dbvisualizer setup wizard
Posted on Tech Notes

Quickly Setup and Start Using DBVisualizer

DBVisualizer is one of the most useful Database IDE’s available.  I have used it at many different companies and for personal projects as well.  I like DBVisualizer it in part because its publisher DBVis Software offers both a free version for personal use and a pro version for businesses.  Unlike most free tier software, DBVis has made the decision to unlock most of the applications functionality.  Allowing individuals and companies to check out what their tool can do with no immediate risk to their pocket book.  What is unique about DBVisualizer is its unique ability to be database neutral. What is unique about DBVisualizer is its ability to be database neutral.  Regardless of the Database you’re using, DBVisualizer will work the same.  To do... Read more

File folder with progress bar
Posted on Tech Notes

Fixing the 2MB limit in WordPress

WordPress has a default limit of 2MB for any file uploaded to the system.  However, the value is easy to change by adjusting some PHP settings on the server.  Let’s look at two ways to change the configuration values to set the limit to suit our needs. The 2MB limit is determined by two PHP configuration variables.  These variables are upload_max_filesize and post_max_size.  The values can be set in the php.ini file or a .htaccess file.  Let’s look at each of these options. Changing the 2MB limit in php.ini The php.ini file is in the /etc folder by default.  The location also can be confirmed through the “phpinfo” command.  To use this create a file with the .php extension and add the following code: <?php phpinfo(); ?> Save... Read more

Person reading while sitting on RSS feed symbol
Posted on Tech Notes

Using the WordPress Feed to Display Posts on Your Website

WordPress is a great stand alone solution for blogging.  You can quickly adopt themes and launch a blog site in under an hour.  However, sometimes you will want to provide access to your content through another website or application.  You can provide this content quickly with the WordPress feed using RSS.  We will walk through an example in PHP that can have you linked to your blog in minutes. The WordPress Feed First, let’s verify you can see your feed.  You access the feed through a simple change of your regular blog address.  Add “/feed” to the end of the address in any browser.  For example, our feed address is  http://develpreneur.com/feed.  The format of the feed varies depending on which... Read more

Swap Drive Common EC2 Problems
Posted on Tech Notes

Adding a Swap Drive to your EC2 instance

If you are using Amazon EC2 instance to run WordPress, then one of the biggest challenges you will encounter is running out of system memory.  The server works fine for vanilla installs, but issues typically arise once you add some plugins.  For instance, these system memory problems can manifest themselves in the form of database crashes or system downtimes.  Luckily, this is an easy problem to fix without having to deal with expensive hardware upgrades.  Instead, all you need to do is add a swap drive in order to increase the memory available for your applications. What is a Swap Drive? When a computer runs it’s system and user applications will use up memory.  However, the operating system treats this memory differently... Read more