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| Diary of a Homepage |
| Part 9 (June 2003 - August 2003) |
JavaScript Snippets to cut and paste for checking a form has a valid email field and that one or more fields have visible characters present<script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"><!-- // Simple check for valid Email address in string
function valid_email(email_address) { //Check for empty or only non visible characters in string
function its_not_visible(string_value) {
for (var counter = 0; counter < string_value.length; counter++) //Submit handler can be extended to many more fields
function submit_handler() {
if( valid_email(document.forms[0].email.value) ) {
The code above should be in the head and the submit_handler() function is called as below. Note the return is essential in the onSubmit="return submit_handler().
<FORM METHOD=POST ACTION="http://www.yoursite.com/scripts/form_response.ihtml" onSubmit="return submit_handler()"> The code can be copied and pasted If you copy by hand beware as it is impossible to tell 2x single quotes '' from a double quotes " in many character sets.
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The following is a do nothing test so it is safe to try it with the submit button
If you want to try out a real form then Email me Feedback - this opens a Form in a Popup Window. AIDA Worldwide System Tool Whilst looking for a way to get some information on a friends computer I found a reference to Aida. This a superb piece of freeware which you can download which does a complete analysis of the hardware and even some of the software in a PC. It has a huge built in database and also seems to gather the most incredible amount of data on everything - for example it told me the following on my memory module.
Memory Module Properties Module Name Micron Tech. 16LSDT1664AG-10EC7 Serial Number 896073732 Module Size 128 MB (2 rows, 4 banks) Module Type Unbuffered Memory Type SDRAM Memory Speed PC100 (100 MHz) Module Width 64 bit Module Voltage LVTTL Error Detection Method None Refresh Rate Normal (15.625 us), Self-Refresh Highest CAS Latency 3.0 (8.0 ns @ 125 MHz) 2nd Highest CAS Latency 2.0 (10.0 ns @ 100 MHz) Memory Module Features Early RAS# Precharge Not Supported Auto-Precharge Supported Precharge All Supported Write1/Read Burst Supported Buffered Address/Control Inputs Not Supported Registered Address/Control Inputs Not Supported On-Card PLL (Clock) Not Supported Buffered DQMB Inputs Not Supported Registered DQMB Inputs Not Supported Differential Clock Input Not Supported Redundant Row Address Not Supported Memory Module Manufacturer Company Name Micron Technology, Inc. Product Information http://www.micron.com/products/category.jsp?path=/DRAM
It is a 2.4 Mbyte download from http://www.aida.hu for the most sophisticated version - a slightly cut down personal version can fit on a floppy ang it can be configured to run an audit on every machine on a network daily. It has about 70 screens as comprehensive as the on above as well as graphic drive checks and software outputs including easily lost information such as the install keys for software such as Windows 98 and XP. A full save to disk or a printout would have been invaluable when I was rebuilding the machine as it gives the website address for every driver or update required.
Telegraph Connected is a good site for basic computer hints - I checked it out whilst confirming that Aida was legitimate software, especially as it was from Hungary! Connect told me that there is now a set of PowerToys for XP and finally for Windows SE which I downloaded and installed - Search the Microsoft site for TweakUi and there is a version 1.33 covering all operating systems up to XP and one for XP. With the Tweak UI 1.33 update, you can adjust your Windows User Interface, including menu speed, window animation, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Whilst I was at updating the system I installed ActiveX9 in case it improved the video for DVplus.
Microsoft System Tools There are a number of useful diagnostic tools which are accessed by Start -> Run and enter name in box. They include
The installation with a USB ADSL modem was very easy and it was up and running in 15 minutes. The cables were short and I had ordered an extra 10 metre RJ11-RJ11 cable from the splitter to the modem, otherwise nothing more was required. They performance is excellent - the 256 kbaud service is provided by throttling a normal 512kbaud service and it often peaks higher and averages to an incredibly steady 31.2Kbyte/sec download rate. On occasion the throttling fails and you get 60Kbytes/sec - I had one 2Mbyte download from McAfee in 35 seconds. I assume it will get worse as more users start up - they promise the standard 50:1 contention. At present it is excellent and has transformed browsing as well as providing an always on service. The ADSL connection is made to look exactly like a Dial Up Connection (other than having adsl in place of a number) and you can either log in once at the start of the day or as required. The IP address is not fixed and changes if you log in and out. A firewall is very desirable with such a connection as the pool will become known and you are on-line for a long period. ZoneAlarm is intercepting a large number of probes.
The performance was so impressive that Pauline immediately asked if it could be made accessible on both machine. Long term a wireless network based round a modem/router/wireless box such as the D-Link 604+ looks the way to go but speeds are increasing and costs falling so a software solution such as Microsoft's Internet Connect Sharing (ICS) software looked the way to go. The following sections will form the basis of a new page in the Howto Series of Technical articles and extend the existing Painless Networking pages
If you want extra information and to know what you may be letting yourself in for have a look at the Microsoft Technical Article Q238135 at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q238135 which also has a lot of links.
The fundamental requirement, if you want to avoid problems, is that you must a tried tested and fully working network using TCP/IP and a working Internet connection before you starting to load ICS. Note - you only load ICS software onto the machine with your Internet Connection which can be Dial-Up or ADSL. If your ADSL connection is via a network card your need to have two cards, one for the modem and one for the connection between machines.
In my case the modem is a USB connection and I had a working network described fully in Painless Networking using IPX/SPX. I was not keen to add TCP/IP but I have found that one can add the TCP/IP protocol in addition to IPX/SPX and separate the file and printer sharing from the Internet Sharing by removing all the bindings to File and Printer Sharing And Client for Microsoft Networks in all the references to TCP/IP which is test show to allow safe connections. Tests using ShieldsUp at the Gibson Research Corporation web site show this to work and that the configuration is as good as one can get without a firewall.
Firewall issues: My favourite free Firewall is ZoneAlarm and I needed to add the range of IP addresses for the machines so they would be visible in the early stages of setting up. The free version does not handle ICS on the Server machine (the one with the shared connection) and the Internet Zone security level had to be reduced to medium (ie no stealth facility) to let it work. I have upgraded to the Pro version on the access machine running ICS to get full protection. The free versions will then also work in high security on the client machines and do need to be upgraded.
I will not go into how to add a protocol as it is covered in Painless Networking and if you have not already understood simple local networks you should probably not be trying to add ICS yet. When you have added the TCP/IP protocol it is probably best to reboot before changing the various settings on the tabs accessed via the Properties button. The end results are shown at various points below for the Clients and Server but at this point just setting the IP addresses and breaking all the bindings is enough. The settings for a typical client is below. The Server has IP address 192.168.0.1, the clients must have different last number up in the range 2 to 255 - it is logical to start at 2. Note - when you access a TCP/IP protocol it often warns you you should not change it - ignore the warning. After you have unticked all bindings you also have to confirm that you meant it.
At this point you may want to confirm the machines can see each other via TCP/IP. As we have fixed addresses it is very easy to check everything is working before installing ICS by using Pings. Ping is a simple (DOS level) system utility accessed by typing ping in the Run box (Start button -> Run and fill in the box). Ping 192.168.0.1 etc., should get a response from a machine with IP address 192.168.0.1 etc., whether sent from the machine itself or from another machine on the network. - if not then something is amiss and needs to be sorted. Pings also enable you to setup/check your firewall when you reinstall it. You would be wise to also check the changes have not stopped your file etc sharing working and that whatever mechanism you use for Internet Access still works - it will be very much more difficult to debug once the ICS server software is installed.
You install ICS from Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs to Windows Setup tab to Internet Tools and tick Internet Connection Sharing box and it runs a wizard which tries to detect your network and connections. In my case it failed to automatically detect and I had to select from drop down boxes the Dial Up Network and LAN adapters manually. They are accessible in the Internet Connection Sharing settings panel.
You reach the Internet Connection Sharing settings panel after leaving the Wizard from Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Internet Options -> Connections tab where you will find a new button Sharing in the LAN and Internet Sharing Settings at the bottom. Once you have got there it is worth ticking the Show Icon in Taskbar box so you can access the settings and turn it on and off easily.
You will need to check/change the dialling options for your chosen default DUN connection - I have chosen to connect to ADSL manually at the start of the day but it should be possible to select the Always dial setting to connect automatically.
The following show those important tabs.
The rest of the tabs were not changed from the defaults but you can click on them in the following list to see them on my machine.
You will notice that after installing ICS several more network protocols and binding entries have appear and the existing TCP/IP ones have been renamed TCP/IP (Home) and TCP/IP (shared) as shown.
The items with red crosses have been added and those with a red sidebar have been changed where underlined.
The yellow sidebars indicate the TCP/IP protocols which need to be checked and modified as required.
In particular one must untick the bindings to Client for Microsoft Networks and File and Print Sharing on the new TCP/IP -> Internet Connection Sharing Bindings tab accessed via the properties button.
Click to see the TCP/IP -> Internet Connection Sharing Bindings tab
The TCP/IP (Home) you checked above and TCP/IP (Shared) Bindings tabs should be unchanged but I would still check that they look the same as the above with the bindings all unticked.
The other parameters are as per the defaults. Click below for details.
Every time I use an iMac I have to find a manual to find out what the special keys are that are equivalent to right Click, Control, Alt etc. This time I have written them down so I do not forget and hope it will be useful to others who have to make occasional use of a Mac when they are used to Windows.
Special keys on IMac X
Context sensitive actionsControl Click is the most powerful and useful action on an iMac. It is the equivalent of a right click on a PC and provides a context sensitive popup menu. You can use it on a selection, icon or just about anywhere. It will satisfy 90% of the actions you need.CopyingOption is the key concerned with copying. Holding Option whilst dragging makes a copy of a file or folder. The cursor will change to a + whilst you are doing so.Multiple selections
Commands and Keyboard ShortcutsThe Command key is also the equivalent of control on a PC and provides single key access (keyboard shortcuts) to all sorts of actions when you holding down the Command key whilst clicking the second key - many are shown at the end of drop down menu items. The most useful and commonly used are to do with copy and paste, in particular select all:
You will note the above all use the same letters as Windows but in combination with the Command key. |
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Copyright ©
Peter and Pauline Curtis Most recent significant revision: 11th July, 2003 |
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