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John Cox

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John is fascinated with innovation of all types. He works by day as a technical business consultant identifying and solving challenging business problems with technology, and by night as a husband and father of two. He has been on the frontier of web development for the past fifteen years, but still learns something new everyday. You can catch up with him through Wyome.com.

A Deeper Look at Advanced Select Queries: New Premium Tutorial
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A Deeper Look at Advanced Select Queries: New Premium Tutorial

on Jul 22nd 2010 with 7 comments

To a SQL novice, JOINs can be intimidating and somewhat frustrating. Even when you think you have the query nailed, along comes an unexpected result which make you throw up your arms in surrender to the SQL gods. In this tutorial, we are going to build upon the excellent quick tip of working with MySQL and INNER JOIN recently posted and crack open the real power of a SELECT statement. Become a Premium member to access this tutorial, and all of the other fantastic articles and screencasts across all of the Tuts sites.

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An Introduction to MySQL 5: Views

An Introduction to MySQL 5: Views

on Jul 2nd 2010 with 26 comments

The MySQL 5 series introduced quite a few changes. Triggers and stored procedures were two of the big ticket items. One of the lesser known additions, at least from the amount of writing on the subject, is the introduction of views. While after a quick look at MySQL views, you might not see the obvious advantages, they’re there if you dig into them just a bit.

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Profiling MySQL Queries with phpMyAdmin: New Premium Tutorial
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Profiling MySQL Queries with phpMyAdmin: New Premium Tutorial

on Jul 1st 2010 with 9 comments

I’ve used phpMyAdmin for over a decade. In my early years with the tool, I simply needed something that could show me table structure and quickly give me the data inside. As my needs have grown, so have the tools included with phpMyAdmin which keeps me coming back as my primary MySQL tool, even with optimization. Become a Premium member.

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HTML5 Microdata: Welcome to the Machine

HTML5 Microdata: Welcome to the Machine

on Jun 14th 2010 with 24 comments

I don’t think it is hyperbole to say that HTML5 will change the way that you think about web development. I welcome many of the changes as they make development easier, and the user experience richer. With any change, though, there is certain to be a bit of trepidation and controversy. One addition that certainly is not without its controversy is the Microdata specification, but I believe the benefits of this very simple specification are going to change how you look at your mark-up in the very near future.

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This entry is part 10 of 14 in the HTML5 and You Session
Introduction to MySQL Triggers

Introduction to MySQL Triggers

on Jun 7th 2010 with 72 comments

Chances are, you know what a database trigger is, at least in conceptual terms. Chances are even greater that you know that MySQL supports triggers and has supported them for quite some time. I would guess, even armed with this knowledge, that a good many of you are not taking advantage of triggers with MySQL. They’re one of those things which should absolutely be in your development toolbox, as they can really change the way that you look at your data.

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HTML5 Globals and You

HTML5 Globals and You

on May 31st 2010 with 43 comments

Much has been written on the big ticket changes in HTML5, like forms, semantics, and media, but information on the less splashy changes is sparse. While global attributes aren’t the most sexy change of HTML5, they are the change that you will be using over and over and over as you migrate to the new specification.

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This entry is part 8 of 14 in the HTML5 and You Session
CSS DIY Organization

CSS DIY Organization

on May 25th 2010 with 64 comments

I detest looking at code or mark-up that I’ve written in the past, which I don’t understand right off the bat. I’m surely no different from you in that I want to be able to come back years later, pick the code up, and understand exactly what is going on. I don’t want to dissect the simplest concepts, where the brackets are located, or even how the mark-up is indented. I have created habits to help me with rapid development, which have kept my sanity somewhat intact. I will be honest though, I have never given much thought to how I write and organize my CSS until recently, and that is what I am sharing today.

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Rethinking Forms in HTML5

Rethinking Forms in HTML5

on May 10th 2010 with 72 comments

While there are many changes for the better in the HTML5 specification, there is no better bang for the buck for the data driven website than the transformation of forms. These simple changes will transform how you enter, validate, process, and even display inputs. You will be able to create more usable web applications with less code and less confusion.

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This entry is part 9 of 14 in the HTML5 and You Session