Happy Friday! This week’s enlightenment brought you by the lovely JavaScript framework JQuery. If you like unobtrusive and functional javascript utilities, you really have to check it out. A while ago, I converted from prototype and haven’t looked back. I even built a plugin to help with our development process called under_construction. Use it to overlay or hide elements of page that haven’t been implemented yet.

• Achieving Rounded Corners in Internet Explorer for jQuery UI with DD_roundies – this was an effective technique for getting rounded corners to be respected in Internet Explorer. I used the DD_roundies library in conjunction with the rounded corners plugin
• Tips for Writing Better JQuery Code – loaded with great tips on optimizing your javascript
• Write Desktop and Mobile Apps with Bowline – I played around with this a few days ago and I really like it. If you consider yourself well versed in Rails, HTML, and JQuery, I highly recommend you check this framework out. I’m hashing out a few OS X applications without a single reference to NSWindow – crazy!
• Have google load JQuery for you – this has made it into my upcoming Rails Template – save on bandwidth costs and get snappy delivery of your javascript libraries via Google’s Content Delivery Network

On an off topic note, I’ve been using RescueTime and Concentrate.app to help maintain productivity. A blog post on Concentrate.app is forthcoming

• Bezos on Business and Zappos – A MUST WATCH – this was perhaps the highlight of my week courtesy of The Ted. I think Jeff really nails it on what makes businesses so successful today: you must obsess over your customers. I just found the talk really inspiring and informative. Take the 8 minutes to watch and learn from one of the best entrepreneurs of our time.
• IShowU.app – This looks like great screencasting software. Screencasts are an effective way to show your users what they can do with your application. They’re also becoming quite popular learning tools for developers.
• DHH Talks to FLOSS – David Heinemeier Hansson talks on a popular and well-produced podcast on how he got into development. He talks a lot about development mentalities and the need for establishing conventions. While I don’t always agree with David, I related to him in a lot of ways specifically around his business motivations overpowering his development aspirations. I found it really interesting.
• UserTesting.com – I’ve been waiting for something like this for a very long while. Affordable, simple and effective usability testing really is just about observing user behaviors and listening to what they’re saying as they navigate. I haven’t tried this service yet, but I plan to do so in the near future.

I’m going to regularly post links, discussions, and tips I’ve found helpful every Friday.

• Version 2.3.3 of Ruby On Rails is Released – includes improvements to JSON and a touch command that allows you to update the updated_at timestamp for associated objects
• Timecop – a really awesome gem that makes it easy to mock time related functions
• JQuery Rounded Corners – I might be a bit late to the party on this, but rounded corners are so Web 5.0. Seriously, though the browser support for this plugin is impressive. I also like the api.
• Giles on “Magic” Frameworks – I hear from a lot of programmers outside of the Rails community that it does too much “magic.” Giles’ thoughts are extremely poignant. I look at it this way: you drive a car every day. You put gas in it, get oil changes, etc. I don’t know everything there is to know about what’s under the hood, and chances are, neither do you. You have common interfaces with the automobile and all the smaller details have already been manufactured and put in place for you. A framework is definitely similar. Would a mechanic tell you that you cars run on “magic”? If you don’t understand something, that doesn’t make it magic.
• Huddle’s Thoughts on Bootstrapping the development of a web app – Although I have to disagree on the usage of Elance, Guru, or design contests, there’s some good tips here. I’ve rescued many projects for clients that attempted to use inexpensive resources like those found on Elance. There is a similar lapse in quality when you run design contests. Credible and reliable help in building your application is the best investment you can make for your online property.

under_construction is a jQuery plugin that hides or overlays elements of a design that have not been implemented yet. The best part is that it is done completely with standards compliant markup and unobtrusive JavaScript.

This utility works extremely well in Agile environments where there is design work done upfront. I use it extensively and clients really appreciate the ability to see what’s done and not done in a new application.

In this update:

• improved namespacing – no more collisions. To update, your function calls must be of the form $.under_construction.<function name>
• improved opacity – Due to some functions that were recently made available in the latest versions of jQuery, I was able to restructure the overlay so you get a cleaner look over darker backgrounds.

See the demo for more details.

In the future, I’m hoping to add iteration/sprint labels to the overlays so the client or stakeholder can see at what point the feature is going to be built.

A few weeks ago, I open sourced a tool I often use when developing new products. Meet under_construction – a JQuery utility for hiding/overlaying elements of a design that haven’t been developed yet.

View the Demo

I wanted something that it is entirely unobtrusive and W3C compliant. No funky markup, and when you build a feature, you just remove the pending class from the elements you want to expose.

I’m planning to add more features. It would be great to add labels to the overlays so the stakeholder will know when that feature will be unveiled like Thoughtbot’s Mile Marker. I’m planning to implement that as another class. Of course, the design principal of staying unobtrusive and standards compliant will remain paramount.

Thanks to a great framework like JQuery, building this was a snap. I recommend using it in conjunction with jQuery Hotkeys