My SMS to Twitter System – In Breif.

I thought I should make a post to shout about the system I am currently developing (Currently in Alpha) which is an alternative SMS to Twitter system – eg. You text TW followed by your message and that gets tweeted out on your Twitter account.

Now firstly I will explain WHY I have made this because I know lots of people might think, why bother, twitter already have that!

But alas, not quite. Twitter does have a UK text number, however it has a rather irritating downfall, its a Isle of Man number… so on some networks – like mine T-mobile – which do not have any special deals for the twitter number it means texting this number isn’t included in your SMS allowance and is charged at International Region 1 rates, which is 25p/SMS last time I checked! Which is a lot more than the 3 – 10p PAYG customers might pay, and a damn site more than the cost of unlimited texts.

So now you know the reason, texting this number is cheaper for some people because its properly UK based.

Now for a little bit of tech.

The way the Alpha system is currently working is very bare-bones; there is currently no front end at all and it is purely based on 2 cron jobs working with 2 databases.

My aim is to develop the system so it has a SMS Api/Gateway core, which is the part of the system which interfaces with the actual SMS gateway I am working with, so this runs and grabs all new SMS messages on my account and stores them to the core database.

I then have the SMS to Twitter part or App which then interfaces with the core system, to retrieve and process SMS messages for tweeting.

So as the text system is based off keywords eg, SMS must start with “Tw” or “dansgalaxy” to be picked up, so I register all the keywords with the gateway, and then the core system picks up all the SMS for my account picks out all the info and dumps it into a database so i can easily find and process the SMS and then you have Apps which can interact with the core database to use the SMS.

So currently the SMS to Twitter system is based on a keyword of “tw” so the App authenticates with my core system, and is then able to retrieve the SMS messages which uses the keyword of “tw”.

The system then checks the information for the SMS, picks out the senders phone number, which is then looks up in database to and finds the account holder, and is then able to tweet the users SMS using Twitter Authentication details stored in the database.

Because the system is in Alpha, currently it is very basic however I have great plans for this system and hope I can develop it into a full system where users who wish to use it can sign up authenticate the system with their Twitter account using OAuth instead of the username/password combination and enjoy a simple tool.

All thoughts and suggestions welcome.

Hmm… Life good.. and bad and down right complicated sometimes.

Okay first off, YAY Christmas… well not yay, it kinda sucks if i am honest, its cold boring and you have to put up with family members you don’t really like. But still, i got my nice new laptop which i am currently typing on in bed.. so i am quite happy with that

YouTube:

Okay so my plan was, get laptop, install software start making Internet videos… But alas no… i get laptop i install software i click record i do a little dance, i click stop i click done i go… What f’ing read error?!! .. it seems (even after 3 re-installs) the software doesn’t like me and doesn’t want to save my recording, which is a little bit of a pain i have to admit =/

Okay, the above was done in bed, its the afternoon now, and the web cam problem is really annoyed me I having a look and even the movie software which came with the laptop (vaio movie story) doesn’t recognise the built in motion eye cam, and neither does windows movie maker… although i did just come across Web Cam companion2 which was able to record and save without throwing up errors… and now as i type i have just discovered all the failed recording DID save in my documents :/ very strange… so it turns out i can record but i have to put up with the capture program giving errors and crashing, and then have to manually import the files into the software to be edited? Wow doesn’t that sound like an efficient piece of software…

Also been some debating about the name of the new geek channel, and exactly how it will work, i first registered fiveawesomewebgeeks because the whole five awesome… was pretty cool and unfortunately some douche has registered fiveawesomegeeks and the account has been deleted and i still couldn’t register the name… So the other day while thinking up cool YouTube channel names (notice how i use the term “cool”  loosely) and i now registered awesomegeeks, awesomewebgeeks, 5awesomewebgeeks so hopefully we will be on one of those channels in the new year! so watch this space.

Also on the note of the Five Awesome Web Geeks (5awg) i think i might have found the 5th geek so *yay* but i guess we shall see, so there are 3 days left to new year and i guess i should start dishing out the login details, and crossing my fingers and hoping the guys who said they would make videos… actually do make videos lol all fun i think Hayley, Lew (the new guy) and I will probably be the main people, particularly as Lew (http://uk.youtube.com/user/papplemanger) seems to already be into making some weird and wacky videos… so yay cant wait.

I also ordered Alan (from five awesome guys) YouTube book from amazon, which i should be getting between Jan 5th and 9th.

So go check it out – http://youtube.com/fiveawesomewebgeeks

 Radio:

 Hmm okay, so i have mentioned before i am involved with a local community radio station, and i keep changing my mind about where i think its going; one minute I’m thinking ah this is futile give in and get on with all the other awesome projects im working on, and then again i think no this could be a lot of fun given the chance just a shame that some illogical people are … yea im gonna choose not to finish this sentence.

But yes, i am writing a long wordy email to the station manager, see if anything changes and it starts to be worth my time, as at the moment it isn’t, and I’m not doing what i was told i would be doing in the beginning… and i really don’t like feeling like i have been lied to… So i have decided, i will finish this email, and send it off, if things change and i get to do more of what i love then we are all happy they get to use my array of skills and i get to have a bit of fun, if not i guess i will be making more Internet videos and working on my other projects… yea the ones which will probs make me some money in the end! lol

Hmm just started watching the five awesome teens on YouTube… hmm looks fun now watching them from the beginning lol.

I really should be blogging and vlogging more now i have my laptop, i uploaded 3 videos i did with hayley the other day so check it out -> http://youtube.com/dansgalaxy

Blog now on Dansgalaxy.co.uk!

Okay, so since i wasnt using Dansgalaxy.co.uk for anything for anything i have been meaning to move the blog over from blog.dansgalaxy.co.uk to the proper domain for a while now, and i finally found the time!

So now its a shorter domain to get to my blog

And no i didnt forget, i added the htaccess permenant redirect so all old links and everything should still work fine lol

After christmas, once i got my new laptop i will hopefully be launching the Five Awesome Web Geeks channel on youtube -> http://youtube.com/fiveawesomewebgeeks so hopefully you can find me and some other awesome geeks being geeky, and no doubt funny and random… so go and subscribe… even though there isnt any er videos er… yea im gonna get on that soon

Also been twittering alot and seem to have people i dont even know following me now so join in stalk follow me -> http://twitter.com/dansgalaxy

Dan

Tags: dansgalaxy, fiveawesomewebgeeks, new domain, twitter, youtube

FiveAwesomeWebGeeks… Wanna Join?

Hello all,

I decided to have a bash at a colaborative channel – called the FiveAwesomeWebGeeks! 

I hope the channel can become one of the greats on youtube and i hope i can try and make some decent videos! Lol so will need some practice and need to make sure the other awesome web geeks post their videos, so far have 3 others who say they are going to be awesome web geeks – (real world) friends Hayley & Cal and also Mike who is a friend (and amazing programmer) from the virtual world… but im looking for more web geeks! So as im sure many geeks read my blog if your even remotly interested please talk to me! – Dansgalaxy@hotmail.co.uk

Dan !

http://youtube.com/fiveawesomewebgeeks

Tags: Channel, Collab, fiveawesomewebgeeks, youtube

Server Monitoring “SwinServe” Script Coming soon…

I have began to write a server monitor script, keeping what I’m going to call it secret until its finished

I guess i will need to think of a code name like “Longhorn” (Vistas code name) for the moment I might go with SwinServe (I live in Swindon, and is a Server monitor script… ) works for me okay i have a code name.

Now i will explain what it will hopefully have.

The point of the script is obvious, it will monitor many aspects of your chosen server(s) and be able to display that information.

It will, collect and store information about the server, whats up whats down memory usage, CPU usage and hopefully also hdd usage.

This information can then be used to hopefully show and possibly even graph server status over a period of time through the Admin panel.

The script will obviously have a client page which shows the status of all the servers you have added, and shows the current usage(s) etc enabling clients to view whats going on.

I want this script to be fully flexible, and intend to allow admins to add any port they wish to monitor, and more. meaning it can be used for any purpose and wont be restricted to http/ftp/cpanel/whm/mysql/smtp/pop etc which would also mean, it can monitor things like shoutcast etc.

It would just be a simple form in the admin where you enter things like:

Server name

Server IP

Server URL

cPanel username/password

and then probably a selection of tick boxes of all the ports to monitor, so if for instance it was just a MySQL server you would untick them all accept the MySQL one, so on the monitor page, it shows the rest as “unmonitored” and only the required ports are used.

Also for the same u could set custom ports for that server.

Why cPanel username and password?

Nothing is firm at the moment, but it will most likely be used to access information privileged to the cPanel area.

Plugins/Mods:

I am planning to develop modifications for WHMCS, my client panel of choice, which will… if I’m clever enough, sync server info so you don’t have to add them to both softwares.

I am also planning to develop a new tpl file for server status which will incorporate SwinServe into the styles etc and make it fit in perfectly. and should (hopefully) function like it was part of WHMCS.

Once the initial built is complete and Version 1 is finalised, and fully working with WHMCS and cPanel i would be interested in developing it to work well with other server panels and client panels, however i wont be able to afford them to do the testing so as a note i may be trying to scrounge access to your client area! just to make it work.

I am still undecided if i will make this open source/closed source of closed source and selling it.

I will be posting the developments as they come.

Tags: monitoring, server

PHP HELL! <– im on the first junction

As the title says I have just made the mistake of taking the junction to hell.. or at least PHP hell.

I am now slowly piecing together bits for a eco themed site project.

The site will (eventually) have a forum, blog (to the standard of wordpress), a custom made catelogue type system for items and possibly more (once all thats done).

Now its easy enough to install a forum (im opting for MYBB as its the best/most advanced which is free/open source) a blog and then write your own custom script.

But making them

a) look the same and blend well austetically.

b) use the same user system

c) JUST WORK!

is alot harder

At first i was planning to make the whole system completely custom made, and it soon became aparent to build a forum to the kind of spec like what is required just wouldnt be possible or feasable on my own.

So now i have the Mybb forum installed and im going to try and make everything else work on top of that.

I would like to use a wordpress blog and have it merge into it all, but that seems darn near impossible with out me recoding the whole thing (and then making it so i couldnt upate it easily when there is new wordpress updates.

But unfortunatle it looks like this is exactly what i will have to do… or just create own blog, and “borrow” some snippets for the layout and design etc from word press.

 Wish me luck!

Tags: coding, php

XDnet.co.uk The new name of Dansgalaxy Hosting.

Okay so i brought a new domain about a week ago, XDnet.co.uk.

So the name “Dansgalaxy” has been bugging me a little for a while name as its a bit too personal for business, which is why Dansgalaxy is now my Personal domain and XDnet.co.uk will take over as the main business one.

Because of the new domain its also given me a boost to get the hosting site finished, I have my plans set up and im working on the order system and customising the online help.

Hopefully once im done (yes i am… im making my own billing system – I just like to make it myself ) it *should* do the usual collect info, direct to payment (paypal), direct back on sucessful payment automatically set up the account with the users details (which of course were checked using Ajax when they enterded them initially to check that the username wasnt taken etc they get a nice looking welcome email. telling them its all set up and welcome to “Personal UK Web Hosting From XDnet.co.uk” and how to contact support etc if there are any issues.

And of course the whole user area will be created with the account so they can view invoices etc…

… I can see this having to wait a little while as i have so much on at the moment.

So thats one of the things im focusing on at the moment… as well as only having 2 weeks left of school … but thats not as important of couse. [Note: this is sarcasum, i do take my education seriously, no matter what people think ]

Well im signing off on this post.

Bye X

Tags: hosting, xdnet

My Projects: CALM Website

Okay so heres some info and details about all the projects/sites/scripts im currently working on, and if anyone feels they could help or give any advice for some or feedback please feel free

 Obviously the first one i mention has to be one of the biggest -

CALM Charity’s Website:

Now while you might not notice at first how much is in this site as theres alot which isnt blatantly obvious, and for those of you who are reading this and dont have a medium-high knowledge of how PHP works, you might not get why some it has taken so long.

 I have been working on this site now since about May last year, since then (and long before) its had quite a few designs, the originals where UNBEARABLE to look at, but the final design which i have ended up with was originally created by Nick at SmarterWeb design, who came up with a initial design, which has been worked on, with the help of a friend, Dan (whymdesign.co.uk) who helped fix up alot of the CSS issues and bugs to get the design looking a little neater and much more cross browser compatible.

So i have ended up with this in my opinion (feel free to tell me yours either via the contact form on the calm site of the comment box below) a very nice design which suits the purpose well, as far as i can tell is completely cross browser compatible.

 The site is i would like to think a CMS, or at least it will be! The site has a full login system with user “ranks” or privleges levels:- Admin, Committee, Families, Users, Banned.

My aims for this site is to build a flexible CMS (or CALM CMS) which:

• Is easily modularised, so can be easily extended
• Themes can be easily created, and edited.
• Full file managment system – with rename, edit, permission changer, delete and upload features.
• Full user accounts and user managment system.
• Maintenace tools, such as Database back up, database optimisation and repair features

As well as the above the CALM CMS will have control settings to control as much of the website as possible through the administration panel.

 So far i have achieved alot of the above, such as the User system, maintenace tools and a large amount of the file management system; as well as other parts.

On top of the above i am also developing a SHOP system for this site and will expand this to so it can be easily controled through the administration panel, where as at the moment it must be dont through direct PMA control.

 I hope to be able to continue with this to be able to create a very advance CMS which will enable the Charity and hopefully other small charities in the future to be able to provide a good looking, and easy to control website to provide their families, and the general public which much more infomation much more easily without paying someone or having someone within the charity with advanced knowledge in web development.

 I will finish this very long post here, but there is much more i have to say and will eventually get round to making some nice little tutorials for some of the many aspects and scripts used within the site.