook Pro
• iBook – is not a Macbook!  The iBook is white, and similar looking to a Macbook, but a completely different vintage.  Still a great little unit if you own one, but don’t settle for less than a Core2Duo
• C2D, Core2Duo – Two cores (processors), using 64bit architechture. Older computers are still fine, but this is the current generation, and there are plenty around for reasonable prices.
• Combo Drive – CD burner, DVD player, no DVD burning
• Super Drive – Burns CDs and DVDs
• Blue Ray – Get real!!
• Multitouch – the Macbook trackpads allow you to use multiple finger swipes and clicks for scrolling, right clicking, and other functions.  This is an awesome feature!
• Applecare – is the Apple warranty.  Read more below.

Major differences between models

You can compare the specs of different models of Macbook at Everymac.com.  This site is an invaluable resource which will compare the nitty gritty of 3 computers side-by-side, and provide in depth specs, articles and upgrade options for all.

These are crucial differences for most people:

• DVD burner – Pay attention! Super drive does, Combo drive does not.
• Multitouch – newer models can recognise up to 4 fingers, most recognise 2 fingers.  Make sure you get (at least) two finger multitouch, otherwise its a dealbreaker for me!
• Firewire – as of the Unibody, there are only Firewire ports on Macbook Pros!  Polycarbonate MB to the May’09 model still have Firewire.. sneaky advantage if you need this for capturing from your Video Camera Apperatus.

Further differences to look out for are:

• Hard Drive capacity – anywhere from 60gb to 320gb.  Very easy to upgrade yourself on the cheap.
• Included RAM – is often upgraded by the user, so look out for the bargain individuals!
• Maximum RAM – all the C2D can all handle 4gb+, so why worry?
• Graphics Card – All the 2009 models Poly and Uni have the Nvidia GeForce 9400M.  Great!  Regardless, unless you’re planning to render crazy huge photoshop docs, or play hard in FCP, no worries!!
• Video port – the polycarbonate MB has mini DVI out, and the Unibody has mini Display Port.  This is a consideration if you already own an monitor external monitor.  In any case, all of the MBs from the last few years support a second monitor, and adapters are available from the Apple store..
• Battery life – Varies wildly.  In short: newer is better (up to 7 hours) than older (starts as low as 2.5 hours).  If you’re buying an older MB, the battery may already be fatigued.
• Backlit keyboard – handy if you work on the plane… I switch it off.

What doesn’t change (much)?

• Wireless, LAN, Bluetooth connectivity
• Size / Form factor – the unibody is marginally thinner, but they’re both pretty handy.  Same goes for weight.
• Screen surface – I think I’m right in saying that the C2Ds are mostly glossy..
• Keyboard features (layout changes a little)
• USB 2.0 ports (only 2!)
• Kensington keylock port (for chaining your lappie to the desk, lest it try to sneak off)

The operating system!  Lets face it: OSX is the killer feature of these babies anyway, so rest assured that you’re in for a treat regardless of which you buy.  Even the old iBook remains a thoroughly useful unit for office work, movies and music, surfing and light photoshop!  This is the key to Macs holding their value, and the other factor is Applecare…

Applecare is transferrable!

Applecare is Apple’s extended warranty.  It is excellent value for a number of reasons:

• Things do go wrong, and the warranty means that you can take it into a service centre (eg. Nextbyte has 2 locations in Melbourne, 8 nationwide) and have it seen to.  It has saved me three times in the last 5 years.
• Having such a transferrable warranty is great for resale value.

Yes, Applecare is transferrable!  I bought my Macbook for $1750 (trainers discount) in late 07, owned it for 18 months, sold it for $1150 with another 18 months warranty to go.  Everyone was happy.

Other great things to know:

• You can purchase Applecare anytime inside the initial 1 year factory warranty period, and not at all afterwards, so this is another great way to distribute costs if you’re buying a fresh unit.
• You can buy Applecare on eBay cheaper than from Apple!  Compare ~$200 to $400+.  I’ve done it.. check it out yourself.
• Applecare is model specific: you can’t use Applecare:iMac for a Macbook.

IANAL!! An extreme crop of  Section 6: Transfer of Plan from Applecare conditions for Asia/Pacific:

..you may make a one-time permanent transfer of all of your rights under the Plan to another party, provided that: (a) the transfer must include the original Proof of Purchase, the Plan’s Certificate and all of the Plan’s packaging material, including printed materials and these Terms and Conditions; (b) you notify Apple of the transfer…

You can manage registration of warranty at the Apple support site.

Could you buy new with an EDU discout?

Worth considering: if you are employed by a Registered Training Organisation, or enrolled at a recognised institution, there is a discount which may be as much as $150 on Macbooks.  Read more at Apple.

You can still buy from your local: I provided them with a letter from my employer on company letterhead and a payslip, if I remember correctly.

DIY refurbished

If you’re trying to repair your own Macbook, or think you might get a bargain on eBay with or broken screen or suchlike, then you head over to Mac Fixit for parts and Mac Repair Guides for instructions.  If you’re handy with the tools, you might repair it yourself for around AU$300!

Where to buy Secondhand Macbooks in Australia

My updated list for searching for secondhand Mac hardware in Australia:

• New Wave Systems – a great range of products, and a sense of humour. Delivers to Melbourne Metro for $10 at the tim of writing.
• Refurbished from Apple.com.au – the offerings are generally limited, but I’ve had a friend get lucky here.
• Next Byte Best Buys – There’s not often much on offer here, but keep an eye out.
• Whirlpool Wiki: Mac Stores Australia wide
• Whirlpool Forums: Mac – do a search for ’sale’ or ‘discount’ (eg. Headline: up to 19% off at Dick Smith!?)!
• (eBay)

My Roundup of Tips

• Narrow your search to Core2Duo Macbooks.  Then you’re looking at contemporary computers: all will run the latest version of OSX (10.6 at time of writing)
• Look out for Applecare included, or the opportunity to buy it.  Applecare is a must!
• You can Upgrade RAM and Harddrive size easily.  So maybe you can do it later, and distribute the cost.
• More RAM is more fun. (see the previous point)
• Even the little 13″ Macbooks drive lovely big 24″ monitors

Epic post!  I wish I got a commission, but for now I’ll put this down to public service.  Comments / suggestions welcome.

Photoshop sometimes appears to blur objects, lines or images.  This could be due to rounding, or losing data after transforming a layer.  Read on for best practice in resizing images and creating vector shapes, and come to grips with the way Photoshop displays your document.

Rounding Errors

Rounding is a result of displaying a objects of various sizes on a screen which has a finite number of pixels.  Read about moiré patterns to come to grips with this!

It occurs when, for instance, you have two objects snapped next to eachother, and you change your zoom level and ghost lines appear between the objects.  This is normal, and nothing to worry about: just ensure that you are looking at the document at 100% zoom (Command-Alt-Zero on Mac, Control-Alt-Zero on PC).  I find that every second zoom level looks right, and I get jaggies or ghosts in between.  In the images below, identical boxes are placed next to eachother, and shown at different zoom levels.

This can be disconcerting if you are editing a vector (like text), and it looks jaggy when you zoom right in.  This can be useful to allow you to compare all of the objects in your document in the same scale, to help align them and so forth.  If you export your document with vectors intact, the text will still be rendered dynamically in all its glory in Acrobat or Preview.

Losing detail by resizing

Blurring is not good if you’ve resized an image within your document inappropriately.

Photoshop culls data when you scale the image down, and then pixelates the image when you blow it up again.  To avoid this, right click the image’s name in the Layers palette, and ‘Convert to Smart Object’ before resizing.  This will embed the image in the document, and use it as a reference each time you resize the layer, avoiding the problem I’ve described.

Here is an example: the circle on the left has been copied and moved to the right, then scaled right down with the transform tool, then returned to its orginal size.  They would be indistinguishable if I had made the copy a Smart Object before resizing it.

Producing crip Vector Objects

If you position an object at 1.5 pixels, Photoshop will anti-alias it, resulting in the sort of blur you see in the bottom of two orange boxes in the diagram below.  You can avoid this a number of ways: ensure that the object’s size is an even number of pixels, and when moving it, snap it to the underlying pixels.  When drawing a Vector Object (Rectangle Tool: U) use the options drop-down and select ‘Snap to Pixels’ to guarantee crispness!

In some situations, it is simplest to create a shape the right size first off, rather than hammering something out and trying to resize it.  In this case, simply select ‘Fixed Size’ in the options box displayed above.  Similar options are available for other tools, such as the crop tool and free transform.

That’s it for now – if you’ve got any tips to contribute, throw out a comment – I’d love to hear about it!