Blog: October 2009

An Add-On Twofer: Deeploy Helper and Hop Inject

October 19, 2009

Last week, we released a long-awaited update to our Deeploy Helper module.  Deeploy Helper has been quite a hit; it’s a regular member of the “Favorite Add-Ons” list on devot-ee.com.  But even a good add-on can be improved.  In Deeploy Helper version 1.1.0, we added support for the photo gallery module and Brandon Kelly’s popular FieldFrame extension.  And we also added a quick search-and-replace tool, so changing a hostname sitewide can be done in one step.

But that’s not all!  We also released a brand-new plugin, Hop Inject. This plugin “injects” arbitrary text at specified points in a custom field. For example, if you wanted to add an advertisement before the 3rd paragraph tag of your blog entries, Hop Inject makes it easy.  We’re looking forward to seeing what other creative people do with Hop Inject, so let us know how it works for you.  And if you think of some way to make it even better, we’d love to hear it!

In other add-on news, we officially decommissioned our Defensio for EE add-on last week.  If you’re looking for a tool to control comment and forum spam in ExpressionEngine, we’ve been very impressed by Low’s NoSpam module.

Posted by Justin Crawford at 3:13 PM | Comments (1)

New Pens from Saul Good Gift Co

October 6, 2009

In preparation for the EE Roadshow, Travis asked me to look into giving pens away as promotional items at the event. I hate the idea of contributing more “stuff” to the world, especially things as disposable as pens. But a well-timed article about an ethical gift company I came across in Granville Magazine (sadly no direct link), Saul Good Gift Co., convinced me we could make an environmentally friendly choice and still have some schwag to share.

The gift company features a selection of gift boxes and promotional products that are either sourced locally, made sustainably or are environmentally conscious. I went with the cardboard pens because they are made with 100% recycled cardboard and biodegradable plastic. They also fit into our budget. A pricier promo item I’ll keep in mind in future is the Tradeworks wooden pen in their product catalog. It’s produced locally by Tradeworks Custom Products who provide training and employment opportunities to women from the Downtown Eastside.

The owner of the Saul Good Gift Co. just happens to be Saul Good. He did a fabulous job of keeping me informed about our order along the way and ensured we received the pens in time for the conference despite a tight deadline and an initial error in shipping. As for the pens themselves, I’m very pleased with the look of the Hop Studios branded cardboard pens, and they go nicely with the rest of the conference swag we keep on hand.

Note: We didn’t get any compensation for writing this; I just like the pens.

Posted by Rachael Ashe at 3:50 PM | Comments (1)

The ExpressionEngine Roadshow: A Summary

October 6, 2009

I just got back from Seattle, from the big event I organized called the ExpressionEngine Roadshow. We had 80 attendees, from 20 states and provinces, 14 speakers, 2 parties, and 1 heck of a good time. I was told once by a wise man not to point out one’s own flaws: other people either spotted them before you did, or haven’t yet noticed; either way they don’t need to be told.  So let’s just say the conference went extremely well.

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And it’s true—it went off wonderfully. What did I especially like?  I liked the space: Pravda Studios.  There’s something nice about a novel space that gets people talking, conversations happening, and ideas seem to float into the air.  I thought up two new add-on ideas, and heard from several other people about new projects that percolated from the meeting of the minds in that airy, bright space.

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I liked the attitude of the folks who came—how willing they were to share with each other, like in Matt Perry’s presentation about high-performance EE sites.  I worry sometimes that as the EE community grows, more grumps, creeps and porcupines will join the EE community and push out us old, mellow do-gooders.  But that was not the case with the people at this conference, and that thrills me.  I hope next year we can make it even more inclusive of new EE users and the EE-curious, too—suggestions on that would be appreciated.

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Most of all, I liked getting the reminder that each one of us, whatever our own skill set, can have a big impact on the growth of the EE community. I think the best story was the one told by Brandon Kelly, creator of some of the best EE add-ons like Gypsy, FieldFrame and Playa. He said he’d originally made one really good extension for ExpressionEngine, but then had drifted away from EE development until the end of 2008 when Ryan Masuga came up with the “AcademEE Awards” and named Playa the Extension of the Year. That recognition and praise gave Kelly the push he needed to get re-involved in EE, and now, 9 months later, he’s getting ready to quit his job and start developing add-ons full-time, to the benefit of all us EE users.

It’s just wonderful to see that happen, and it reminded me how important it was to give support and encouragement to new folks, because that can really come back around and help us all.

Seeing people making new friends, form new business relationships, solve problems, and meet face-to-face for the first time—that’s what the EE Roadshow was all about for me.

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Hop Studios was proud to be one of the four organizers of the EE Roadshow this year—the other organizers being the tenacious and clever Degan Beley, the boundless and perfectionist Kevin Shoesmith and the insightful and wry Monique Trottier. I know, reading thank yous is boring, but these three deserve a moment of thanks from me, that’s for darn tooting, because we couldn’t have done it except all together, and I think we all got something special out of this.

Posted by Travis Smith at 1:01 AM | Comments (4)

Heavenly Cakes Launches

October 2, 2009

This week was the official publication date of Heavenly Cakes, the brand new cookbook written by our client Rose Levy Beranbaum. Rose is a legend in the baking world with many top selling cookbooks to her credit and the new book has been much anticipated by her numerous fans.

From Amazon.com:

This comprehensive guide will help home bakers to create delicious, decadent, and spectacularly beautiful cakes of all kinds with confidence and ease. With her precise, foolproof recipes, Rose shows you how to create everything from Heavenly Coconut Seduction Cake, Golden Lemon Almond Cake, and Devil’s Food Cake with Midnight Ganache to Orange-Glow Chiffon Layer Cake, Mud Turtle Cupcakes, and Deep Chocolate Passion Wedding Cake.

The book is doing so well in its first week the publisher announced yesterday it is already going into its second printing! Way to go Rose!

At the moment Rose is busy with the press tour for the book and you can keep track of her appearances and book signings on the Real Baking with Rose blog.

Posted by Rachael Ashe at 3:26 PM | Comments (0)