Code, code and more time

July 19th, 2004 · 12 Comments

1) TPOD code: I’ve gotten a couple of emails lately concerning the code that runs the Trixie Picture of the Day. The TPOD is a regular Movable Type blog that has been enhanced with php scripts. Unfortunately, because of the sloppy way I built it, the php, and the way it integrates into MT, is undocumented and confusing. I don’t have time to clean it up and document it, but if any of our readers is interested in that job, and can make a tutorial that explains how it works, then I’ll be happy to send that person the files. When it’s done, I’ll post the scripts here for free and everyone can set up their own picture of the day system.

UPDATE [Jan. 15, 2005] A generous reader has documented the TPOD Movable Type templates and PHP scripts. The code and documentation is available as is. I’m unable to help install, explain, fix or answer questions about it because the Trixie Tracker software is my current priority. I apologize in advance, but if you know a little about MT and PHP, you should be OK.

Download the TPOD MT/PHP files: sit format (16k), zip format (16k)

UPDATE [Aug. 18, 2005] Here’s the One Year Ago Today code. You’ll have to plug it into the code above.

Also, here’s the script I use to calculate Trixie’s age on the home page (written by someone much better at date calculations than me.)

2) Trixie Tracker: I am pouring every free minute into its development. I still can’t set a beta release date, but we’re close. I just need more time to pull it together.

3) Hiatus: I’ve got to take a break from the Trixie Update. See #2. We’ll be back Monday the 26th, in time for me to document taking Trixie back to the hospital. (Her one-year warranty is almost up.)

Tags: Site News

12 responses so far ↓

1 hannah // Jul 20, 2004 at 9:16 am

3 things:

1) I don’t understand the coding mumbo jumbo talk. But it’s not for me, so that’s okay I suppose. Just though I would admit my ignorance.

2) CONGRATULATIONS on the new diaper leak record!

3) When you take Trixie back to the hospital, are you going to exchange her, or return her for a refund?
2 benmac // Jul 20, 2004 at 10:05 am

I’m trading her in for a PlayStation 2.
3 Angie // Jul 20, 2004 at 10:16 am

I say keep her! The best is yet to come!

Like Hannah, I know nothing about codes (blah blah blah) but I am making an appeal for someone to figure it out so we can all have a TPOD system:-)
4 aiden's mommy // Jul 20, 2004 at 10:18 am

oh ben! a playstation! you sound like my husband lol! with all this teething he keeps asking me if we can take Aiden back yet lol. my theory is thought, to wait til they are like..ohhh….13 and THEN send them back!

how are the teething going? Aiden broke through his first top chopper and i was hoping you guys did too!!!
5 amy // Jul 20, 2004 at 11:25 am

I could be mistaken, but if you check out movabletype.com I there may already be a pluging thingy available there.
6 amy // Jul 20, 2004 at 11:27 am

Also - I cannot type or spell anymore. I think having a baby made me dumb.

And, the site is http://mt-plugins.org
7 fred // Jul 21, 2004 at 12:14 pm

Once you set a release for Trixie Tracker, can you work on releasing the code for the software that allows one to have a Trixie in the first place?
8 DavidNYC // Jul 21, 2004 at 6:47 pm

Once you set a release for Trixie Tracker, can you work on releasing the code for the software that allows one to have a Trixie in the first place?

Watson & Crick already did that over 50 years ago, babe.

Ben: Will schaff take over guest-blogging duties in your absence?
9 Beau. // Jun 5, 2005 at 4:07 pm

Thank you, thank you Ben for allowing the use of the code. Thanks also to the generous reader for providing comments and documentation that helped me figure the whole thing out. I’ve got just about everything working the same as it does here — once I figure out how to get that generator.php thing to shrink my images, I’ll be gold.

A note to others looking to use the code, you’ll need to change the following line in the index.php file:

$todayslink = “archives/2004/tp”.$MTdate.”.php”;

to:

$todayslink = “archives/2005/tp”.$MTdate.”.php”;

I haven’t forced my brain to think through whether or not this will scale when we hit 2006, but for this year things work just fine.
10 benmac // Jun 5, 2005 at 4:19 pm

Hi Beau: that’s great that you got it working!! And thanks for letting us know. I haven’t looked at that code in a long time, but based on the correction you posted, it looks like the whole thing should be re-written in a more flexible manner. I’d still like to rebuild the code and make it easier to use/install at some point, but in the meantime, thanks for the tip
11 neps // Jul 4, 2005 at 8:17 pm

Thanks Ben for this wonderful code. I’ve just started a blog for our baby to be, and it’s great. I’m inspired by trixieupdate and will keep my fingers crossed for the beta to be opened in the next 60 days
One question for anyone reading. Running into a slight problem, which isn’t killing me, but would be curious to know why. The thumbnail appears the proper day until midnight when it switches over to the next days. however, if I click on the thumbnail and goto the POTD area, the POTD seems to goto the next day at noon, not at midnight.

So not only does the thumbnail not always reflect the large image, but it basically launches the other image 12 hours early. I checked the POTD MT setup, and everything is okay, maybe I need to shift that server code 12 hours in a direction?

Thanks again, and best to you and yours.
12 mnorton33 // Aug 14, 2005 at 1:08 pm

Just wanted to compliment you on your site. The TPOD code is awesome. I implemented it on my site a month or so ago to keep a near daily updated photobook of my daughter. Thanks for making the code available to the public.

The Trixie Update

Keep track of the new kid