Sublime Coding

Executing Raw SQL with Ecto

In order to execute a raw query we need to use the function YourApp.Repo.query which wraps Ecto.Adapters.SQL.query.Repo. In most cases it's better to rely on Ecto's composable query syntax and there are very few queries where I would reach for this particular option, however

elixir

FizzBuzz in Elixir

What is FizzBuzz? FizzBuzz is one of the most popular code challenges and one I usually solve very early on while learning a new language, however I also solve it from time to time to see how far I have come. It's also common challenge for interviews. I personally have

elixir

301 Redirects in Phoenix

In my last post, I showed how to canonicalize a domain in phoenix in that post I had a bug. I was properly redirecting users to the desired canonical domain, however I was using a 302 redirect instead of a 301, and a 301 should be use for canonicalization. In

elixir

How to Canonicalize a Domain in Elixir/Phoenix

What is a cannonical domain? A cannonical domain name is a single source of truth for your website's domain. Canonicalization of a domain includes picking a www or non-www, and https or http version of your root domain. This is because web crawlers treat each version of your domain as

git

Remove All Git Branches Except Master

Ocassionally I end up with a lot of branches cluttering up my git repos. Often times this is a product of switching between a desktop and laptop during the same development cycle and forgetting to run git branch -D branch-name on branches that existed on both machines but are no

elixir

Intro to Elixir & Phoenix

Here is the slides for a presentation on Elixir and Phoenix I gave at my local ruby meetup. Intro to elixir and phoenix from Jared Smith

ruby

Fun With Gsub

During a recent ruby meetup we touched on some finer points of ruby's global substitution method. That's right gsub, likely you have used it in your every day ruby code and never knew all the things it could do. The most common usage of gsub is for simple pattern match

elixir

Getting Started with Phoenix Framework

Install Elixir In order to get started with phoenix you will need to install elixir. Fortunately installing elixir is pretty painless. The elixir installation page has some really great documentation on how to install for many different environments. My preferred method is with homebrew, if you aren't already using it

ruby on rails

Remove Turbolinks from Rails 4

If you don't want to use Turbolinks with your Rails 4 app. Remove turbolinks gem from your Gem file. remove the following line gem 'turbolinks' After you remove that line run a bundle install to update your gem file and dependencies. Remove turbolinks javascript includes In your application.js file

general

My Experience at RailsConf 2015

My trip started off like any other cross country trip I’ve taken: I packed my bags and headed for the airport. I was super excited for the upcoming conference and my very first RailsConf. I’ve been to many software engineering conferences, but none with a ruby and rails

podcasts

Learn by Listening

Pull a rabbit out of your hat One my close friends made the comment "You're usually able to pull a rabbit out of your hat", after I just offered a solution to a problem he has been trying to solve. The reason I am able do this really

general

Don't Comment Your Code - Rewrite It

Commenting is a topic I have have changed my mind about as I have matured as a software engineer. When I first started out I thought you should comment in every single nook and cranny of your code. These days I have swung the other way and for a good

continued education

Making Time to Learn

Making time to learn is one of the most important things we can do as software engineers. It can be a daunting task, especially with family, friends, TV, books (reading for pleasure), and any number of one hundred other things we could be doing with time not spent at work.

git

Basics of Git

Getting started with git can be a daunting task. It's amazingly powerful and with that it allows you just enough rope to hang yourself if you aren't careful. So where do you begin? You know you need to use source control because all software developers do, right? This is a

software

Software Craftsmanship

Software craftsmanship is a skill, and like any other skill it takes time to learn and even greater time to master. Mastering your craft is something you should strive for. It's not something that is easy or just comes with time. You will need to actively seek to be a

coldfusion

Adobe ColdFusion Summit 2014 Afterthoughts

Another year comes to a close and Adobe's second annual ColdFusion Summit has come and gone. The conference was good, but not quite as good as it was last year. The venue was definitively nicer, however, the talks were not all gems. I understand it can be challenging to put

coldfusion

Ruby vs ColdFusion: Why I chose to switch

I get asked quite frequently "What made you switch from ColdFusion to Ruby?". The truth is, ColdFusion is kind of a dead end. I'm not saying its a dying language, in fact far from it. The language is used by many large companies and its growing according to

gem

Scrypt Gem Native Extension Build Errors

Gem installation errors can be very frustrating for Ruby beginners and advanced users alike. Recently I encountered a gem installation error on OSX Mavericks with a fresh install and brand new macbook pro. ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension. I recieve this error during a bundle install of a

debugging

Debugging: An Exercise in Thinking

One of the most important skills to learn as a programmer is how to debug an issue. More often then not your day will be spent debugging issues from small syntax errors you wrote while typing too quickly, to larger errors that do not fail critically and actully preform a

bash

Protect Your Server Againt The Shellshock Bug

Step 1: Check Your System for the Vulnerability On each of your systems that run Bash, you may check for Shellshock vulnerability by running the following command at the bash prompt: $ env VAR='() { :;}; echo Your bash is vulnerable!' bash -c "echo Bash Tested" If your bash

vim

Installing MacVim via Homebrew

One of the easiest way to install MacVim is via Homebrew. If you do not have Homebrew installed I highly recommend you install it. Just go to this site brew.sh and follow the install instructions there. Once you have home brew installed you should be able to run the

programming

Programming is Terrible

If you have not already seen this video, and you are a programmer, you should! Tef is great speaker and gives a great talk filled with tons of quips and very well thought out rants, about a life spent as a programmer. Enjoy!

css

Bootstrap Glyphicons won’t show up in Rails

If you are having issues with the Glyphicons showing up in your Rails project. Add this line to the top of your file where you are importing Bootstrap. Make sure it is above the import ‘bootstrap’ line. $icon-font-path: 'bootstrap/'; @import 'bootstrap'; Additionally if you have the issue above you

ruby

Don’t be a Ruby Robot

So recently I encountered a complaint about the students coming out of the the developer bootcamps. I guess this is true of any student in any number of fields; however, somewhere along the way they choose not to think objectively and just regurgitate what they are taught. Perhaps it is

system administration

Migration From Physical to Virtual Servers

I have not seen too many blog posts on this particular topic. It seems to be some dark art reserved for consultants. So I thought I would share some of this knowledge. Recently the company I work for made the jump from physical boxes to virtualized architecture. We made this