Getting Started with GIT and GITHUB

I have been involved in software development for over 20 years, and have used various version control software including SCCS, CVS, Perforce, Clearcase, Visual Sourcesafe, and SVN. Over time, the SCM trend has changed from file locking mechanism to distributed version control and GIT is gaining popularity with growing users. As a software engineer, SCM is a critical part of your daily chores but you don't want to spend much time maintaining it.

Salesforce Apex FAQ

Salesforce Apex resembles Java programming language, but it uses objects to represent primitives and also offers pre-built methods for commonly performed tasks. Here is a list of commonly used primitive object methods, and functions that can be used with Apex programming language.

How to install UTM tracking code? (Uses ga.js)

The UTM (Urchin Traffic Monitor) tracking code is used to track traffic source, medium, and campaign; and allows businesses to track conversion funnel from referral site. With the introduction of Google Tag Manager, some folks are unclear how to implement UTM tracking codes into their HTML pages. The following two simple steps will guide you through installing the UTM javascript snippets into your web pages.

Google Analytics Cookies (utma, utmb, utmz)

Google Analytics uses cookies to keep track of visitors' web statistics. When you install Google Analytics javascript tracking code on your website, cookies are written to your visitors' computers to keep track of their activities on your website. Cookies store visitor's first visit, page views, how long they stayed on your site, entry point, and exit point among others. Cookies set by Google Analytics include __utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmv, __utmx, and __utmz; and samples of those cookies are as follows:

PHP Performance Tuning with Xdebug and KCacheGrind

One of our WordPress websites was running very slow, so I have been asked to diagnose the application. The website was running in upwards of 6 seconds to load the homepage, and 8+ seconds to load woocommerce product pages. There are several debugging and profiling tools available in the PHP realm, and Xdebug is an excellent choice. New Relic (free and premium versions) is another choice for profiling and debugging PHP applications.

Ksh/Bash Change Directory commands

When you're working in the command-line interface, you may be going deep inside the directories, and moving back and forth between those directories can be a nuisance. There are built-in directory commands in ksh/bash that you can use to ease your change directory (cd) pain.

Salesforce REST API example

Salesforce REST API call into Force.com platform requires OAuth 2.0 authentication. OAuth is an industry-standard authentication mechanism using "tokens" instead of typical "username" and "password" credentials. OAuth access tokens provide permission to make Salesforce API calls and do not grant permission to log in to Salesforce Web UI.

VoIP Service Comparison (Ooma vs. Magic Jack Plus)

Over the years, high-speed internet services have been available for many families. It allows customers to consider switching to an alternative phone service, VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), instead of a traditional landline. It could reduce or completely remove phone bills without losing voice quality significantly. AT&T and Vonage are known VOIP providers, but they are not an economical choice. Nowadays, there are many VOIP providers and it makes it difficult for customers to choose the right options for them. We reviewed the most popular cost-effective VOIP alternative options, Ooma vs. Magic Jack Plus.