Windows 8 coverage Windows 8
has been with us for over half a year now, and if you're used to
previous versions of Windows then you're going to notice that quite a
bit has changed. In fact, Windows 8 has seen the biggest change since
the jump from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95.
Out goes the Start menu,
in comes the new touch-oriented Start screen with new Windows 8-style
apps and new interface conventions. Even experienced PC users may be
left feeling a little lost.
Don't
despair, though, help is at hand. We've poked around every part of
Windows 8, uncovering many of its most important tips and tricks, so
read our guide and you'll soon be equipped to get the most out of
Microsoft's latest release.
1. Open from the lock screen
Windows 8 opens on its lock screen, which looks pretty but unfortunately displays no clues about what to do next.
It's
all very straightforward, though. Just tap the space bar, spin the
mouse wheel or swipe upwards on a touch screen to reveal a regular login
screen with the user name you created during installation. Enter your
password to begin.
2. Handle basic navigation
Windows 8's interface is all colourful tiles and touch-friendly apps.
And if you're using a tablet then it'll all be very straightforward:
just swipe left or right to scroll the screen, and tap any tile of
interest.
On a regular desktop, though, you might alternatively spin the mouse wheel to scroll backwards and forwards.
And
you can also use the keyboard. Press the Home or End keys to jump from
one end of your Start screen to the other, for instance, then use the
cursor keys to select a particular tile, tapping Enter to select it.
Press the Windows key to return to the Start screen; right-click (or
swipe down on) apps you don't need and select Unpin to remove them; and
drag and drop the other tiles around to organise them as you like.
3. Group apps
The Start screen apps are initially displayed
in a fairly random order, but if you'd prefer a more organised life then
it's easy to sort them into custom groups.
You might drag People,
Mail, Messaging and Calendar over to the left-hand side, for instance,
to form a separate 'People' group. Click the 'minus' icon in the bottom
right corner of the screen to zoom out and you'll now find you can drag
and drop the new group (or any of the others) around as a block.
Right-click
within the block (while still zoomed out) and you'll also be able to
give the group a name, which - if you go on to add another 20 or 30 apps
to your Start screen - will make it much easier to find the tools you
need.
4. Use the quick access menu
Right-click in the bottom-left
corner (or hold down the Windows key and press X) for a text-based menu
that provides easy access to lots of useful applets and features: Device
Manager, Control Panel, Explorer, the Search dialog and more. Download
the Win+X Menu Editor and you'll be able to further customise the list with programs of your own.
5. Find your applications
The
Win+X menu is useful, but no substitute for the old Start menu as it
doesn't provide access to your applications. To find this, hold down the
Windows key and press Q or either right-click an empty part of the
Start screen or swipe your finger up from the bottom of the screen and
select 'All Apps' to reveal a scrolling list of all your installed
applications. Browse the various tiles to find what you need and click
the relevant app to launch it.
6. Make access easier
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If
there's an application you use all the time then you don't have to
access it via the search system. Pin it to the Start screen and it'll be
available at a click.
Start by typing part of the name of your
application. To access Control Panel, for instance, type 'Control'.
Right-click the 'Control Panel' tile on the Apps Search screen, and
click 'Pin to Start'. If you're using a touchscreen, press and hold the
icon, then flick down and select 'Pin to Start'.
Now press the
Windows key, scroll to the right and you'll see the Control Panel tile
at the far end. Drag and drop this over to the left somewhere if you'd
like it more easily accessible, then click the tile to open the desktop
along with the Control Panel window, and press the Windows key to return
you to the Start screen when you're done.
7. Shut down
To
shut Windows 8 down, just move the mouse cursor to the bottom right
corner of the screen, click the Settings icon - or just hold down the
Windows key and press I - and you'll see a power button. Click this and
choose 'Shut Down' or 'Restart'.
Some of the tricks available in
previous versions of Windows still apply. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, for
instance, click the power button in the bottom right-hand corner and
you'll be presented with the same 'Shut Down' and 'Restart' options.
And
if you're on the desktop, press Alt+F4 and you'll be able to choose
'Shut Down', 'Restart', 'Sign Out' or 'Switch User' options.
8. Use the app bar
Windows 8 apps aim to be simpler than
old-style Windows applets, which means it's goodbye to menus, complex
toolbars and many interface standards. There will usually be a few
options available on the App bar, though, so if you're unsure what to do
then either right-click an empty part of the screen, press Windows+Z or
flick your finger up from the bottom of the screen to take a closer
look.
9. Launch apps from the desktop
Windows 8 doesn't
provide any obvious way to launch apps straight from the desktop, but
this is actually surprisingly easy to set up.
Right-click on an
empty part of your desktop, select New > Shortcut, and type Explorer
Shell:AppsFolder in the "Location" box. Click Next, enter a name - "All
Programs", for instance - and click Finish. Double-clicking that
shortcut will open a folder listing all your installed programs,
including the apps, and you can launch whatever you like.
10. See what's running
If
you launch a Windows 8 app, play with it for a while, then press the
Windows key you'll switch back to the Start screen. Your app will
remaining running, but as there's no taskbar then you might be wondering
how you'd ever find that out.
You could just press Alt+Tab, which shows you what's running just as it always has.
Holding
down the Windows key and pressing Tab displays a pane on the left-hand
side of the screen with your running apps. (To see this with the mouse,
move your cursor to the top left corner of the screen, wait until the
thumbnail of one app appears, then drag down.)
And of course you
can always press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to see all your running apps in the Task
Manager, if you don't mind (or actually need) the extra technical
detail.
11. Close an app
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Windows
8 apps don't have close buttons, but this isn't the issue you might
think. Apps are suspended when you switch to something else so they're
only a very minimal drain on your system, and if you need the system
resources then they'll automatically be shut down. (Their context will
be saved, of course, so on relaunching they'll carry on where you left
off.)
If you want to close down an app anyway, though, move the
mouse cursor up to the top of the screen. When it turns from the regular
mouse pointer to the icon of a hand, hold down the left mouse button
and drag it down the screen. Your app should shrink to a thumbnail which
you can drag off the screen to close it.
If that's too much hassle, then simply pressing Alt+F4 still works.
And
when all else fails then press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch Task Manager,
right-click something in the Apps list and select End Task. Beware,
though, close something you shouldn't and it's easy to crash or lock up
your PC.
12. Hide the taskbar
If you run Windows 8 on a
tablet then it makes sense to keep your taskbar on the left, where it
takes minimal space and is best placed for easy thumb access. Switch
your tablet to portrait orientation, though, and you'll suddenly find
the taskbar grabs much more valuable screen real estate.
It doesn't have to be this way, however - not if you install Surface Taskbar Helper.
This neat tool enables you to set the taskbar to "auto hide" based on
its current orientation, so for instance you can always show it in
landscape view, but hide it in portrait, which is a very flexible way to
get the most out of your display space.
13. Master Internet Explorer in Windows 8
Click
the Internet Explorer tile from the Start menu and you'll launch a
full-screen version without toolbars, menus or sidebars, which like so
much of Windows 8 may leave you initially feeling lost.
Right-click
an empty part of the page or flick your finger down from the top of the
screen, though, and you'll find options to create and switch between
tabs, as well as a Refresh button, a 'Find' tool and the ability to pin
an Internet shortcut to the Start page. Click the spanner icon and
select 'View on the desktop' to open the full desktop version of
Internet Explorer.
14. Spell check
Windows
8 apps all have spellcheck where relevant, which looks and works much
as it does in Microsoft Office. Make a mistake and a wavy red line will
appear below the offending word; tap or right-click this to see
suggested alternative words, or add the word to your own dictionary if
you prefer.
15. Run two apps side by side
Windows 8 apps
are what Microsoft calls "immersive" applications, which basically means
they run full-screen - but there is a way to view two at once. Swipe
from the left and the last app you were using will turn into a
thumbnail; drop this and one app displays in a sidebar pane while your
current app takes the rest of the screen. And you can then swap these by
swiping again.
16. Run as Administrator
Some
programs need you to run them with Administrator rights before they'll
work properly. The old context menu isn't available for a pinned Start
screen app, but right-click one, and if it's appropriate for this app
then you'll see a Run As Administrator option.
17. Make a large app tile smaller
You'll
notice that some Windows 8 apps have small live tiles, while others
have larger tiles that take up the space of two tiles. Right-clicking on
a Windows 8 app's Start screen tile will display a few relevant
options. If this is one of the larger tiles, choosing 'Smaller' will cut
it down to half the size, freeing up some valuable Start screen real
estate.
18. Uninstall easily
If you want to hide an unused
app for now, select 'Unpin from Start'. The tile will disappear, but if
you change your mind then you can always add it again later. (Search
for the app, right-click it, select 'Pin to Start'.)
And, if you're sure you'll never want to use an app again, choose 'Uninstall' will remove it entirely.
Of
course, if you like to try out lots of apps then uninstalling them one
at a time can get a little tedious. If that becomes a problem, give Windows App Boss a try - it enables you to select multiple apps and remove them all at once.
19. Customise app privacy
It
is worth keeping in mind that by default Windows 8 apps can use your
name, location and account picture. If you're not happy with that, it's
easily changed. Press Win+I, click More PC Settings, select Privacy and
click the relevant buttons to disable any details you'd rather not
share.
The new Task Manager also includes a History feature that
tracks the CPU time used by every application. If you're wondering what
someone's doing most of the time on their Windows 8 system, launching
Task Manager (press Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and clicking the App History tab
will give you an idea. But if you don't want someone doing the same to
you, clicking App History > Delete Usage History will clear all the
figures.
20. Show administrative tools
Experienced
Windows users who spend much of their time in one advanced applet or
another are often a little annoyed to see their favourite tools buried
by Windows 8. Microsoft has paid at least some attention, though, and
there is a way to bring some of them back.
Open the Charm bar by
flicking your finger from the right-hand side of the screen and select
'Settings' then 'Tiles'. Change 'Show administrative tools' to 'Yes' and
click back on an empty part of the Start screen. And it's as simple as
that. Scroll to the right and you'll find a host of new tiles for
various key applets - Performance Monitor, Event Viewer, Task Scheduler,
Resource Monitor and more - ready to be accessed at a click.
21. Disable the lock screen
If you like your PC to boot just
as fast as possible then the new Windows 8 lock screen may not appeal.
Don't worry, though, if you'd like to ditch this then it only takes a
moment.
Launch REGEDIT, and browse to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization
(create the Personalization key if it doesn't exist).
Click
Personalization in the left-hand pane. Right-click in the right-hand
pane, select New > DWORD Value, and give it the name NoLockScreen.
Double-click
your new NoLockScreen value, set it to 1, click OK, and when you next
reboot it the lock screen will have gone. If you decide to restore it
for some reason, set NoLockScreen to 0 or delete it entirely.
22. Install anything
Most
mobile platforms recommend you only install apps from approved sources
to protect your security, and Windows 8 is the same: it'll only allow
you to install trusted (that is, digitally signed) apps from the Windows
store.
If this proves a problem, though, and you're willing to
take the security risk (because this isn't something to try unless
you're entirely sure it's safe), then the system can be configured to
run trusted apps from any source.
It's all done via a single
Registry key, too. Just launch REGEDIT and set the value of the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Appx\AllowAllTrustedApps
key to 1.
23. Pin app contents to the Start screen
It's
easy to pin apps to the Start screen (right-click, select "Pin"), but
you don't have to stop there. Many apps also enable you to pin
particular content for easy access later.
If you want more ideas
for your upcoming holiday in Rome, for instance, you could open the
Travel app, right-click, select "Destinations" and choose the "Rome"
tile. And then repeat those steps every single time you revisit the
page. Or, alternatively, right-click your preferred Destination tile,
select "Pin...", and you'll be able to access it directly from the Start
screen.
Similarly, if you use the Mail app with multiple accounts
then just open these, and you can right-click to select separate live
tiles for each one - much more useful.
24. Log in automatically
WARNING: Your account will lose admin privileges as a result of this step
Of
course even if you remove the lock screen, you'll still be forced to
manually log in every time your system starts. This can also be resolved
at speed, though, using much the same technique as in previous versions
of Windows.
Hold down the Windows key, press R, type 'netplwiz' and press Enter to launch the User Accounts dialog.
Clear the "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" box and click OK.
Enter
the user name and password of the account that you'd like to be logged
in automatically, click OK, restart your system and this time it should
boot directly to the Start screen.
25. Use six apps at once
Launch
a Windows 8 app and it appears full-screen, which is fine on a small
tablet but not so impressive when you've got a 27-inch widescreen
monitor to fill.
Toolbox for Windows 8 helps out, though, by
bundling 12 common apps in a single package. You get a Facebook client,
browser, calculator, weather app, clock and more. And instead of always
appearing full-screen, you can run and interact with two, three, four,
even six of these tools, all at the same time.
26. Replace the Start menu
If Windows 8's search and navigation tools still leave you pining for the regular Start menu, installing the free Classic Shell will replace it with something very similar.
Install
it and you get the standard menu of your installed programs, for
instance, along with Search and Run boxes, the Recent Items menu, and
Windows 7-type shutdown options. And it can make Windows 8 boot directly
to the desktop, too.
Classic Shell doesn't entirely ignore the
modern UI world, though. A menu of installed apps enables you to launch
them from the desktop, and you can alternatively switch to the Start
screen with a click.
27. Learn Windows key shortcuts
Win : switch between the Start screen and the last-running Windows 8 app
Win + C : displays the Charms: the Settings, Devices, Share and Search options
Win + D : launches the desktop
Win + E : launches Explorer
Win + F : opens the File Search pane
Win + H : opens the Share pane
Win + I : opens Settings
Win + K : opens the Devices pane
Win + L : locks your PC
Win + M : minimises the current Explorer or Internet Explorer window (works in the full-screen IE, too)
Win + O : toggles device orientation lock on and off
Win + P : switch your display to a second display or projector
Win + Q : open the App Search pane
Win + R : opens the Run box
Win + U : open the Ease of Access Centre
Win + V : cycle through toasts (notifications)
Win + W : search your system settings (type POWER for links to all power-related options, say)
Win + X : displays a text menu of useful Windows tools and applets
Win + Z : displays the right-click context menu when in a full-screen app
Win + + : launch Magnifier and zoom in
Win + - : zoom out
Win + , : Aero peek at the desktop
Win + Enter : launch Narrator
Win + PgUp : move the current screen to the left-hand monitor
Win + PgDn : move the current screen to the right-hand monitor
Win + PrtSc : capture the current screen and save it to your Pictures folder
Win + Tab : switch between running apps
28. Boot desktop apps faster
While
you can still set up desktop apps to load when Windows 8 starts, they
don't have the priority they once did. Quite the opposite, in fact -
Windows 8 delays their launch to ensure everything else starts more
quickly. This can make the system more responsive as your system boots,
but if you're switching straight to the desktop then it may slow you
down, so it may be worth turning off the delay, just to see if you can
spot any improvement.
Launch REGEDIT and browse to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Serialize.
Create the Serialize key if it doesn't exist, and select it in the left-hand pane.
Right-click
in the right-hand pane, create a new DWORD value called
StartupDelayInMSec, and leave it set at zero (or, if a value is already
there, set it to zero).
Restart and the desktop apps will now
launch more quickly. Try three or four test boots to see if there's any
improvement, and if not, delete the StartupDelayInMSec value to restore
the default settings.
29. Launch programs fast
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If
you're a fan of keyboard shortcuts and don't like the idea of scrolling
through app tiles to find the program you need, don't worry, Windows 8
still supports a useful old shortcut. Which is perfect if, say, you're
looking to be able to shut down your PC with a click.
Launch the desktop app, right-click an empty part of the desktop and click New > Shortcut.
Browse to the application you'd like to launch here. Or for the sake of this example, enter shutdown.exe -s -t 00
to shut down your PC, or shutdown.exe -h -t 00
to hibernate it, and click Next. Type a shortcut name - 'Hibernate', say - and click Finish.
Right-click
the shortcut, select Pin to Start and it should appear on the far right
of the Start screen - just drag the tile wherever you like.
30. Take intelligent screengrabs
If
a Windows 8 application is showing something interesting and you'd like
to record it for posterity, then hold down the Windows key, press
PrtSc, and the image won't just go to the clipboard: it'll also be
automatically saved to your My Pictures folder with the name
Screenshot.png (and then Screenshot(1).png, Screenshot(2).png and so
on).
You might hope that pressing Win+Alt+PrtSc would similarly
save an image of the active window, but no, sadly not. Maybe next time.
31. Default to Photo Viewer
Double-click
an image file within Explorer and it won't open in a Photo Viewer
window any more, at least not by default. Instead you'll be switched to
the full-screen Windows 8 Photos app - bad news if you thought you'd
escaped such hassles by using the desktop.
If you'd like to fix this, go to Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs and select Set your default programs.
Scroll down and click Windows Photo Viewer in the Programs list.
Finally,
click 'Set this program as default' if you'd like the Viewer to open
all the file types it can handle, or select the 'Choose default' options
if you prefer to specify which file types it should open. Click OK when
you're done.
32. Tweak SmartScreen
Windows 8 now uses Internet Explorer's
SmartScreen system-wide, checking downloaded files to ensure they're
safe. This is a very good thing - a report by NSS Labs revealed that IE10 blocks more malware than any other browser - but if you have any problems then it can be tweaked.
Launch
Control Panel, open the Action Centre applet, and click Change Windows
SmartScreen Settings in the left-hand pane. Here you can keep the
warning, but avoid the requirement for administrator approval, or turn
SmartScreen off altogether. Make your choice and click OK to finish.
33. Set up Windows 8 File History
Windows
8 includes an excellent File History feature, which can regularly and
automatically back up your libraries, desktop, contacts and favourites
to a second drive (even a USB flash drive - just connect it, and choose
'Configure this drive for backup using File History' from the menu).
To
set this up, go to Control Panel > System and Security > File
History. Click Exclude Folders to help define what you're saving,
Advanced Settings to choose the backup frequency, Change Drive to choose
the backup destination, and Turn On to enable the feature with your
settings.
And once it's been running for a while, you can check on
the history for any file in Explorer by selecting it, choosing the Home
tab and clicking History.
34. Use VHD - enhanced
Windows
7 added support for creating and attaching virtual hard drives in
Microsoft's VHD format. Now Windows 8 extends this with the new VHDX
format, which improves performance, extends the maximum file size from 2
to 16TB, and makes the format "more resilient to power failure events"
(so they shouldn't get corrupted as easily). Launch the Computer
Management Control Panel applet, choose Disk Management, and click
Actions > Create VHD to give the format a try.
35. Pool storage spaces
If
you have multiple hard drives packed with data then you'll know that
managing them can be a hassle. But that's all about to change with a new
Windows 8 feature, Storage Spaces.
The idea is that you can take
all your hard drives, whether connected via USB, SATA or SAS (Serial
Attached SCSI), and add them to a storage pool. And you can then create
one or more spaces within this pool, formatting and accessing them as a
single drive, so you've only one drive letter to worry about.
What's
more, the technology can also maximise your performance by spreading
files across multiple drives (the system can then access each chunk
simultaneously). There's an option to mirror your files, too, so even if
one disk fails your data remains safe. And if your Storage Space begins
to fill up then just plug in another drive, add it to the pool and you
can carry on as before.
Yes, we know, this is just a
consumer-friendly take on RAID. But there's nothing wrong with that, and
it looks promising. If you'd like to read up on the technical details
then the official Windows 8 blog
has more, and you can then create and manage your drive pool from the
new Control Panel\System and Security 'Storage Spaces' applet.
36. Enable virtual machines
Install
Windows 8 and you also get Microsoft's Hyper-V, enabling you to create
and run virtual machines (as long as you're not running in a virtual
machine already). Launch OptionalFeatures.exe (press Windows Key and R
and type it in to run), check Hyper-V and click OK to enable the
feature. Then switch back to the Start screen, scroll to the right, find
and click on the Hyper-V Manager tile to begin exploring its
capabilities.
37. Smart search
When you're in the mood to
track down new Windows 8 features relating to a particular topic, you
might be tempted to start by manually browsing Control Panel for
interesting applets - but there is a simpler way.
If you'd like to
know what's new in the area of storage, say, just press Win+W to launch
the Settings Search dialog, type "drive", and the system will return a
host of related options. That is, not just those with "drive" in the
name, but anything storage-related: BitLocker, Device Manager, backup
tools, disk cleanup, and interesting new features such as Storage
Spaces.
This Search feature isn't new, of course, but it's easy to
forget how useful this can be, especially when you're trying to learn
about a new operating system. So don't just carry out specific searches,
use the Apps search to look for general keywords such as "privacy" or
"performance", and you just might discover something new.
38. Set Start screen background
If you'd like to change your
lock, user tile or start screen images then press Win + I, click 'Change
PC settings' and choose the Personalize option. Browse the various tabs
and you'll be able to choose alternative images or backgrounds in a
click or two.
And in theory you'll also be able to define apps
that will display their status on the lock screen, although the app must
specifically support this before it'll be accessible from your
Personalize settings.
39. Schedule maintenance
Windows
8 can run common maintenance tasks - software updates, security
scanning, system diagnostics and more at a scheduled convenient time,
which is good.
Unfortunately it doesn't actually ask you what time
is convenient, instead just setting it to 3am and allowing the system
to wake your computer (if hardware and circumstances permit) to do its
work. Which isn't so good.
To change this, launch Control Panel,
click System and Security > Action Centre > Maintenance. You can
now click 'Start maintenance' to launch any outstanding tasks right now,
while selecting 'Change maintenance settings' enables you to choose a
more convenient time, and optionally disable the feature's ability to
wake up your computer if that's not required.
40. Restore the Windows "Updates are available" alert
If
you've set up Windows 8 to check for Windows updates but enable you to
choose whether to download and install them, then of course it's very
important that the system tells you when updates are available. And it
does this - but only in the logon screen. The "Updates are available"
system tray icon has disappeared, so if you don't log off or restart
your PC regularly then no matter how important Microsoft's latest
security patches might be, you won't hear about them.
As with many
other Windows 8 issues, though, it's not taken long for other
developers to fill the gap, and there are now several free tools that
can help. Install a copy of the Windows Update Notification Tool or the Windows Update Notifier and the "Updates are available" alert will be restored to your system tray.
41. Close apps easily
Closing
a Windows 8 app can sometimes be awkward. You have to drag or swipe
down from the very top of the screen right to the very bottom - which
might be quite some distance - and if you don't quite swipe all the way,
the window just reappears and you have to start again.
The solution? Get Windows to close the app without you having to travel quite so far. It works like this.
Launch
REGEDIT, browse to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell\Switcher,
and create new DWORD values called MouseCloseThreshold and
TouchCloseThreshold.
These define how far mouse and touch users
will have to drag the app before they can drop and close it. Start by
setting each value to the maximum 1000, reboot, and you'll find you can
now drop the window maybe only half way down the screen and still have
it close correctly, which is much quicker and easier.
You may
also be more likely to close apps accidentally, of course. If this
happens, reduce the value of the relevant Registry key a little (the
minimum value is 1, setting it to 0 prevents that method of closing at
all), reboot and try again. Or delete the keys if you have problems with
this and would like to restore the default settings.
42. Set a picture password
Windows
8 enables you to create a picture password, where you choose an image,
then draw on it in a combination of taps, lines and circles - only
someone who can reproduce this pattern will be able to log on. Select
Win + I > More PC Settings > Users > Create a Picture Password
to give this a try.
43. Hibernate or Sleep
You
won't necessarily see either Hibernate or Sleep in the Windows 8
shutdown dialogs, but if that's a problem then you may be able to
restore them.
Launch the Control Panel Power Options applet (powercfg.cpl) and click 'Choose what the power buttons do' in the left-hand pane.
If
you see a 'Change settings that are currently unavailable' link, then
click it, and if Windows 8 detects that your PC supports Sleep and
Hibernate options then they'll be displayed here. Check the boxes next
to whatever you'd like to use, click Save Changes, and the new options
should now appear in your shutdown dialogs.
44. Simplify search
By
default Windows 8 includes every bundled app in its Search results. If
you'll never want to use some of these - the Store app, say - then
select Win + I > Change PC Settings > > Search, choose which
apps you don't want included, and your search list will be more
manageable in future.
45. Save bandwidth
Set up lots of
live tiles on the Start screen and you could find they're using a lot of
network bandwidth, which could perhaps become a problem if you're
running a slow or metered connection. But Windows 8 does offer one
option that might help.
Click your network connection on the
taskbar (or the Start Screen Charms bar), right-click your network
connection in the list and select "Set as metered connection" (you'll
only see this with wireless adaptors). Windows will then limit what
individual live tiles can do, while also downloading only priority
Windows updates, and applying a few other restrictions. Right-click the
connection again and select "Set as unmetered" to change it back.
46. Touch keyboard
By
default the Touch keyboard will try to help you out by, for instance,
playing sounds as you type, capitalising the first letter of each
sentence, adding a period if you double-tap the spacebar, and more. If
any of this gets in your way, though, you can turn the relevant feature
off: just go to Win + I > Change PC Settings > General and
customise the keyboard to suit your needs.
47. Sync and privacy
One
very useful Windows 8 feature is its ability to synchronise your
settings with other PCs and devices. So if you've set up your new Windows Phone
device with your contacts, email details and so on, then use the same
Live account on Windows 8 and it'll import them for you: very
convenient.
Of course that may not always be a good idea. If
several people use a device then you may not want your website passwords
to be synced, for instance. In which case you'll want to hold down the
Windows key and press I, then click Change PC Settings > Sync Your
Settings and disable anything you'd rather not share.
38. Set Start screen background
If you'd like to change your
lock, user tile or start screen images then press Win + I, click 'Change
PC settings' and choose the Personalize option. Browse the various tabs
and you'll be able to choose alternative images or backgrounds in a
click or two.
And in theory you'll also be able to define apps
that will display their status on the lock screen, although the app must
specifically support this before it'll be accessible from your
Personalize settings.
39. Schedule maintenance
Windows
8 can run common maintenance tasks - software updates, security
scanning, system diagnostics and more at a scheduled convenient time,
which is good.
Unfortunately it doesn't actually ask you what time
is convenient, instead just setting it to 3am and allowing the system
to wake your computer (if hardware and circumstances permit) to do its
work. Which isn't so good.
To change this, launch Control Panel,
click System and Security > Action Centre > Maintenance. You can
now click 'Start maintenance' to launch any outstanding tasks right now,
while selecting 'Change maintenance settings' enables you to choose a
more convenient time, and optionally disable the feature's ability to
wake up your computer if that's not required.
40. Restore the Windows "Updates are available" alert
If
you've set up Windows 8 to check for Windows updates but enable you to
choose whether to download and install them, then of course it's very
important that the system tells you when updates are available. And it
does this - but only in the logon screen. The "Updates are available"
system tray icon has disappeared, so if you don't log off or restart
your PC regularly then no matter how important Microsoft's latest
security patches might be, you won't hear about them.
As with many
other Windows 8 issues, though, it's not taken long for other
developers to fill the gap, and there are now several free tools that
can help. Install a copy of the Windows Update Notification Tool or the Windows Update Notifier and the "Updates are available" alert will be restored to your system tray.
41. Close apps easily
Closing
a Windows 8 app can sometimes be awkward. You have to drag or swipe
down from the very top of the screen right to the very bottom - which
might be quite some distance - and if you don't quite swipe all the way,
the window just reappears and you have to start again.
The solution? Get Windows to close the app without you having to travel quite so far. It works like this.
Launch
REGEDIT, browse to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell\Switcher,
and create new DWORD values called MouseCloseThreshold and
TouchCloseThreshold.
These define how far mouse and touch users
will have to drag the app before they can drop and close it. Start by
setting each value to the maximum 1000, reboot, and you'll find you can
now drop the window maybe only half way down the screen and still have
it close correctly, which is much quicker and easier.
You may
also be more likely to close apps accidentally, of course. If this
happens, reduce the value of the relevant Registry key a little (the
minimum value is 1, setting it to 0 prevents that method of closing at
all), reboot and try again. Or delete the keys if you have problems with
this and would like to restore the default settings.
42. Set a picture password
Windows
8 enables you to create a picture password, where you choose an image,
then draw on it in a combination of taps, lines and circles - only
someone who can reproduce this pattern will be able to log on. Select
Win + I > More PC Settings > Users > Create a Picture Password
to give this a try.
43. Hibernate or Sleep
You
won't necessarily see either Hibernate or Sleep in the Windows 8
shutdown dialogs, but if that's a problem then you may be able to
restore them.
Launch the Control Panel Power Options applet (powercfg.cpl) and click 'Choose what the power buttons do' in the left-hand pane.
If
you see a 'Change settings that are currently unavailable' link, then
click it, and if Windows 8 detects that your PC supports Sleep and
Hibernate options then they'll be displayed here. Check the boxes next
to whatever you'd like to use, click Save Changes, and the new options
should now appear in your shutdown dialogs.
44. Simplify search
By
default Windows 8 includes every bundled app in its Search results. If
you'll never want to use some of these - the Store app, say - then
select Win + I > Change PC Settings > > Search, choose which
apps you don't want included, and your search list will be more
manageable in future.
45. Save bandwidth
Set up lots of
live tiles on the Start screen and you could find they're using a lot of
network bandwidth, which could perhaps become a problem if you're
running a slow or metered connection. But Windows 8 does offer one
option that might help.
Click your network connection on the
taskbar (or the Start Screen Charms bar), right-click your network
connection in the list and select "Set as metered connection" (you'll
only see this with wireless adaptors). Windows will then limit what
individual live tiles can do, while also downloading only priority
Windows updates, and applying a few other restrictions. Right-click the
connection again and select "Set as unmetered" to change it back.
46. Touch keyboard
By
default the Touch keyboard will try to help you out by, for instance,
playing sounds as you type, capitalising the first letter of each
sentence, adding a period if you double-tap the spacebar, and more. If
any of this gets in your way, though, you can turn the relevant feature
off: just go to Win + I > Change PC Settings > General and
customise the keyboard to suit your needs.
47. Sync and privacy
One
very useful Windows 8 feature is its ability to synchronise your
settings with other PCs and devices. So if you've set up your new Windows Phone
device with your contacts, email details and so on, then use the same
Live account on Windows 8 and it'll import them for you: very
convenient.
Of course that may not always be a good idea. If
several people use a device then you may not want your website passwords
to be synced, for instance. In which case you'll want to hold down the
Windows key and press I, then click Change PC Settings > Sync Your
Settings and disable anything you'd rather not share.
38. Set Start screen background
If you'd like to change your
lock, user tile or start screen images then press Win + I, click 'Change
PC settings' and choose the Personalize option. Browse the various tabs
and you'll be able to choose alternative images or backgrounds in a
click or two.
And in theory you'll also be able to define apps
that will display their status on the lock screen, although the app must
specifically support this before it'll be accessible from your
Personalize settings.
39. Schedule maintenance
Windows
8 can run common maintenance tasks - software updates, security
scanning, system diagnostics and more at a scheduled convenient time,
which is good.
Unfortunately it doesn't actually ask you what time
is convenient, instead just setting it to 3am and allowing the system
to wake your computer (if hardware and circumstances permit) to do its
work. Which isn't so good.
To change this, launch Control Panel,
click System and Security > Action Centre > Maintenance. You can
now click 'Start maintenance' to launch any outstanding tasks right now,
while selecting 'Change maintenance settings' enables you to choose a
more convenient time, and optionally disable the feature's ability to
wake up your computer if that's not required.
40. Restore the Windows "Updates are available" alert
If
you've set up Windows 8 to check for Windows updates but enable you to
choose whether to download and install them, then of course it's very
important that the system tells you when updates are available. And it
does this - but only in the logon screen. The "Updates are available"
system tray icon has disappeared, so if you don't log off or restart
your PC regularly then no matter how important Microsoft's latest
security patches might be, you won't hear about them.
As with many
other Windows 8 issues, though, it's not taken long for other
developers to fill the gap, and there are now several free tools that
can help. Install a copy of the Windows Update Notification Tool or the Windows Update Notifier and the "Updates are available" alert will be restored to your system tray.
41. Close apps easily
Closing
a Windows 8 app can sometimes be awkward. You have to drag or swipe
down from the very top of the screen right to the very bottom - which
might be quite some distance - and if you don't quite swipe all the way,
the window just reappears and you have to start again.
The solution? Get Windows to close the app without you having to travel quite so far. It works like this.
Launch
REGEDIT, browse to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell\Switcher,
and create new DWORD values called MouseCloseThreshold and
TouchCloseThreshold.
These define how far mouse and touch users
will have to drag the app before they can drop and close it. Start by
setting each value to the maximum 1000, reboot, and you'll find you can
now drop the window maybe only half way down the screen and still have
it close correctly, which is much quicker and easier.
You may
also be more likely to close apps accidentally, of course. If this
happens, reduce the value of the relevant Registry key a little (the
minimum value is 1, setting it to 0 prevents that method of closing at
all), reboot and try again. Or delete the keys if you have problems with
this and would like to restore the default settings.
42. Set a picture password
Windows
8 enables you to create a picture password, where you choose an image,
then draw on it in a combination of taps, lines and circles - only
someone who can reproduce this pattern will be able to log on. Select
Win + I > More PC Settings > Users > Create a Picture Password
to give this a try.
43. Hibernate or Sleep
You
won't necessarily see either Hibernate or Sleep in the Windows 8
shutdown dialogs, but if that's a problem then you may be able to
restore them.
Launch the Control Panel Power Options applet (powercfg.cpl) and click 'Choose what the power buttons do' in the left-hand pane.
If
you see a 'Change settings that are currently unavailable' link, then
click it, and if Windows 8 detects that your PC supports Sleep and
Hibernate options then they'll be displayed here. Check the boxes next
to whatever you'd like to use, click Save Changes, and the new options
should now appear in your shutdown dialogs.
44. Simplify search
By
default Windows 8 includes every bundled app in its Search results. If
you'll never want to use some of these - the Store app, say - then
select Win + I > Change PC Settings > > Search, choose which
apps you don't want included, and your search list will be more
manageable in future.
45. Save bandwidth
Set up lots of
live tiles on the Start screen and you could find they're using a lot of
network bandwidth, which could perhaps become a problem if you're
running a slow or metered connection. But Windows 8 does offer one
option that might help.
Click your network connection on the
taskbar (or the Start Screen Charms bar), right-click your network
connection in the list and select "Set as metered connection" (you'll
only see this with wireless adaptors). Windows will then limit what
individual live tiles can do, while also downloading only priority
Windows updates, and applying a few other restrictions. Right-click the
connection again and select "Set as unmetered" to change it back.
46. Touch keyboard
By
default the Touch keyboard will try to help you out by, for instance,
playing sounds as you type, capitalising the first letter of each
sentence, adding a period if you double-tap the spacebar, and more. If
any of this gets in your way, though, you can turn the relevant feature
off: just go to Win + I > Change PC Settings > General and
customise the keyboard to suit your needs.
47. Sync and privacy
One
very useful Windows 8 feature is its ability to synchronise your
settings with other PCs and devices. So if you've set up your new Windows Phone
device with your contacts, email details and so on, then use the same
Live account on Windows 8 and it'll import them for you: very
convenient.
Of course that may not always be a good idea. If
several people use a device then you may not want your website passwords
to be synced, for instance. In which case you'll want to hold down the
Windows key and press I, then click Change PC Settings > Sync Your
Settings and disable anything you'd rather not share.
48. Customise the Quick Access toolbar
Windows Explorer in
Windows 8 features a Quick Access toolbar immediately above the menu,
providing easy access to options such as 'New Folder', 'Minimise',
'Undo' and more.
This is customisable, too - click the arrow to
the right of the default buttons, in the Explorer window caption bar,
and choose whatever options you need. And you can include add any other
ribbon option on the Quick Access Toolbar by right-clicking it and
selecting Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
49. Try the advanced menu options
If
you need to run the command prompt as an Administrator then your
instant reaction will probably be to reach for the Start menu. Before
becoming annoyed a microsecond later when you remember it's no longer
there.
It's good to see that Microsoft has provided a simple
alternative, then - just click the File menu in Explorer and click Open
command prompt > Open command prompt as administrator.
And
while you're there, make note of the other advanced new options also on
that menu: you can open a new window in a new process, open Explorer,
and even delete your Recent Places and Address Bar histories with a
click.
50. Show all folders
The
default Windows 8 Explorer view doesn't show all the usual drives and
folders - Control Panel, Recycle Bin and so on - in the left-hand
navigation pane. It certainly keeps the display simple, and if you want
to see all your drives then you can just click Computer, but if you
prefer to see everything upfront then it only takes a moment. Click View
> Options, check 'Show all folders' and click OK.
51. Mount ISO files in Windows 8
Need
to take a closer look at an ISO file? Right-click it in Explorer, click
Mount and you can view it as a virtual drive, launch the files it
contains, or add more if you like.
52. Open new file types
If
you find a file type that none of your applications can handle, then
right-click on the file in Windows Explorer and choose Open With. You'll
see a 'Look for an app in the Store' option, which enables Windows 8 to
use an automated search tool to find and highlight an app for you.
You can also click 'More Options' to see currently installed programs and apps that may be able to open the file.
53. Restart Explorer
If
Explorer locks up for some reason, then regaining control is now very
easy. No need to close the process any more: simply press Ctrl+Alt+Esc,
select Explorer in the list, click Restart and Windows 8 will handle the
rest.
54. Correct a VirtualBox error
The safest way to sample
Windows 8 is to install it on a VirtualBox virtual machine. It's fairly
easy to set up, there's no need to worry about partitioning or other
issues, and if it doesn't work for whatever reason (which is possible,
it's a beta after all) then you'll have lost nothing but a little time.
After
completing your installation, though, you might find your virtual
Windows 8 complaining that "Your PC needs to be repaired". But despite
telling you to "Press Enter to try again", or "Press F8 for alternate
boot options", neither option works.
Fortunately there's an easy
answer. Close the Windows 8 window, select your virtual machine in
VirtualBox, click Settings > System > Processor and check the
'Enable PAE/NX' box. Click OK, restart your virtual machine and this
time it should launch properly.
55. Fix it if Windows 8 apps won't launch
If
you click a Windows 8 app, and nothing else happens, display issues are
often the cause. In particular, Windows 8 apps don't currently support
screen resolutions lower than 1024 x 768 (or 1366 x 768 when snapping),
so increase your resolution if possible (launch the desktop,
right-click, select Screen Resolution).
Or if that's no help, try updating your video drivers.
56. Solve Store problems
Installing
or updating Windows 8 apps normally takes only a moment, but if your PC
just can't do either any more then there are several potential causes.
A
corrupted Store cache is one of the more likely candidates, for
instance, but fortunately Microsoft has provided a tool to help. Press
Win+R, type wsreset and press Enter, and the Store cache will be cleaned
for you.
If Windows Update is broken or disabled then you'll also
have app problems. Launch the Control Panel Troubleshooting applet
(press Win+W, type trouble, and click "Troubleshooting") and click "Fix
problems with Windows update" to detect and resolve any issues.
And if these don't help then it's time to try the official Store troubleshooter.
57. Fix performance problems
If
your Windows 8 system seems sluggish, the revamped Task Manager may be
able to offer some clues. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to take a look.
Click
'More Details'. The simplified Processes tab then reveals what's
currently using your CPU time, RAM, hard drive and network bandwidth.
(The more in-depth data available in previous Task Manager versions is
now accessible via the Details tab.)
The Performance tab gives you
a graphical view of resource use over the last few seconds, while the
App History dialog looks back over days or more to reveal which app is
the most resource-hungry.
And is your boot time slow? Click the
new Startup tab to see programs your system is launching when Windows
boots. The 'Startup impact' now shows how much of an effect each of
these has on your boot time; if you spot high impact programs you're
sure you don't need, then right-clicking them and selecting 'Disable'
will ensure they're not loaded next time.
Powerful though all this
is, if you can think of a reason to use the old Task Manager then it's
still accessible. Hold down the Windows key, press R, type TaskMGR and
press Enter to launch it. (Typing TM will launch the new version.)
58. Diagnose with Device Manager events
If
you've got a driver or hardware-related problem with Windows 8, launch
Device Manager, browse to the relevant device, right-click it, select
Properties and click the new Events tab. If Windows has installed
drivers, related services or carried out other important actions on this
device then you'll now see them here, which is very useful when
troubleshooting.
59. Speed up chkdsk
If you suspect your
Windows 8 system may have a corrupted hard drive, then you might be
tempted to use the old chkdsk /f command. This does still work, but it's
horribly slow, and won't do anything at all until you reboot. What's
more, it may no longer be necessary now.
Windows 8 now regularly
runs chkdsk in the background, looking for problems, and recording them.
And then, when run at boot time, it doesn't have to scan every single
sector of your hard drive. It just fixes the known problems, usually in a
few seconds.
The first lesson here is that you probably won't have to use chkdsk any more.
But
if you want to try it anyway, don't use chkdsk /f first. Enter chkdsk
/spotfix instead, agree to run a check when you next reboot, then
restart your PC and any fixes will be applied, much more quickly.
While
this works most of the time, there are no guarantees. If you're out of
other options then you can still try chkdsk /f later.
60. Recover your system
Windows
8 has performed well for us, but if you find it won't boot at some
point then you now have to press Shift+F8 during the launch process to
access its recovery tools.
Access the Troubleshoot menu, then
Advanced Options, and you'll be able to try the Automatic Repair tool,
which may fix your problems. No luck? The same menu enables you to use
the last System Restore point, tweak key Windows Startup settings, and
even open a command prompt if you'd like to troubleshoot your system
manually.
If that all seems like too much hassle then the
Troubleshoot menu's option to 'Refresh your PC' may be preferable,
because it essentially reinstalls Windows 8 but keeps your files, and
will fix many issues.
But if it doesn't then there's always the
more drastic 'Reset your PC' option, which removes all your files and
installs a fresh new copy of Windows 8.
You don't have to access
these features from the boot menu, of course. If Windows 8 starts but
seems very unstable, then open the new Recovery applet in Control Panel
for easy access to the Refresh, Reset and other disaster recovery
features.
Professional developers share tips and tricks from an accumulated century of hard won experience
It’s often said that there’s no substitute for experience -
but there are shortcuts to it. We spoke to seasoned developers; people
who toil over loops and slave over attributes day in and day out. This
collection of tips comes straight from the code-face.
Overflowing like an inadequately specified buffer, a googolplex of
know-how has been filtered to bring you 25 fine features, tricks and
tips. There are open source services that developers keep quiet about,
mobile programming hacks and responsive development tips.
We’d heard a few of these stellar secrets before, but many were brand
new even to us. We’re sure that you’ll find more than one or two to add
your toolbelt.
Coding
1. Clear lists
Clearing floating elements is part of the grind for most web
developers. We can still get caught out though. For example, how do you
clear floated list elements without setting a height? “The answer to
this little dilemma is actually really simple,” says Rhys Little of Plug and Play, “Just add the following two CSS properties to any list container with floated list elements.”
display:block;
overflow:hidden;
If you check the list container now with any DOM inspector you’ll
find that the height attribute has automatically been calculated - and
that fixes the issue.
2. Sandbox
If you want to develop techniques, CSS effects or new kinds of
transition, for example, do it as a sandbox project. “Keeping
experimentation uncluttered by outside influences makes the code much
easier to debug if something isn't working as expected,” says Creative
Director Shane S. Mielke.
3. Web inspectors
Developers differ on which web inspector is best, but they all agree that we struggled before our favourite browsers had them. New Context’s Paul Wilson
points out that you can preview CSS changes live in Chrome or Safari.
Right click on an element, and choose ‘Inspect Element’, says Wilson,
“All the applied CSS will be shown in the right inspection pane. You can
edit or add new elements here, to see the effects of your changes.”
The web inspector isn’t accessible by default in Safari on the Mac.
Enable it by going to Preferences >Advanced>Show Develop menu in
menu bar.
4. Firebug and beyond
Chrome and Safari have a web inspector built in, but Mike Ballan, Digital Designer at Jellyfish
stands by the original Firefox Developers Toolbar. “It’s the perfect
thing to detect those little CSS problems when testing your site in
multiple screen sizes,” says Mike.
“Firebug has just added the ability to display multiple screen sizes in
one browser tab too - which means you will never need to change your
browser’s width to test your site again."
5. One thing at a time
Ben Howdle, developer of Didlr at wapple.net,
says he cannot stress the importance of the Single Responsibility
Principle enough. “Every object in your code should have one function.
Even with CSS. Don't put all styles onto a .button class. Split it into
.button-structure and .button-face and so on...”
Why? Because if you don’t do that and something breaks, you’ll have a
heck of time tracing back through your code, finding which object is the
problem - and whether the bug is inherited from higher in the DOM.
6. Can you code it?
Ben also thinks that falling back on frameworks and libraries isn’t
always the best answer. “If you're coding a small project and always,
for example, include jQuery, think ‘Can I do this with Vanilla JS?’” You
may find that, indeed, you can do it in JavaScript, better and faster.
Project Management
7. Get Git
If you’re working on big projects, you need a robust versioning
system. Many devs swear by GitHub, but there’s a downside if your
project is private. Your code is hosted on GitHub’s servers and publicly
available. The folks at Plug and Play recommend GitLab.
“GitLab is very similar to GitHub but is completely open source and
free to set up on your own servers,” says Rhys Little. “The best set-up
for GitLab is to use NGINX with Unicorn to improve performance and speed - but Apache with Passenger will work as well.
“The biggest advantage of this arrangement is that all your code is
backed up each time you commit, with a really useful diff viewer so you
can see what has been changed on each commitment.”
8. Commented code
Team workers in particular, remember that other people need to
understand your code - use your resources and work through your files.
“Don't be Lazy,” says Shane S. Mielke. “Always comment your code, name
your layers and organize your PSDs and FLAs. The more organised your
files are the easier it is for you or others to jump in and understand
where things are at and how they work.”
9. Secure your site
Before you go live with a website, be sure to run it through ASafaWeb.com
(pronounced A-Safer-Web). “This site, written by Microsoft MVP Troy
Hunt, scans ASP.NET websites for a range of common security issues,”
says .NET dev Macs Dickinson. “Should you fail any of the tests, it will advise you how to resolve the problem.”
10. Automate
“Don’t waste time deploying or manually running unit tests. Automate
it,” says Macs, “Time spent getting to grips with NAnt or MSBuild is
time well spent as it will decrease the number of hoops you need to jump
through when that deadline is looming.”
11. Team tracker
The team at Unboxed Consulting use Pivotal Tracker and Pivotal Booster
for project management and feature/bug tracking. “There are other tools
for this but Pivotal Tracker is a the simple, lightweight options,” the
team told us. “We regularly use it to track progress through projects.”
12. Perfect pictures
Pixel Perfect is a tool
Unboxed use for comparison of initial designs with the actual front-end
that the development process spits out. “This little Firefox plugin
allows you overlay a jpeg version of your designs right on top of the
page,” say the Unboxed team. “You can check down to the last pixel that
everything lines up!”
13. Dotted lines
Unboxed has a smart, intuitive idea for tracking progress in coding
pages. “Sometimes working on the front end we use an ‘incomplete’ or
‘todo’ CSS class which gives a dotted outline to elements which don’t
work or are unfinished,” the team tells us. “We can clearly see what
needs work before going live.”
Mobile
14. Active phone numbers
“Most mobile devices have the ability to make calls, so take
advantage of that in your page code,” says Mike Ballan. Wrap the number
in the <a href> tag. Instead of http:// as the protocol you use
“tel:”
Here’s what that might look like:
<ahref="tel:0123456789">0123456789</a>
15. High or low?
Is your site ready for retina screens? Don’t think you’re OK just
because the numbers are on your side right now, because it won’t stay
that way forever.
“There are a couple of solutions for switching images depending on
response to screen resolution,” says Mike. “There’s the JavaScript
framework retina.js which uses Apple’s @2x naming convention to swap out standard images with hi-res versions.
“It’s also possible to supply high-res images to iOS devices using webkit-image-set”. Here’s how:
Want to have fixed navigation or a contact bar at the bottom of your
site? When it comes to mobile, you’ll have to keep in mind that only a
few browsers support the ‘fixed’ class. “Windows Phone 7 will replace
the ‘fixed’ class with ‘static’ - which isn’t a good thing,” says Mike.
Here’s his list of mobile operating systems that support the ‘fixed’ attribute in CSS:
Mobile Safari iOS5 and above
Android 3 and above
Blackberry 7.0 and above
Shortcuts
17. Sprite me
Turn buttons, icons and backgrounds into sprites to speed up page
downloads. Combining multiple images into one file reduces the number of
requests the client must make to your server. “Some developers will
group images by type,” says Rhys Little, “Others will just combine
everything into one file”.
You then use the CSS background-position attribute to just show the
portion of the image you want. The image downloads once, is cached once
and requested once. If that sounds like too much hard work, use online
tool SpriteMe to do the donkey work. It scans your page for images it can combine and generates the CSS for you.
18. White space
“Shrinking down the white space and even function names of your
JavaScript and CSS will greatly reduce your page load times,” says Rhys.
He suggests combining all your JavaScript and CSS into one or two
files, then passing those files through YUI Compressor.
19. Actions
Even designers forget how easy Photoshop Actions can make their lives. Developers won’t forget this one: Photoshop Web Workflow.
“Once installed, you click on any layer in Photoshop and hit the F1
key,” says Paul Wilson, “This grabs the layer, puts it in a new document
that is the exact dimensions and brings up the Save for Web window”.
A simple sounding sequence, but one that will make background creation, prototyping and sprite making much faster
20. If then
Keir Whitaker of Viewport Industries can’t live without Mac application TextExpander:
“It allows you to assign shortcuts to big chunks of text. For example
if I want to output the WordPress loop in my code editor I simply type
// loop. It works system wide and is a great tool for building time
consuming code structures, like nested lists.
21. Refreshed
Keir is also a fan of CodeKit
“If you are on a Mac then CodeKit is a must,” he says, “ The browser
reloading feature is worth the small cost alone. It’s also great for
image optimisation, and compiling Sass and JavaScript.
22. You’ve all got mail
“It's a full-time job maintaining your app's mailing function, so save yourself a headache and outsource it,” says UX Developer Will Grant.
Services like SendGrid or Mandrill handle deliverability, spam
protection, bounce reports - the lot. “These things are super-cheap or
even free for your first few thousands mails.”
Responsive sites
23. Media queries
“When building responsive sites, media queries are the backbone of
the process,” says Mike Ballan, “They match the media type of your
device and display the CSS you have declare”. For example:
body { text-color:#000000;}
@media only screen and (min-width:1200px) {
body { text-color:#FF0000;}
}
The code above traps screen resolutions at 1200px or higher and
applies the colour red to all body text on the page. If the screen size
is less than 1200px it will display black body text.
So far, so simple - but seasoned devs know that this process can soon
get cumbersome as you struggle to please all of the people all of the
time.
“Use a CSS Framework like Amazium” says Mike. It replaces the need to write a billion different media queries with simple, semantic classes
24. A heavier choice
If a more heavyweight framework is required then Twitter’s Bootstrap or ZURB’s Foundation might do the trick.
25. Turn things off
“When making responsive sites, you don’t really want users to be able
to double tap and zoom, as all your content should be visible,” says
Mike Ballan, “To do this you will need to add some code that disables
user zooming and scaling”.
