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Tools Used to Create The Site

The TNET Weather Station uses a number of tools, applicatons, scripts, development programs to create these pages. This section will provide some information about those tools

Graphic Tools

A handfull of graphics packages are used to create graphics used by these pages.

Xara Xtreme Vector Graphics Package

My primary graphics creation program is Xara Xtreme. It is a vector graphics package that pretty much makes it possible for me to reproduce, recreate and design almost any type of graphic that I might need. Almost 99% of all graphics on this site was produced using Xara Xtreme.

Graphic: XaraXtreme for less than you think...

FastStone Capture

FastStone Capture is a powerful, flexible and intuitive screen-capture utility. It allows you to capture anything on the screen including windows, objects, full screen, rectangle regions, freehand-selected regions and scrolling windows/web pages. It has innovative features such as a floating Capture Panel, hotkeys, resizing, cropping, text annotation, printing, e-mailing, screen magnifier and many more. Now ShareWare but worth the $19.95 for a lifetime license

FastStone Capture Utility *EXT*

Flash Slide Show

Flash Slide Show tool is an easy to use slide show tool. Setting it up is as easy as putting your image (.jpg) files under a particular folder. Features supported:

fade in / fade out transition between images
automatic image resize(when the image doesn't fit into the display area)
configurable time interval between images
configurable display area size via html code
optional navigation bar which allow your user to start/stop the slide show, jump to the previous / next image

Available in a Free version, or licensed for $10. Licensed version includes Flash Source.

Flash-Here's Flash Slide Show *EXT*

Work Station Tools

A number of network tools are used to collect, transmit, order and maintain data.

FileZilla FTP Client: If I am out of the office and at client locations, I use the FreeWare product FileZilla. Many times I can't use FlashFXP because it requires Internet access and many times I behind a forein firewall.; FreeWare FileZilla FTP Client
IDM's UltraEdit Programmers Editor: Very powerful, flexible Programmers Editor that has both extensive editing capabilities as well as network tools FTP, SFTP SSH file access tools. A must for anyone that does serious text editing.; IDM' UltraEdit Commercial Programmers Editor
FontList: Simple utility that displays the text you enter on a webpage using all the fonts you have in your system. Makes finding the right font easy. FREE; FontList by Bitstorm
SysbackSE: Powerfull Windows based backup utility. We use it to backup both weather data that we have collected and plat it onto our server as well as picking up server databackups to place on a workstation for archive cd burning; SysBackSE Backup Tool
Web Developer - Firefox Extension: If you use FireFox, this is a fantastic addon that lets you really see what is going on in the web pages you are visiting. If you are just trying to see what images are being used, what sizes, paths, outlines of tables and objects, CSS... Lots of great CSS tools to see, manipulate etc...

A MUST HAVE for those learning CSS, and web desing... Helps with Validation and much more... FREE tool.; Chris Pedericks Webdeveloper Extension

Network Tools

W3C Validation Site: Validate your website to find errors in your code, misuse of elements for the doc type you are using and help ensure that what it looks like in one browser looks the same in others. FREE Service.; W3c Validation Site
Accessibility Validation: Check for more than just HTML and CSS valid code, check for accessibilty as well. Detect issues on a website and use detailed Truwex diagnostics to fix them. Supported web standards and validations: US ADA Section 508, WCAG 1 for UK DDA and German BITV, web analytics validation, COPPA and PII, website visibility in search engines, any custom web standard including crawling AJAX web sites.; Truwex Online, Web Accessibility Testing - WCAG, Section 508 compliance
Google Search Engine - Images: Search the web for graphic ideas, pictures, images, icons, styles...A great place to mine for graphic ideas... FREE Service.; Please remember that artwork on the net is many times Copyrighted... Getting permission from the author to use is many times required. What you see is not necessarily what you can "take"...; Google's Image Search

Scripting Languages

PHP: This site makes extensive use of the PHP scripting language. PHP brings programming capabilities to your web pages, makeing dynamic content easy and fun to do.
JavaScript: Used to provide browser adjustments and AJAX, this site has been enhanced with a liberal use of JavaScript throughout while maintaining support for visitors who either have it turned off or using browsers that don't support it

Arizona Random Weather Facts

HURRICANE FACTS
Hurricane Facts: 1961 was the last time two Category 5 hurricanes formed in the same year. 1960 was the last time two Category 5 hurricanes formed and eventually made U.S. land fall. 2005 has now matched that with Katrina and now Rita.