The Problem: Various drop down lists are turned on and off (visible/hidden) depending on the value of other controls, most likely another ddl. This is usually fine, however, each conditional control has an ASP required field validator attached to them. If you just simply hide the control, the validator is still active. Uh oh.

The Answer: jQuery

• We don’t want to use server side validation, that would just cause a post back. No one wants one of those.
• We want the validation to happen all at once to all controls, not go though JavaScript validation that prevents your ASP validators from doing their job.

If you have conditional controls (like drop down lists) and want to put ASP validation on them, you want to do it in a way that doesn’t call a post back. The best way to do that is to use jQuery and some JavaScript so all of your validation stays client side.

For this example we have a Country drop down list that controls whether or not a state drop down list is shown. We want to put a required validation on the state drop down, but we do not want to validate the other controls that aren’t shown.

The form:

<form id="coolstuff" runat="server">
 <div id="form-style">
 <label>Country</label>
 <asp:DropDownList ID="ddlCountryList" runat="server"
DataTextField="CountryDesc"
DataValueField="CountryCode">
<asp:ListItem Selected="True" Text="United States" Value="US"></asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem Text="Canada" Value="CA"></asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem Text="China" Value=""></asp:ListItem>
 </asp:DropDownList>
 <br />

<label>State</label>
 <asp:DropDownList ID="ddlUS" runat="server">
<asp:ListItem Selected="True" Text="Select State" Value=""></asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem Text="California" Value="CA"></asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem Text="New York" Value="NY"></asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem Text="Texas" Value="TX"></asp:ListItem>
 </asp:DropDownList>
 <asp:RequiredFieldValidator id="valUS" runat="server"
ControlToValidate="ddlUS"
Display="Dynamic"
ErrorMessage="State is a required field."
ForeColor="Red">
 </asp:RequiredFieldValidator>

<asp:DropDownList id="ddlCanada" runat="server">
<asp:ListItem Selected="True" Text="Select Providence" Value=""></asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem Text="Alberta" Value="AB"></asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem Text="Ontario" Value="ON"></asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem Text="Quebec" Value="QC"></asp:ListItem>
 </asp:DropDownList>
 <asp:RequiredFieldValidator id="valCanada" runat="server"
ControlToValidate="ddlCanada"
Display="Dynamic"
ErrorMessage="Providence is a required field."
ForeColor="Red">
 </asp:RequiredFieldValidator>

<asp:Label ID="lblStateNA" runat="server" Text="N/A" />
 <br />

<asp:Button id="btnSubmit" OnClick="submitBtn_Click" runat="server" Text="Validate Me!" />

 </div><!-- end #form-style -->
 </form>

Here is the JavaScript

$(document).ready(function () {
//changes the ddl depending on the selected Country
$("#<%=ddlCountryList.ClientID %>").change(function () { getDropDown(); });

startIt();
});

//if we simply use getDropDown() in the jQuery document ready function, it will
//automatically show the validation alert on first page load, so we set up a custom
//initial function
function startIt() {
//initial setup
$("#<%=lblStateNA.ClientID %>").hide();
$("#<%=ddlCanada.ClientID %>").hide();
$("#<%=ddlUS.ClientID %>").show();
ValidatorEnable(document.getElementById('<%= valCanada.ClientID %>'), false);
}

function getDropDown() {
//reset all the conditional controls to hidden (this doesn't disable the validation)
$("#<%=lblStateNA.ClientID %>").hide();
$("#<%=ddlCanada.ClientID %>").hide();
$("#<%=ddlUS.ClientID %>").hide();

//just makes calling the validators easier
var valProv = document.getElementById('<%= valCanada.ClientID %>');
var valState = document.getElementById('<%= valUS.ClientID %>');

//if "United States" is selected
if ($("#<%=ddlCountryList.ClientID %>").val() == "US") {
//set validation controls for the ddls
ValidatorEnable(valState, true);
ValidatorEnable(valProv, false);
//show the States ddl
$("#<%=ddlUS.ClientID %>").show();
}

// if "Canada" is selected
if ($("#<%=ddlCountryList.ClientID %>").val() == "CA") {
//set validation controls for the ddls
ValidatorEnable(valProv, true);
ValidatorEnable(valState, false);
//show the Providence ddl
$("#<%=ddlCanada.ClientID %>").show();
}

//if neither "United States" or "Canada" is selected
if ($("#<%=ddlCountryList.ClientID %>").val() != "CA" &&
$("#<%=ddlCountryList.ClientID %>").val() != "US") {
//set validation controls of the ddls
ValidatorEnable(valState, false);
ValidatorEnable(valProv, false);
$("#<%=lblStateNA.ClientID %>").show();
}

}

And here is the codebehind:

public partial class _default : System.Web.UI.Page
 {
public void submitBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

}

protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{

}
}

Client: World of Wisdom Bookstore
Created:  December 2009

World of Wisdom Bookstore is a local Indianapolis metaphysical bookstore. They are one of the oldest and well known in the area. Their new site is made with the CMS Joomla! and incorporates their eCommerce store. The theme and logo is purely custom. The video on the front page was also made by me.

This site allows the business to connect to customers by linking to their social sites as well as keeping an updated events list.

I didn’t get my first true gaming console, the Nintendo NES until 1993. Before then, I would follow my brother to his friend’s house down the street. He was lucky enough to have an NES before us. I would just sit and watch them play. I was the little sister, so I didn’t get much chance to play, but I didn’t care – I just wanted to watch.

One game in particular caught my attention: Final Fantasy. Wow. I still love it. I have been a fanatic Final Fantasy fan since the beginning, playing all of the North American releases. Before I get carried away with Final Fantasy, let me continue to the explanation at hand.

Since our first NES, I can’t remember a time I didn’t have a game console. With the availability of games, I put the programming on the back burner for a while and just… played. I played the first Mario Brothers so much I was able to beat it in 1 guy, and in 3 levels.

I love both casual and serious games. I started back on programming in 1994 when we got AOL. I actually mowed lawns to pay for it. I was blazing the internet with my 56k modem. I fell in love with HTML and taught myself how to make web pages on GeoCities (before Yahoo! bought them). All I needed was my text editor and I could make really cool stuff. Well.. I thought it was cool at the time. Thinking about it now, I cringe at the horrid web page abominations I created, but hey – everyone starts somewhere, right?

My hobby faded in my late teens (dur… being a teen) and I thought I’d turn to more serious pursuits. I was taught having fun doesn’t pay the bills, right? I graduated High School, left on my own, and decided to go to college. I started school, majoring in Criminal Justice. It was interesting to me, but most of the classes were painfully boring. Needless to say I epicly failed my first two semesters.

Luckily for me, my school just created School of Informatics (around 2000) – a cooler version of the School of Computer Science. Now I knew I could go to school and possibly land a job… to have fun! It’s been a long hard road, and I’ve had to wait out semesters due to just life in general, but I am not a quitter. So here I am, almost 10 years later closing the long journey to validate my passion for programming and making fun interactive experiences. My last semester is here and I will graduate with a Bachelors in Science in New Media Arts and Science from IU and a certificate of Applied Computer Science from Purdue.

Personal Project
Created December 2009

Flash CS4 + ActionScript 3

This was an exorcise to see if I could incorporate Twitter, RSS Feeds and videos in Flash. Using custom php and a crossdomain.xml file, I achieved my goal.

Client: Frequency Marketing
Created: 2010

Lovingly hand crafted coded HTML and CSS. Site created from Illustrator files. Took approximately 3 hours total. All images, design and content © Frequency Marketing.

This is an example file showing how an array of items can be dynamically created and given random attributes including moving with gravity.

import flash.events.MouseEvent;
stop();
/**********************************************************************
Click! copyright 2010 by Aeryith
Flash CS5 - Action Script 3

This is a test file showing how an array of items can be dynamically
created and given random attributes including moving with gravity.
Feel free to experiment with this code and make new versions, but do
not claim this unadulterated code as your own work.
**********************************************************************/

//trig variables for trajectory objects
var speed:Number;
var angle:Number;
var xSpeed:Number;
var ySpeed:Number;
var gravity:Number = .03; //change this to see how the circles react

//container to hold square and circles
var container = new mc_container();
	container.x = 1;
	container.y = 1;
	addChild(container);

//square holds the circles
var square = new mc_square();
	square.x = 250;
	square.y = 200;
	container.addChild(square);
	square.buttonMode = true;
	square.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, createCircles);

function createCircles (event:MouseEvent):void {
  speed = 2; // set speed of object
  //create our circles using an array
  var circle:Array = new Array();
  for (var i:int = 0; i < 5; i++)    {
                circle[i] = new mc_circle();
                square.addChild(circle[i]);
                //get random angle
                angle = Math.random()*2*Math.PI;
                circle[i].angle = angle;
                circle[i].xSpeed = Math.cos(circle[i].angle) * speed;
                circle[i].ySpeed = Math.sin(circle[i].angle) * speed;
                //place the circle on a random spot
                circle[i].x = Math.floor(Math.random(  )*200);
                circle[i].y = Math.floor(Math.random(  )*200);
                //give each circle a random color
                var myColor:ColorTransform = this.transform.colorTransform;
                myColor.color = Math.random() * 0xFFFFFF;
                circle[i].transform.colorTransform = myColor;
                //add event listeners
                circle[i].addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, poof);
                circle[i].addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, moveObj);
            }//end for
         }//end createCircles()

        //removes circle from parent (square)

        function poof (event:MouseEvent):void {
                //uncomment below for *boing* sound on click
                //var snd:Sound = new snd_boing();
                //snd.play();
                event.target.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, moveObj);
                event.target.parent.removeChild(event.target); }

               //moves circles each frame
                function moveObj (event:Event):void {
                 //when the circles fall below this line, it is removed from square
                 if (event.target.y > stage.stageHeight) {
		event.target.removeEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, moveObj);
		//trace(event.target + " has been removed.");
		event.target.parent.removeChild(event.target);
	}
	else
	{
		event.target.ySpeed += gravity;
		event.target.x +=  event.target.xSpeed;
		event.target.y +=  event.target.ySpeed;
	}
}//end moveObj

Click by Aeryith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

Client: The Perfect Stitch, LLC
Created: March 2009

Website created using Joomla! CMS. Custom theme and graphics.

Shows up in first page Google results for “Indianapolis Bridal Alterations”

Title: Champaign
Created: December 2009
Client: Personal Project
View Theme
View CSS

I have always wanted to do a Zen Garden theme, and I finally got around to doing it in late 2009. It shows how much control CSS has in design of a website. This project honed by CSS skills and best practices.

The maintainer no longer accepts submissions, so this wasn’t submitted to the site.

My theme Champaign, was inspired by one of my hardest professors who taught intro to web design. In one of our first classes, I remember him saying people don’t make websites in circles. I took that as a challenge and in a homage to him, I used Century Gothic, one of his favorite fonts.

Ludwick, this is for you.

P.S. I totally deserved an A. Just sayin.

Strategy: Hunker down and Mass M&M and upgrade. Ignore saving the stranded marines.

Walk though: This is 100% defense. Bring all of your forces up to the second tier and salvage your 2 front bunkers. Put your guys in the bunkers on the second level. Mass SVC’s like they’re going out of style. You need lots of minerals quickly.

Remember to upgrade when you get the chance. Build 2 more bunkers in between the existing ones, effectively blocking the ramp. Mass M&M behind them (and about 5 SCV’s) as well as leave about 5 marines, 3 SCVs and 2 medics on each side where the turrets are.

SCVs are a favorite target of the air zerg so you’re going to have to keep and eye on them and replace if necessary. You’ll want to build one more turret on each side and one more barracks with a reactor to pump out your army quickly.

Towards the end, bring some guys down to guard your mining SCVs.

Just keep producing your M&M and SCV’s and this should be a cake walk.

The Outlaws
Video: N/A (not needed)
Strategy: Mass M&M.
Walk though: Once you get around 10 marines and 4 medics, head for the next base. Make sure your medics are well behind your marines as they are a priority target. Once you take over the second base start making more M&M. Never stop making M&M.

Charge the base once you have a comfortable ball (around 30 or so). Go up the left hand side. Blizz thought it would be cute to put a siege tank to the right of their fortress. Stay to the far left of the fort to bring it down. If you’re low on forces, bring them back up.That tank will utterly destroy your forces if you get in range. When you’re prepared to attack, spread out your ball so you don’t get decimated in a few hits.

I ran out of resources completing this mission because I wasn’t aware of the tank at first. Zerg with high numbers and this shouldn’t be a problem.