HTMList.com, A Web Development Blog by Synapse Studios

We review php|architect’s Guide to Programming Magento by Mark Kimsal. The book proves to be pretty useful but falls short in a bunch of frustrating ways (much like Magento itself). Read our full review for the skinny.

Edgar takes an up-close look at integrating zip codes into web applications. From data validation to location proximity and more, we *almost* make zip codes fun. Almost.

Coders like to code; coders don’t like to write. It’s no secret that thorough and approachable documentation is a rarity in the coding world. Despite its necessity for the adoptability of a given software package, finding good documentation is notoriously difficult. I’ve seen “documentation” consist of a simple phpDocumentor run (Magento anyone). Folks, this is NOT DOCUMENTATION!!! That is a reference guide! Learn what makes for great documentation with Brandon’s handy tips sheet.

Edgar goes into excruciating detail discussing lambda functions and function references in PHP 5.

We suggest to every client we have, no matter their business or their market, to blog often about what they know. (When they don’t know much, we tell them to fake it.) Blogs are a powerful way to boost your search engine results and to drive further organic traffic to your site. Here’s why…

Bob asked me to make weekly blog posts outlining what I learn as an intern here at at Synapse Studios, therefore, I will commence my weekly installments. Hopefully these posts will be slightly interesting to those who wish to read and the cliché title is not too much of a deterrent.

Six Revisions has a great piece on 30 websites to follow if you’re into web development, complete with cute little screenshots that let you judge, near-fully, the quality of each site on the merits of its cover, instead of having to actually click through. (I kid.)

A good amount of shopping these days is done online, but any developer knows that creating eCommerce websites is not a simple or mundane task. To cook up your own solution can take months of designing, coding, testing and headaches and there is no guarantee that you, your client, or your client’s customers will really benefit from your labors.