The event is called Hack4Reno and includes a 24 hour hackathon where teams of developers and designers will build applications (web apps, websites, mobile apps, tools, etc) that either uses openly available data or collects it. We are working with companies like Github, Tropo and MediaTemple and other web applications that provide services for other developers to build their own apps and are looking for teams to build apps that benefit the Reno community.

Build the future, win prizes…fame and glory

The applications will be built over 24 hours at the event, which is being held at the Pioneer Center in downtown Reno. We are making this event very transparent and open to the community so that Reno can see what goes into building web apps. Teams will then have time to present their finished applications for judging to win various prizes like Apple products and a Best in Show cash prize.

An open source future

This event is a barn raising for the Reno tech community. We are not seeking any financial sponsorships as the entire event is being put on in a very open source manner and we instead are asking for support in terms of promotion and/or resources as they are available.

Not just for techies

While I keep talking about designers and developers, the kinds of apps that I’m talking about are even things like online news and aggregation websites. Things like The Bold Italic or GOOD are wonderful examples of story telling and technology/digital media coming together. We have quite a few classes leading up to the hackathon that are free and available for students (or professors) to learn new things about various technologies, open data and open government.

Video provided by Blaze Streaming Media

An IDE for WordPress Plugins & Themes

My proposal for GSOC 2010 is an integrated development environment for WordPress to allow for integration between the code editor, publishing, developer collaboration and the WordPress codex.

Features

• Open Source: Built on Eclipse
• Code Share: Share and collaborate on WordPress projects with fellow developers using Git or SVN
• Publishing: Setup FTP to allow for publishing your plugin to a WordPress installation to see your progress and test out functionality
• WordPress Codex Autocomplete: Start typing out a wordpress tag and the IDE will display autocomplete options and relevant parameters for each.
• WordPress Codex Wizard: Forgot what codex tags to use when you’re developing a theme or plugin? The Codex Wizard can help you browse the WordPress Codex and build your queries without leaving the IDE.

Example of a WordPress Theme developer’s workflow in WP Builder

1. Start Eclipse
2. Create New Project
3. Select WordPress Theme Project
4. WP Builder will create a project with a basic template structure (index.php, page.php, single.php, etc.)
5. Edit theme files within Eclipse
6. Browse the Codex for template tags within the Codex Wizard
7. Enter FTP information for a WordPress installation to see changes live on the web

Example of a WordPress Plugin developer’s workflow in WP Builder

1. Start Eclipse
2. Create New Project
3. Select WordPress Plugin Project
4. Select options such as “Include backend admin panel, etc.”
5. WP Builder will create a project with an empty plugin shell
6. Share project files with another developer across the world using a GitHub repository or SVN
7. Enter FTP information for a WordPress installation to see changes live on the web

Future Roadmap Features

These features are a little ambitious for the GSOC program timeline but as future features could include:

• Testing & Debugging
• WYSIWYG editor for theme development

April 24th: Orange County WordCamp

I’ll be presenting on “Using WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS)”  at the OC WordCamp down at UC Irvine. Come check it out!

May 1st: San Francisco WordCamp

Ed, Chelsea and I attended SF WordCamp last year and it was great to meet a lot of new people in the WordPress community such as our friends over at Shane & Peter and NextSpace. We are definitely looking forward to it again this year.

June 12: Reno-Tahoe WordCamp

The 2nd annual Reno-Tahoe WordCamp is going to much larger than the first. We have already confirmed it will be held in the ballrooms of the university thanks to sponsorship by the UNR Business Student Council. This event is key to the development of Reno’s tech culture. We have a lot of great developers, bloggers and more in this town and we want to continue to help them in any way possible. The call for proposals is now open so if you’d like to speak, make sure you get your presentation submitted! A new website is going up soon but for now, you can find details at www.renotahoewordcamp.com.

The first Reno-Tahoe WordCamp was a great success and we are looking forward to an even better one this year. We have a lot of great things lined up but we can’t make the day a success without your help!

Are you a WordPress guru, blogger, podcaster, writer or community builder? If so, then you should consider submitting a proposal to present on  June 12th April 10th.

The official website for Reno-Tahoe WordCamp 2010 will be available soon with more information. If you have any questions, feel free to send an email to renotahoewordcamp@gmail.com.

This function will determine the day of the week for any date, including leap years. It can be cleaned up considerably but I figured I would share my geekery with you all in raw form. (Y3k bug: note the - 2000 to calculate the last two digits of the year.)

public String readableDay(Date dateToFormat)
{
	String dayOfWeekString = '';
	Integer day = dateToFormat.day();
	Integer month = dateToFormat.month();

	//Get last two digits of year
	Integer twoDigitYear = dateToFormat.year() - 2000;

	//Get first two digits of year
	String centuryYear = String.valueOf(deadline.year());
	centuryYear = centuryYear.substring(0,2);
	Integer centuryYearInt = Integer.valueOf(centuryYear);

	//Centuries: c = 2(3 - (century mod 4))
	//century = last two numbers of the year
	Integer modYear = math.mod(centuryYearInt, 4);
	modYear = 3 - modYear;
	Integer century = 2 * modYear;
	System.debug('Century: ' + century);

	//Years: y = year + (year / 4)
	Integer years = twoDigitYear + (twoDigitYear / 4);

	//Months (check if leap year)
	Integer monthResult = 0;

	if(month == 1)
	{
		if(math.mod(deadline.year(), 4) == 0)
			monthResult = 6;	//leap year
		else
			monthResult = 0;	//not leap year
	}
	else if(month == 2)
	{
		if(math.mod(deadline.year(), 4) == 0)
			monthResult = 2;	//leap year
		else
			monthResult = 3;	//not leap year
	}
	else if(month == 3)
		monthResult = 3;
	else if(month == 4)
		monthResult = 6;
	else if(month == 5)
		monthResult = 1;
	else if(month == 6)
		monthResult = 4;
	else if(month == 7)
		monthResult = 6;
	else if(month == 8)
		monthResult = 2;
	else if(month == 9)
		monthResult = 5;
	else if(month == 10)
		monthResult = 0;
	else if(month == 11)
		monthResult = 3;
	else if(month == 12)
		monthResult = 5;

	//Calculate Running Total
	Integer runningTotal = century + years + monthResult + day;

	//Calculate mod of week
	Integer dayOfWeek = math.mod(runningTotal, 7);

	//Day of Week Table
	if(dayOfWeek == 0)
		dayOfWeekString = 'Sunday';
	else if(dayOfWeek == 1)
		dayOfWeekString = 'Monday';
	else if(dayOfWeek == 2)
		dayOfWeekString = 'Tuesday';
	else if(dayOfWeek == 3)
		dayOfWeekString = 'Wednesday';
	else if(dayOfWeek == 4)
		dayOfWeekString = 'Thursday';
	else if(dayOfWeek == 5)
		dayOfWeekString = 'Friday';
	else if(dayOfWeek == 6)
		dayOfWeekString = 'Saturday';

	return dayOfWeekString;

}