Technical web development - PHP/ColdFusion/SQL
My initial role at Cranfield was as a web developer working in initially HTML and then in ColdFusion. The majority of the applications that I developed were to allow non-HTML trained editors enter content online. Not only was this used to enable faster entry of content but it also allowed for the information to be re-used in other areas of the site automatically.
Key areas that I developed included:
- news, events and press releases - simple ColdFusion forms that stored data in a Microsoft SQL Server database. This content was re-used in a number of areas of the University site and its subject portals.
- prospectus - the masters course pages within the prospectus was managed using ColdFusion, allowing more editors to manage the content.
- academic profiles - profile pages of all the key academics, managed by each person and content used in a number of locations such as media contacts, expert witness and subject portals.
- online-shopping cart - I redeveloped a shopping application that enabled members of University staff to order buffets and lunches for meetings online. The system had an admin area that allowed the catering staff to add/amend/delete items and prices automatically. The system also produced daily reports to the catering team to show what items they needed to prepare that day.
Away from Cranfield, I have over six years experience of developing websites using PHP and mySQL. I have developed a number of sites privately, including this one, using PHP. I maintain the website for the village of Eversholt and one of the objectives was to enable people to post content within it who don't have web development skills.
In order to achieve this I have built public forms that post information into the database and this action triggers an email to the editor group inviting them to log into an admin area. Once logged in the user can review the content that's been submitted and either approve it to go live, make changes to it or indeed reject it completely. I also have built in automatic processes to remove news and events after their end dates have been reached.
Another site I have recently developed was for a friends new business. Here I took his design and created a content management system that enabled him to maintain the site from any computer without him needing to learn web skills.
This site also required an ePayment solution linking to the clients PayPal account. As the client did not have any HTML skills my system had to enable him to be able to add his PayPal shopping cart buttons onto the site easily. I created a help guide that gave clear step-by-step instructions and a system that was flexible enough to allow the client to modify both his content and prices himself.