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Compress JavaScript with Google Closure

bojan — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:37:56 +0000

Google Closure is a set of closure tools which contains a JavaScript optimizer, a comprehensive JavaScript library and a templating system for JavaScript & Java. It’s available on Google Code page. In this post will focus on JavaScript optimizer and how can we optimize a JavaScript file, and if you interested in other possibilities of Closure you should also visit it’s page. (This post generally continues one of my previous posts How to Compress JavaScript code.) There are three methods with we can do our JavaScript optimizing with Google Closure.

#1 method

First is the simplest, just visit closure-compiler.appspot.com and you’ll get an online Closure Compiler in your browser. There you have to give an URL to your script or paste it to textbox, chose an optimization method from one of the available ones (whitespace, simple or advanced) and if you don’t know which one to use, chose link to Which one is right for my code? where is explained how the optimization work. Also you can check from one of the available formatting options, pretty print and print input delimiter. If you check the pretty print formatting option your compiled code will get a formatted code output and not single line one.

#2 method

Second method is using Closure Compiler Service API! It’s something like I mentioned in first method. You create a page with a textbox, paste your code and submit it! Form posts your script to Closure Compiler and returns the minified code back to you and shows it. How the HTML code looks? Take a look below or on Closure Compiler page here.


  
    
    Type JavaScript code to optimize here:
        function hello(name) {
      // Greets the user
      alert('Hello, ' + name);
    }
    hello('New user');

#3 method

This one is my favorite! It does the same like any other mentioned method before, but with this method you can easily include several files to bi minified/compress to one :) What you need for start is to download Closure Compiler Application. You create a working directory where you put your downloaded Closure Compiler Application. Copy the JavaScript file(s) you want to compile to Closure Compiler working directory, and now let’s do some compiling!

First example with one input file:

java -jar compiler.jar --js myfile.js --js_output_file myfile.min.js

Second example with two or more input files:

java -jar compiler.jar --js myfile1.js --js myfile2.js  --js myfile3.js --js_output_file myfile.min.js

So, through Java we execute the Closure Compiler Application compiler.jar. With option –js we define the input JavaScript file we want to compile, and with –js_output_file is defined the output file name which is compiled. In second example is shown how can be added more than one JavaScript file to be compiled.

For Closure Compiler help type:

java -jar compiler.jar --help

It is also available setting Closure optimizations through application, if you want to make Advanced optimization:

java -jar compiler.jar --compilation_level ADVENCED_OPTIMIZATIONS --js myfile.js

I find this Closure Compiler Application very handy, and if I need to compress JavaScript file it is my first choice right now. Maybe it will be interesting in feature to make some compares about sizes of compressed and non-compressed codes, but if you do it online on Closure Compiler page you will see some calculations about size right away. For more details about Google Closure Compiler visit it’s homepage.

Twitter Follow Bug Discovered

bojan — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:03:44 +0000

Wow, I didn’t imagine that something like this is possible! Following my streamline I noticed tweet by @feeloow which had a link. The link was about Twitter vulnerability, which is a have to say pretty huge! Tweeting a command “accept username” you can make anyone following you! I was curious so I tried it, and it really worked, but after some time ~15 minutes, my counters for following and followers are zeroed. Watching the timeline I noticed that few tweeps I followed has complained about that or “You don’t have any followers just yet. You probably will soon, though!”. Even I have zeroed counters, timeline works fine until now. Now waiting what will happen :)

UPDATE #1

About ~25 minutes later (19:10 CEST) i also got message “You don’t have any followers just yet. You probably will soon, though!”

UPDATE #5

Some funny stuff about this :)

http://bit.ly/c0Eegf

http://bit.ly/apY2p9

UPDATE #6

About 2 hours later (20:30 CEST) everything looks back in normal, welcome back followers :) The followers added by the follow bug haven’t been removed.

Installing LAMP on Kubuntu or Ubuntu

bojan — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:06:22 +0000

This post represents a small guide of how to setup your LAMP (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP) under Kubuntu (this works also for Ubuntu).

Usually LAMP tutorials guide you to install one by one all the applications, that looks something like this:

sudo apt-get install apache2
sudo apt-get install php5
sudo apt-get install mysql-server

There is one more easy solution, and the only difference is that it installs all + some other packages for LAMP.

sudo apt-get install lamp-server^

When installation of new packages finishes you have you own LAMP setup! Test it entering http://localhost in your browser it should say It works!

Tip #1

For adding PhpMyAdmin execute the following command in console:

sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin

It is possible when you type in your browser http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ that phpmyadmin don’t runs. Then you have to create a link in your www directory:

sudo ln -s /usr/share/phpmyadmin /var/www/phpmyadmin

After doing this http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ should work now!

Tip #2

To have permissions to your www directory do following:

sudo chown username:username /var/www

Tip #3

Enable Apache mod_rewrite module and restart Apache for taking effects:

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

You can enable or disable some other modules like this.

Now you have your LAMP up and the work can start :)

Using Wubi to Install Kubuntu

bojan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:30:47 +0000

What is Wubi?

Wubi is an officially supported Ubuntu installer for Windows users that can bring you to the Linux world with a single click. Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other Windows application, in a simple and safe way. Are you curious about Linux and Ubuntu? Trying them out has never been easier!

Why to use it?

If you’re new to Ubuntu and other Ubuntu based installations (Kubuntu, Xubuntu) this is a great way to play with it, and if you don’t like it you can easily remove it!

What do you need for start?

You need a Kubuntu installation disc, which you can download from official Ubuntu site or Kubuntu.org, you can chose there from 32-bit or 64-bit version. There are few alternatives, you can download it via FTP or torrent if you like that more.

On Kubuntu.org you have option to download only Wubi (~1.5Mb) and start install Kubuntu with it, but then it will download all the data (installation disc) from Internet. So, if you don’t have a good bandwith Internet I don’t recommend this.

Start installing

After you downloaded your Kubuntu installation disc, you can burn it on CD or if you have a virtual drive mount in it. Now you have to run Wubi.exe (find on CD or through Windows Autoplay) which is in root of CD. A window will appear with Kubuntu CD menu and three option, you chose the second one from there Install inside Windows. After that it’ll appear a window which looks something like next picture.

wubi-installer.org

Now you have to configure some options before you start you Kubuntu installation through Wubi installer. Chose your Installation Drive (it can be any partition which can Windows access), but it has minimum 12GB free space. Installation size is worth to set bigger if you want to install a bunch of programs and stuff, if you don’t you can leave on 8GB. Desktop Environment will be Kubuntu in our case. Set Language, Username and Password, click on Install and here it goes! It will copy some files and after that will ask to restart your system, and finish with whole installation after setting up more stuff (when installation finishes don’t forget to remove your install CD from drive).

After next restart you’ll see a boot menu which gives you option to chose which OS to start Windows or Kubuntu. You can now run your new Kubuntu OS :)

My Experience

I’m using Kubuntu like this for about 2-3 weeks, and have to say I’m satisfied with it. Only I have to say there were few difficulties during the install.

My first attempt was with Kubuntu 9.10, but after entering in it there was no wireless connection on notebook (Dell Inspiron 1525). I checked it, it recognized that I have wireless card, but I could not manage it or to connect on my home network. I didn’t have choice so I connected with LAN cable, and make all the updates/bug fixes for Kubuntu. After finished update and restart I was able to handle my WLAN connections.

One more thing to pay attention is sound. If you don’t have any it’s worthy to check your KMix and run alsamixer from console. Be sure that is in alsamixer everything turned on (volume is on top and it’s not MM – muted). With ‘M’ key you can change the values where you find it is MM.

For more detailed installation process and informations about Wubi visit wubi-installer.org.

Zend Framework Book Review by Robert Bašić

bojan — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:30:40 +0000

Picture from robertbasic.com

Few days ago my friend Robert Bašić has posted his review of a book named “Zend Framework 1.8 Web Application Development” on his blog. Here is a short quote from that review:

The book starts off with a basic application (yep, “Hello world!”), explains the bootstrapping, configuring, working with action controllers, views and handling errors… The second chapter continues with explaining the MVC architecture, the front controller, router, dispatcher… It even has a nice flowchart about the whole dispatch process, great stuff.

It’s a not too long, but a well written and informative review. So, if you’re interested in whole review and what’s Robert saying about the book, I recommend you to visit his blog and read his nice post!