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How to create a Composer package from scratch

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  • 106 Views
  • 1 Like
  • 16 mins read

A helper class, a small client wrapper or a set of validation rules often starts in one project and ends up copied into the next one. From that point the copies drift apart, a bug fixed in one of them stays open in the rest, and there is no version number to refer to when something changes.

Turning that code into a Composer package removes the copies. The requirements are modest, since a package is a directory containing a valid composer.json file, a Git repository hosting it, and a listing on Packagist that tells Composer where to find it.

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Getting started with the HC-06 Bluetooth module

  • 269 Views
  • 19 mins read

Adding wireless communication to an Arduino project usually starts with a Bluetooth serial module, and the HC-06 is one of the most common choices. It's cheap, widely available, and does one job well: it lets a phone or computer connect to your board and exchange data as if the two were joined by a cable. Four pins, one operating mode, and a small set of configuration commands is the whole picture. That simplicity comes with a real constraint though, and knowing it upfront saves time later, since the HC-06 only accepts incoming connections and can't reach out to another device on its own.

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Image optimization for the web

Available to registered members only
  • 359 Views
  • 18 mins read

Images are almost always the heaviest thing on a web page. A single hero photo can weigh more than all the HTML, CSS and JavaScript of a site put together, and every extra kilobyte delays the moment a visitor finally sees something useful. Search engines notice it, and users on mobile data notice it faster. The encouraging part is that image delivery is one of the few areas where the fixes are well documented, mostly automatable, and visible in the metrics almost immediately.

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