And Javascript is no exception. I’ve run with jsUnit for quite some time now (because it just worked). Subsequently though, I got my hands dirty with it’s upgraded re-written cousin: Jasmine. There’s not much I can say about getting going with Jasmine since, to be fair, it really is so simple and well documented on the site already, needless to say:

1. Don’t Panic
This useful bit of instruction should be mandatory on every new piece of technology and before you take on any new learning. Don’t you feel better already?

2. Download the archive for standalone javascript projects
The primary folder of interest is the aptly-named lib folder which is, well, the core library.

3. Prepare a test runner
You need a test runner (test harness, if you like) for actually running the tests and a demo has been provided for you in the form of the included SpecRunner.html

4. Write tests
The included ‘src’ folder is the sample functionality under test. This is usually your own code. The ‘spec’ folder contains sample test code. I say -test- but when you start moving into proving behaviours, -test- seems such a dry word, and so the word -specification- is born, but that may sound too technical and daunting (until you become used to it). The two are, for all intensive purposes the same to the newly initiated, but quite different once you start grokking the subtle differences.

5. Have fun
Now go get on with doing something awesome.

For example, on one project, I have a build process that signs about 30 .cod files per build. But each build has specific builds for different OS levels, as well as different builds for testing, staging and production.

Add that up and you get 30 .cod files x 3 (one for each cert) = 90 x 3 (for each build type) = 270.
270 x 2 (for each platform) = 540. 540 x 4 (one for each white label) = 2160 emails!

For a daily build… and then adhoc builds. And not including any other projects. And you cannot get rid of the automated emailing. Standard RIM policy.

Being a pure techie-hacker, I get used to reading print so small (and hence writing) that it breaks every law in the how-to-improve-your-website-guide (pick one of a dozen or so). Funny enough, I spot this trend quite quickly in all my clients’ work (but ignore it so close to 127.0.0.1).

That said, the font has improved; things are a little clearer and easier to read. This is good.

And to boot, there’s Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010. Oooo. The joy.

First development-related task on shiny hardware (with an OS that is probably a tribute to Timothy Leary) is … wait for it … really complicated … so i need you to focus now … import a flat file (a CSV or comma-seperated values file) into a brand spanking new database as a table. Without writing a single line of code and using all the tools provided by all the spunky long-winded monikers. Tricky? Apparently.

You Kidding?

The real joy came in when clicked retry. Phooof!

First guinea in line was the popular online >_bodyCircuit tool created for iTrainedToday.com did you?.

A screenshot is worth a thousand words so here are a thousand words:

Get Going with bodyCircuit

So this is what it looks like in Safari (don’t bother with any other browsers really since it’s not really targeted for anything else than the Apple family). Pretty neat. And in action:

Huff! Puff! Don't give up!

And it ticks along nicely, better ui framework and better looking than it’s original cousin :p

So, naturally, how does it function on the smaller devices? Well, it looks pretty much the same on the iPod Touch and I did get it to tick over smoothly… but…. some intermittent success. Will have to look more into that.

Otherwise, it’s all yours to test-drive here.

UPDATE: just finished testing it on my new android browser (which i’m also busy writing from at the moment) and it works super nicely

Odd because I hadn’t sent out any emails yet. Odd because that’s an unfamiliar IP address (even I did send out emails). Odd because I send emails over SSL (a different port entirely). And so the trace went:

* A quick check on the IP revealed the domain: 1e100.net and location Los Angeles. Definitely nothing I’m associated to. I think.
* A Google search (oh the irony) on 1e100.net and it turns out, this is a Google address.
* Your browser sends out “relatively” anonymous data to Google about your browsing habits- at least something like that: Safe Browsing Policy

Back to DEFCON 4.

For a web application with persistence, you need basic moving parts: UI, backend persistence (ie. database), server-side middleware to translate the communication between the UI and the persistence. Straightforward for the most part except that things are really straightforward once you dive into the belly- except of course if you live in belly in which case everything’s straightforward but just takes time.

UI: html standards, css standards, javascript and all the various frameworks available and then there’s browser issues. iTrainedToday chose jQuery with jQueryUI as much as possible to lift all the UI interaction. Simile is the only other major JavaScript component but a crucial one. It’s what displays your recent data in one consolidated view.

Server: this is where things can get expensive. ASP.NET, Rails, Django, PHP and more all need to be hosted *somewhere*. And hosting costs money. In addition to the hosting costs there are bandwidth limitations/costs involved. A minefield (unless of course, you play in minefields all day long in which case it’s just a field). Hello, Google AppEngine. Love it or hate it; it’s still pretty sweet to get going with. And whenever someone says “it’s pretty sweet to get going with” they mean “it’s great for prototyping”. I don’t mean that. It’s serving athletes nicely (and simply) and ticking along… prime-time? I’ll let you know when it starts paying for itself in a big way.

Persistence: Google AppEngine handles that for me too. I don’t really need to grok the ins and outs of what that tech is in the tiniest detail. It’s interesting to know, but it’s more important for me to know that: a) it works and b) how to work with it. Storage techies get their hands dirty in the detail ‘cos well, that’s what they do. It’s not really what I do (most of the time).

And then beyond all the moving parts is the brain behind it. Can the brain handle mixing strongly typed dynamic scripting languages with the weakly typed variety and hurdle UI intricacies with usability issues while keeping an eye on security, optimizing the bottleneck (database calls) all the while focusing on the problem domain at hand? Mostly

Now, body fat percentages and body mass indices along with waist-hip ratios and daily “am-i-getting-fat” questions in general tend to irritate me. Just get on with training hard and having fun doing what you do and the results will be there; don’t major in the minors. At least, that’s my attitude. That said, there still *is* space for trending/tracking your body shape and that’s where >_bodyFit comes in.

iTrainedToday has a vision to make tracking your training as simple and as unobtrusive as possible- sticking to the basics, without falling for the hype of fashionable health trends which really don’t last more than a 3-4 months. For example, back in the 70′s experts were advocating a balanced diet of carbs, protein and greens (70/20/10- or thereabouts) and guess what: it’s still the simplest, healthiest and least complicated way forward. But this is not a health blog….

Body fat percentage equations is where this geek got curious and stayed motivated in producing >_bodyFit.

Besides the all-famous Jackson-Pollock equations, I soon discovered equations for the young, the old, the plump, the athletic, the sedentary and the normal (whatever that means). They all use different combinations of skinfold measurements, tape measurements, weight, height and age and are all varingly (in)accurate. The goal of >_bodyFit was to use as many of the equations as is possible and applicable based on the data input. Then, according to my reasoning, you have at least 3 different results which should correlate closely with one another in order to provide you with a more comfortable picture than just a single absolute number based on one formula that’s also being used on someone with a completely different profile to you.

And it’s not the actual number that matters so much as the trend in that same process, with the same tools using the same technique. By consistently recording your measurements using the same calipers, by the same person at the same time of day you get a more accurate reflection of progress. Weigh yourself in the morning after waking up and then just after lunch. Don’t be too shocked if you picked up a kilo or even 2. It doesn’t mean you need to go on a diet straightaway. Tomorrow morning, you’ll be right back down again. Point is, the body fluctuates- a lot. Again, don’t major on the minor changes- but keep your focus on the bigger picture *over time* in order to create an authentic strategy. >_bodyFit will help you do exactly that.

iTrainedToday is useful for part-time athletes, experienced athletes who just need to keep the recording habit up, weekend gym warriors and even the more dedicated fitness enthusiast. This is alpha, but your data will be preserved as we move the application into newer versions so feel free to start using and giving feedback.

The mission: create a usable, as shelf-ready-as-possible BlackBerry application within one working day: typically 6-8 hours of productive coding. The only absolute minimum requirements are: source control and an automated build process. Mission accomplished.

Remember when cellphones first came out and they suffered multiple personality order? Couldn’t decide if it was a mobile phone for communicating, an anti-mugging personal protection unit or a military grade close-quarter offensive device (I’m referring of course to it’s 2 foot aerial and 4kg of rugged manufacture). Yes, they’ve come a long way since then. But the thing I most remember about the early days of mobile phones was how they nurtured and flourished your rudeness.

You’d be talking live, face-to-face, in person when all of a sudden a phone would ring. No matter how deep the conversation or how mid-sentence you were, that was it. Conversation abandoned. Code Red! Pick up the phone! Yes, we’ve come a long way too since then (well, some of us at least). So >_catchit has been designed to help you catch those badly-timed calls when you don’t have to leave your caller hanging and you also don’t want to interrupt the “now”.

When activated, if you choose to ignore an incoming call, a screen will present you with an option to send a pre-populated text back to the caller immediately. You can alter the standard text if you like, or just send as is. Neat. In automagic mode, it’s even less obtrusive. Your caller automatically gets a text. Deactivate it, and there’s no more >_catchit. It also works with missed calls, if you want it to.

>_catchit workflow

And that’s >_catchit complete. One full working day, one working product including user documentation (this post). And yes, you can safely download it from here by pointing your BlackBerry at this link.