Author: Philip Sheard

Philip Sheard has been working in IT for over 40 years, and on this project for the last 20. His current skills include Java, Android, Objective-C, iOS, PHP, MySQL, ASP.Net, SQL Server, HTML, CSS, Apache and WordPress.

Bookmarks

This page contains all the late-breaking news for the Sales Manager. Regular users should consider bookmarking this page, rather than the home page, which is aimed at prospective users.

AutoSSL

The security for the vanware.co.uk domain no longer uses a conventional SSL certificate. Instead it uses a new feature of cPanel, called AutoSSL. This uses free certificates from an outfit called Let’s Encrypt, which is part of the Linux Foundation. AutoSSL is completely stable, and is the option of choice for most smaller domains. The purpose is not to save money, but to avoid the absolute polaver of replacing the certificates manually. The Certificate Authorities were the problem, not the solution. They were either greedy or incompetent, or both.

Custom controls

Introduction

Sample custom controls

The custom controls are added to the Header and Line screens, and the data is filled in by the user. These controls can be header text, spinners (drop-down lists), checkboxes and text. The example above shows header text, a checkbox and a text field.

The header text (in this case “Extras”) creates a block for the controls that follow it, and gives it a name. The data from the other controls is joined together, and stored in the custom fields of the corresponding Order and Order Details records.

In the example shown above, the custom field would contain the string “1|VC”. Here the 1 says that the Gift Wrap checkbox is checked , the | symbol is a field separator, and “VC” is the value of the Voucher Code.

Custom table

Custom table
Sample Custom table

The custom controls are defined in the Custom table. This is populated on the web server, and is downloaded to client devices, along with the rest of the company data.

The system administrator defines the custom controls used by the company, by either uploading a CSV file or editing the table directly. The Table Layouts describes the use of this table.

History

  1. My first attempt to implement this feature was very poor, and did not involve the web server at all.
  2. My second attempt was much better, and used a new table, which I called Custom.
  3. For some reason, I forgot to expose the new table in the admin site (or at least I think that is what happened).
  4. This meant that custom controls could not be used in the hosting service.
  5. I have only just realised this, but the table is now fully visible.
  6. I have added this post, by way of apology.

iCloud Progress

8 Feb 2019

Designing new interface for iCloud screen. This is necessary, because Dropbox had a completely different paradigm.

7 Feb 2019

  • Recharged test device.
  • Upgraded software on both PC and test device.
  • Connected to test device.
  • Fixed minor bugs in iCloud screen.

SSL problem on earlier versions of Android

It has been brought to my attention that the hosting service may require Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or above, and not Android 4.0 (KitKat), as previously stated.

This is because of a bug in SSL support, in earlier versions of Android. The site switched to SSL some time ago, because of pressure from Apple and others.

We may try to fix this, or we may take the opportunity to implement Material design. The statistics are now 11% of Android 4.4 users, and 5% of users running earlier versions of Android.

Any device purchased in the last 5 years should be OK.

Update

A user has submitted the following error message:

File I/0 error: javax.net.ssl.SSLProtocolException: SSL

handshake aborted: ssl-0x605cba30: Failure in SSL library,

usually a protocol error

error: 14077410:SSL routines:SSL23_GET SERVER HELLO:sslv3

alert handshake failure (external/openssl/ssl/s23_clnt.c:74-4

0x5f16c6fd:0x00000000)

I have found a possible fix. I will give it a go, but I do not understand it very well, and I have no idea whether it will work.

Later

I managed to test the patch on an emulator, and it works! So I will be rolling it out shortly as version 6.2.2.

Aftermath

  • The patch is perfectly reasonable, even if I do not fully understand it. The important point was that I was able to test it on an emulator.
  • The fact that the patch is only necessary on older versions of Android suggests that they may not be quite as well supported as newer ones.
  • With 16% of users running Android 4.4 or earlier, the stats still do not justify ditching support for it.

WordPress 5.0

The site has been upgraded to WordPress 5.0.

  • Word on the streets was that it was not going to be released until the new year, so it will be interesting to see how the WP community reacts to that.
  • There was a new version of the parent theme Twenty Sixteen, but I had carefully followed the guidelines and created my own child theme, and there were no problems upgrading it.
  • There is also a new theme Twenty Nineteen, but it doesn’t have a sidebar. The site is designed around a sidebar, and I don’t think I will be able to use it.
  • Most of the fuss is around the new editor, which I am using for the first time. These are early days, but it does not look like a big deal to me.