Code Test

testing

How to do continuous integration (CI) with a Laravel Nova project that also does database testing

Automated testing and continuous integration are huge topics. I find even experienced programmers sometimes completely miss the point and skip both. To me, this is a selfish act and extremely presumptuous - do you really think you're client deserves that you will be forever the only programmer on their project?

Living a healthy lifestyle - Bedtime Routine - Part 1

Living a healthy lifestyle can be a challenge. After experimenting for many years and reading up as much as I can, I've finally found a great formula at 51 years old.

What I don't like about CloudFlare

Today we finally cancelled CloudFlare. I'm sure it's a great service but I have a couple of pet peeves and this article is designed to express them.

How to get the Asus ZenScreen MB165B Working with Linux

The Asus ZenScreen is a perfect companion for a digital nomad. It's extremely crisp and lightweight, and it only uses one cable (the USB one) to power up. Let's explore how to get this screen working with multiple monitors on a Linux laptop.

Navigating the confusing mess of Favicon in a web project

Back in the day it was probably easy to add a favicon. You could just dump a PNG file renamed to favicon.ico and get on with your day. No more.

What is the difference between E27, E14, B22, and B15 light fittings in South Africa?

A quick overview of various types of light fitting in South Africa, "screw-in" versus Bayonet.

How much does MTN ask for international roaming in Europe?

I recently had the privilege to travel to Europe. During my stay I needed to be online 24/7. My home network in South Africa is MTN and I received various SMSses whilst overseas promoting their services.

Asking ChatGPT about Laravel Livewire Standalone Testing

Laravel Livewire is incredibly powerful but if you're creating standalone package testing may be a challenge.

This morning I decided to ask ChatGPT to help me write a standalone test for a Laravel Livewire Package. 

How to use the Payfast onsite module with subscriptions in a new Laravel project

This article explains how to create a new Laravel project from scratch and then implement Payfast onsite payments and subscription billing.

Bara-BING Bara-boeng

I never though, ever, that  I would write an article about "Bing Webmaster Tools". I mean, is there even such a thing? How pleasantly I was surprised when I suddenly noticed "Site Explorer" in Microsoft's tool.

Why engineers mustn't be so fucking precious with their time

Another day, another bad apple at a tech support help desk. Given, after presenting some rather strong arguments I get escalations, but to see how this went here is the whole transcript.

How double your money in two years

To double your money is anyone's dream. To take two years is actually pretty long but what if you could to a liquid investment and still have that possibility?

Top Ten Marketing Ideas

I love top ten lists! I often use them to fall asleep. Counting sheep is so 80s. Here is a top ten list for a business

Addressing Canonical URLs WWW with and without on NGinx

If you do an SEO analysis of your page the analysis tool might complain about canonical URLs with regards to WWW and without. Learn more about that here.

How to link PayPal in South Africa to Standard Bank

Please get some tissue paper. South Africa has hectic currency control regulations and so you can't use PayPal directly. You have to go via FNB. But it's possible, you just have to shed a tear first.

What is BankyStatement?

In this article we explore BankyStatement, software the imports bank statements.

The problems with TymeBank

Tyme Bank Problems Today

TymeBank has become increasingly unreliable as they grew in size. Today there are a number of problems with TymeBank and we're using this document to let the public know about some of them.

No bank is perfect and Tymebank is no different. But I chose Tymebank because I choose not to deal with a branch and I think it's a wise decision to save money on branches. They also have some pretty good tech. But, unfortunately, they have a number of shortcomings too.

Positive Lifestyle Changes

I've been thinking about lifestyle changes a lot lately. My belief is you can affect "major" change without changing your lifestyle. Doing just one this won't do the job - you have to do more than one thing. Here are some of the things I want to focus on next.

Object of Desire

I'm not materialistic at all. But every now and again I see something really special and this time it's a watch. Not just any watch.

How to mock an HTTP API using Laravel and Pest

I've made a YouTube video to demonstrate how to mock an HTTP API. The key to doing it is you can't use the vendor's API. You have to "redo" their API calls using the Laravel facade.

How to become a successful programmer

In this article I explore on how to become a successful programmer. My field of study is Laravel so although I provide generic advice there are some things mentioned that are Laravel specific.

PageSpeed Insights Primer

Having a fast website makes the difference between success and fail. To see how we're doing, let's use Google's PageSpeed Insights to analyze this blog.

Did Google Search Console just ban me?

A new site website. It's never been added to Google's index. It's just a few blog pages with pictures and content. Yet Google Search Console says there is an N/A security issue?? What gives.

Bulk Mail testing for SPAM

Sometimes you need to check if an email will fall into a spam trap. This is particularly relevant if you're a bulk emailer. We've fo

Google Analytics Alternatives

Google Analytics is a typical over-engineerd product from Google. Sometimes it's just better to ditch it, especially if you're concerned about privacy. In this blog article we mention a couple of alternatives.

Using WhatsApp for Support

Using WhatsApp support gives businesses numerous benefits...

Here I explain our business reasons for using it at Vander Host.

How to check your site for SEO

A website without SEO is like a shop in the desert. Nobody is ever going to find it. The question is, how does one check one's site for good SEO?

How to import Laravel Jetstream's Livewire assets

When you want to customize Laravel Jetstream's look and feel, you'll need to import the assets. This article shows you how to import the Livewire ones.

How long should meta descriptions be?

TLDR; Meta descriptions should be between 155 and 160 characters otherwise Google might truncate them.

Does blade work with PrismJS?

PrismJS doesn't work with Laravel blades. Let's see why.

PayFast Onsite Payments

Learn how to install PayFast Onsite Payments into a Laravel Jetstream compatible project.

How to highlight code in your blog

This article explains how to add programming code syntax highlighting to your code.

What is a "meta description?"

This article explains what a meta description is and why it's so important for SEO.