Getting closer....

I'm getting closer to having the majority of the code working. I've got to finish up the account management screens, get all my validation in order, and squash some known bugs.

In addition to the above issues, I still have 2 outstanding programming items that I need to make a descision about before I launch a beta program.

URL Naming
Currently my URL's look like this:
http://domainname.com/company/yourcompanyname

I know that the subdomain style is really popular right now, so I'm considering:
http://yourcompanyname.domainname.com

Pudding is my first Ruby on Rails application. I jumped in fast and furious and I didn't take the time to figure out how to do the subdomain thing. I can figure it out now and implement it, but I'm not sure if it's going to be worth the effort. I'm honestly not sure how much code I'll have to change.

Thumbnails
As you can see, I have thumbnail views of the pieces that are in the project. I'm currently being really ghetto about it and just adjusting the attributes of the "img" tag. I've got ImageMagick installed on my MacBook Pro (local development station), but I haven't implemented anything.

Other than the development work above, I've got to build a marketing web site, and figure out how to do the credit card processing. I've been pointed toward Authorize.net. If anyone knows of a better place, please leave me a comment!

I can't wait to be beta-worthy!

Pudding

I'm pretty sure the name of my designer application/service is going to be, "Pudding".

You'll see me use it to refer to the app/service going forward.

Props to Maxim Porges for coming up with it!

Rails Tip : 1 Place To Define Fixtures

This wasn't immediately obvious to me until recently.

You don't need to repeat your list of fixtures in every unit test file. Put your fixture list in the test_helper.rb file. Look for the line that says this, "# Add more helper methods to be used by all tests here..." Put your fixture list right after that, before the "end". So it looks like this:

class Test::Unit::TestCase

# Omitted rest of code in class

# Add more helper methods to be used by all tests here...
fixtures :model1, :model2, :model3

end

Audience, Readers, Who Are You?

Hello,

Who are you, and why are you reading my blog? ;)

Honestly, I'm curious. Are you another developer? A designer? Why do you follow this blog? Do you like some types of posts over others? (Do your eyes roll when I'm whining about something, but focus in when I'm showing UI screens?)

I've gotten a lot out of this blog. It allows me to look back on what I've done during this startup journey, it's motivated me to continue the journey, and I've gotten some feedback about my product and ideas that I might not otherwise would have gotten.

So I'm curious. I know why I'm here. Why are you?

Sincerely,
-michael.

Fello Ruby on Rails Developers, Help if you can...

I won't make you read it twice. I had to post the following to the RoR forum.

File upload into Mysql (using lighttpd) problem

Help if you can.

Thanks!

Trademarks...

The guys creating Amigo (at the blog Bare Naked App) had a little setback regarding their trademark registration. I'm in a similar situation with "Ataraxis Software". I sent in my registration some time ago, and I too got a rejection letter.

I'm sure what the details are of the Amigo guy's rejection, but there were a few points on my application that need further clarification. I sent my appeal in the other day, and now I'm waiting to hear back regarding it.

Registration a trademark is a very long process. I mean long in the sense that you apply, wait months until an attorney at the trademark office can review it, and then you're sent a reply.

I wish the Amigo guys luck, and I hope you guys do the same for me! :)

Still Working!

Hello All, I just wanted to drop a line and say that I'm still here working. This week was a little slow, but I designed and implemented part of my subscription system. (It's a part of the main app, which will be "sold" as a service.)

I watched my preview video earlier in the week, and it made me realize something. I'M DAMN CLOSE TO HAVING A FULLY WORKING PRODUCT!!!

:)

It got me totally pumped up about the project again, and I look forward to finding time to work on this project. Oh, and my friends and I have started referring to it as "pudding".

Damn you Max. ;)