BDI – Redesign Launch

We just launched BridgeTest.com V3.0, a large, WordPress-driven, custom-designed website for Bridge Diagnostics Inc., a Boulder-based engineering firm.

BDI Redesigned Homepage, by DesignDivine

Original BDI Homepage

Their new website features custom relational databases of the company’s products, services, and structures, which are client-manageable from their WordPress dashboard.

BDI Redesigned Service Template by DesignDivine

In addition, we developed a custom password management system which allows BDI staff to protect various documents and software downloads which are intended for their current clientele.

BDI Redesigned Product Page, with password protection

 

Treppedas.com – Redesign Launch

We just launched the new website for Treppeda’s Italian Ristorante, a local high-end restaurant in Niwot, Colorado.

Treppedas.com V2.0

Branding, branded website design, and content created by Malowany Associates.

Treppedas.com V2.0 Blog

As per usual, we constructed the site on the WordPress content management system.

Treppedas.com V1.0 (Original Site)

The Bridal Loft – Website Launch

We just completed the brand identity package and launched the website for The Bridal Loft, a new bridal boutique opening in Thornton, Colorado.

The Bridal Loft Logo Design

Their logo features a custom illustration by our in-house graphic artist, Hilary Clarcq.  Per the clients request, we created a modern, feminine, sassy look and feel.

TheBridalLoftInc.com Homepage

We constructed the  new website on the WordPress platform.

TheBridalLoftInc.com Content Page

Attaching .docx files via PHP

Interesting bug today: A client’s web form takes file uploads and forwards them as email attachments. Script works great for .doc files, but .docx files end up as mysterious attachments with filenames like ATT00010.txt, whose content starts with this:

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document;
name="filename.docx"
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="filename.docx"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64

This “header” is followed by a bunch of base64 gobbledygook. In short, my original attachment appeared to be getting itself wrapped in an attachment, prefixed with its headers minus the string “Content-Type: “.

Turns out the problem was line-wrapping. I was hardwrapping the entire message to ensure a maximum line length of 70 characters (as recommended by the docs), and this was causing the obscenely long (> 70 character) mime type used by .docx to wrap onto a separate line from the string “Content-Type:”. Subsequently, Outlook was seeing a blank content type, freaking out, and putting the rest of the message into an attachment.

Moral of the story: Don’t hardwrap your email headers. Or use a library which keeps you from worrying about absurd implementational details.

BookIt – Web Application Launch

After many months of development, integration battles, use-case beta testing, and top-to-bottom system debugging, we finally deployed BookIt; a custom, web-based, NetSuite-integrated, conference room managing and scheduling application for OfficeEvolution.

BookIt Web Application System Architecture

The core BookIt system allows OE clients to login and reserve conference rooms from any of the dozen OE business centers located across the Colorado.  OE staff can create new reservations as well as manage those created by the clients.

BookIt Admin Role View

We extended the system to fully integrate with OE’s CRM and billing system NetSuite.   BookIt validates users account from OE’s NetSuite client set, allowing clients to use their existing account credentials.

From the other perspective, BookIt reports conference room usage back to NetSuite for fully automated billing via their existing billing routines.

BookIt Create Reservation

The systems are fully synched and now manage, dozens of unique rooms, thousands of users and hundreds of weekly reservations.

BookIt Reservation History

We built BookIt on the Kohana platform using PHP/MySQL.

BookIt Public View of Availability

IE9 Disappearing Content Bug

After installing Internet Explorer 9, I began cross-browser testing the DesignDivine sites.  IE9 destroyed the layouts of at least a half of our websites with no discernible or obvious patterns.  Large content areas were missing from new and old sites alike.  Each of these sites was compatible with IE6, IE7, IE8, FF, Chrome and Safari — so the IE9 bomb was really annoying.

First, I began a fruitless investigation into forcing various compatibility modes with little or no effect on the broken display.  The various doctype declaration settings didn’t do much either.

Finally, I stumbled on the following fixes:

That took care of most of the critical IE9 bugs, but I still needed to update the following scripts:

Microsoft is really doing a great job holding back web design and the internet, as per usual.  I don’t know enough javascipt to explicitly fault Microsoft for the IE9 script errors, but the number of new errors points heavily in their direction.  Furthermore, I do know that the IE9 Helvetica bug is a major flaw which should never have made it past QA  testing.