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JetsonHacks Website Redesign: Overcoming Challenges and Launching a Fresh Look
In direction of the start of December, I started work on redesigning and updating the JetsonHacks web site. Whereas I’m not an optimist, I “knew” that I may get the replace achieved in three weeks. With the vacations in thoughts, I used to be assured that I may use further time in the course of the break if issues ran over.
The way in which it’s suppose to go
That is the third iteration of the web site during the last 9 years. Thankfully, I do that simply typically sufficient that I are likely to overlook a lot of the essential duties for for issues to go easily. What you’re imagined to do:
- Make a backup of the web site, retailer it regionally
- Create a staging space from the prevailing web site
- As a result of this can be a WordPress website, inform WP JetPack to enter ‘Protected Mode’ on the brand new staging website
- On the staging website, construct probably the most stunning web site the world has ever seen
- Make extra backups
- Copy the staging website to the true web site
- Congratulate your self on a job effectively achieved
I tousled the third step. All the pieces after that was what we name a ‘Charlie Foxtrot’
Selecting the Proper Theme and Look
This web site runs a ‘Theme’ over a database. The Theme kinds the database content material and shows it on any given webpage. The Theme that I used to be utilizing on the web site had gone crufty over time. This was not the consumer expertise I need for the precious JetsonHacks group.
So far as I can inform, a lot of the new, shiny and glossy web site designs don’t cater to an article-style web site like JetsonHacks. Most are “stunning” touchdown pages with smiling, completely satisfied folks and daring and putting colours. Not that these are dangerous issues in and of themselves …
Nevertheless, there’s effectively over 400 articles on JetsonHacks. Including a shiny new touchdown web page ain’t chopping it. Like all good little programmers, I instructed myself “This can be a probability to find out how folks now design and construct web sites”. They’ll’t scare me away by needing a little bit little bit of technical wrangling to get the web site I need! This can be a variation of “As a well-known scientist, it will be fairly shocking if a woman blinded me with science!”.
Pixel Wrangling and Monsters
After a few week I discovered myself cowering within the nook from the monster that I let unfastened. There have been web site guts all around the ground. Seems that this stage of improvement is just about like pushing jello up a hill. Push right here, break that. Push there, break this. Looking back, this isn’t shocking as a result of the instruments purpose to construct “stunning” web sites with pictures of completely satisfied folks and daring colours. Managing a Content Management System (CMS) like this web site is a special ball sport totally.
This made me recognize and admire engadget.com with its stark black and white theme all of the extra.
So I pixel wrangled, and pixel wrangled some extra. I discovered a lot of the niggles, and humanely put them out of their distress. The large day was lastly right here! Three weeks late, however at the least it acquired achieved. On January 17, I started transferring the brand new design over.
Launch Day: Revealing the New JetsonHacks Web site
It virtually labored. That is the stuff of recurring nightmares. I all the time have the sensation that it doesn’t matter what I do, I’m going to lose 9 years of web site with the flawed push of a button. Even with the backups, restore factors and so forth. In fact, I pushed the flawed button …
Going into this, my use of profanity was a little bit off form. Miraculously I used to be in a position to get the web site again up and operating after only some scary hours. I’m proud to say that my profanity use is now higher than it has ever been. The one factor that seems to be utterly “broke, broke” on the web site is the web page view historical past. All the pieces has a worth, I assume.
I’m a man with a pc science diploma. I all the time resent having to apply it to somebody’s “simple to make use of” product. On a paid product, ought to I actually need to learn points on Github and provide you with my very own workarounds for marketed options that don’t work? How on the earth do folks with no technical background ever get this nonsense to run easily?
Introducing the Weblog Part
A brand new function on the JetsonHacks web site is that this Weblog part. This part is for extra casual communication with you. Give it some thought as a Behind The Scenes (BTS) take a look at what’s going on right here. The plan is to publish right here often.
A few of the weblog entries will go to social media bulletins, like this one. Most will simply put up straight to the web site. Going ahead, it is possible for you to to seek out all the JetsonHacks weblog posts right here.
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