7 Tools for Effective Agile Development

7 Tools for Effective Agile Development

Agile Development in the world of IT is a process designed to make app development easy with predictable results.

Agile software development is a defining set of principles that gives software developers tips and ideas on how to respond to unpredictability, find solutions and requirements that usually evolve during individual and team interactions.

The entire development and testing activities are concurrent, unlike the Waterfall model. The term “Agile” has been around for several years now, with newer and better tools presenting itself every year. In this article, we will discuss some of the best tools for effective agile development.

  1. Jira Agile Jira, an issue and project tracking software, is originally from Atlassian. Over the years, more features have been added since its launch. It is easy to assign work collaboratively, where tasks are prioritized, and ideas shared as documents or email.

Thanks to its workflows, it is easy to manage different projects at a single time. It has an intuitive screen with a number of features like customizable queues, real time reporting to customers and automated request management.

Apart from that, Jira Agile allows for great product integration with other Atlassian tools like Stash enterprise, Git repository management and Bitbucket for unlimited private code responses. Right from project conception to launch, everything can be handled here. Jira Agile comes in several versions and the latest one conforms to the requests made by customers.

Companies like Square, Adobe, BNP Paribas, NASA, eBay, Cisco, LindkedIn, Salesforce, BMW use Jira Agile.

  1. Activ Collab If you are looking for agile project management, collaboration, customization, budgeting, tracking, notifications, resource managements, task management, learning and support, issue tracking apart from collaborating with clients for transparency, you are looking at the right solution here.

Each user in Activ Collab has his or her own unique dashboard where one can see their own work. Activ Collab helps you to track your working time so you can bill your clients accordingly. Harvard University, NASA, Ogilvy, Intel, Adobe and Apple are some of the companies using Activ Collab.

  1. Pivotal Tracker Pivotal Tracker is a tool designed by Pivotal Labs, a software development consultancy. As the tool can easily handle multiple projects, you would find this tool highly popular among users. The tool can be used for messaging, preparing and monitoring projects and creating turndown charts. Pivotal Tracker is well known for its feedback tools, making QA possible for all project undertakings.

Groupon, Sharethrough, GoSpotCheck, Accuweather are just a few of the companies that use Pivotal Tracker.

  1. CA Technologies CA Technologies (Previously known as Rally) is a cloud-based solution that helps software companies through the entire software development process. The aim is to shorten development cycles through dedicated agile techniques while enabling the teams spread across the globe to collaborate with each other seamlessly.

The tool helps you to reallocate development resources to help grow your portfolio. Various editions of the software are available for on-premise use. CA Technologies acquired Rally for $480 million in May 2015.

Intel, Cognizant, Capgemini, Sol, Choice Hotels,Getty Images, GE are just a few of the big names that use CA Technologies.

  1. SprintGround If you are not quite happy with the way your agile development is shaping up, then consider SprintGround. It helps developers to parse out projects and versions and manage releases. There is a specific framework in SprintGround that allows you to look at feature requests, customer requests and suggestions.

Bug tracking functionality is another feature of SprintGround. It is the best option for customer-driven product development as it is integrated with several traditional Scrum functions. Stacker, Croz Desk, and iT Meester use SprintGround

  1. Aha! Quite an interesting name for an agile development software! Aha! calls itself the world’s first product roadmap software that would help developers plan their business by shortening product cycles and improving user ranking. The best thing about Aha! is that you can integrate it with the applications that you already use.

Many of the big names are already users of Aha! like GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Visual Studio, Google Apps and HipChat

  1. Yodiz Yodiz is an agile management platform that is easy to use, customizable when you want to plan and track several teams at one time.

Some of the best features of Yodiz are:

Product Backlog, where you can plan your backlog management through an online repository Sprints to help visualize, schedule and plan your sprints Releases to help you assign and prioritize the various functionalities and their releases Epics to help you channel your business requirements to a particular goal Real time collaboration with all the members of the team and so on Companies using Yodiz include Associated Press or AP, Checkout.com, Team Elena, Nokia, Satmetrix

Wrapping Up The best bet of agile development would be for small projects, which can be implemented quickly, because errors can be fixed quickly. As the development process with agile method is iterative, a project can be executed in shorter time frames.

We hope this article has brought some of the important tools in Agile product development. Of course, there are plenty more out there, so you need to find your best option, choosing the one that suits your requirements.

Why you need a staffing company or Staff Augmentation services or IT recruitment services

Why you need a staffing company or Staff Augmentation services or IT recruitment services

According to Austere Systems who is also a Staffing company in Gurgaon, Staff augmentation is outlined as a technique for filling the supposed ‘skills gap’.It permits corporations to interact with superior professionals for an individual comes while not having to incur an equivalent price of hiring new regular staff.

IT employee’s augmentation vendors assist you to add skillful technical resources to your in-house development team on a short or long basis. These resources square measure used directly by the seller, so eliminating the price and liability of creating new regular hires. That being aforesaid, remote developers employed through a workers augmentation firm square measure managed by the shopper they work with, and square measure usually dedicated to 1 project at a time.

The main goal of this is to handle staffing requirements with an existing set of talent. In other words, It is also known as a strategy for filling the so-called ‘skills gap’ that allows companies to engage top-level professionals for individual projects without having to acquire the same costs of hiring new full-time employees.

At some point in time or another, most of the businesses, need a few more hands on deck. And it’s not just any hands, but people who are trained, skilled and certified for the job you needed them to do. In the traditional way, hiring these people can be a time consuming and drawn-out process involving like job advertisements, interviews, referencing, onboarding and endless paperwork. This is an inconvenient way if your business has mission-critical deadlines to fulfill. For some companies, and IT companies, in particular, it acts as a secret weapon when you need rapid access to skills or headcount.

The benefit to staff augmentation services/staffing company The main benefit to staff augmentation services is that you can hire contractors who can jump straight in and get to work without needing to be walked through all the process. There are hardly any hiring formalities, so there is not wasting valuable time with recruitment, background checks, and onboarding.

Some other pros associated with Staff Augmentation are as follows Control over staff, Integration, Reduce employee burdens, Employee acceptance, Experience matters, Cut Costs Without Sacrificing Quality, eliminates the additional costs of having in house employee, no bound by geographical limitations, Boosted Flexibility and Reduce the labour overhead.

As with most things in business, the method of employee’s augmentation is not entirely safe. Here are a unit a number of the risks or cons associated area unit additional superintendence, Time-focused, standardized employees, Poor cultural work and better prices.

IT Recruitment Process Process of recruitment involves initial screening, shortlisting profiles, Interview rounds, selecting and hiring appropriate candidates for the position (either permanent or temporary) inside an organization. It can also refer to a process involved in choosing individuals for unpaid roles. Managers, human resource generalists, and achievement specialists are also tasked with concluding achievement, however, in some cases public-sector employment agencies, business achievement agencies, or specialist search consultancies area unit wont to undertake elements of the method.

Inside of Staff Augmentation services at Austere Systems-a staffing company in Gurgaon In IT recruitment services, our well-trained recruitment consultants who are from IT backgrounds strive to exceed the clients expectations via great selections. Candidates are personally called by these IT recruitment specialists and they make sure to go with the personal interviews, written tests, psychological tests, reference check, medical exams, and others to give the best candidates to the companies. And also we conduct ongoing programs and workshops to get a better understanding of what our clients expectations and requirements of the new staff members are. As well to give them proper and great talents, our services make sure to determine the clients corporate culture and ambiance, for exact understandings of what the new staffing requirements are, in-depth researches and analysis, we generally conduct these programs and only the suitable candidate’s call for further processing.

Austere Systems staffing company provides staff augmentation services do their level best in shortlisting someone who got great talent, experience, knowledge and best for the company.

SAP Staffing services

SAP Staffing services

Require SAP Staffing services? or Hiring permanent staff or staff augmentation and fascinating them into your organization could be a serious commitment, thus you better check that that you’re creating this commitment to the proper individuals. We are here to assist you in deciding out the right candidate.

Find The Right Employers For Your Business If you discover yourself walking knee-deep in resumes from candidates who don’t meet the necessities of your project or business, you’re squandering precious time, money, and energy. Leave staffing issues to the professionals, thus you’ll focus your energy and a focus on what very matters – your core business. You can place confidence in our skilled recruiters to seek out the proper staff for you to either increase employee’s strength for brand spanking new business, or to fill your worker numbers.

At ASPL Consulting and Staff Augmentation services, we have a tendency to recruit candidates that match for our clients requirements. With us as your permanent staffing solutions provider, you’ll rest assured that you simply can get the foremost appropriate staff who are able to work flat out and keep loyal to you.

SAP Staffing Services In the technology system, as a result of the dynamicity and fleet, major dynamic businesses have presently subdued the employment of SAP Consulting Services and trended in IN-House Management Systems. Thence the benefits of SAP can only be accomplished with the linking proficient candidates profiles inside the economical and price economical vogue.

Building your in-house SAP Support team plays a significant role in your booming preparation of SAP. As an end-to-end provider supporting all aspects of SAP products & Services, Austere systems offers a specialist SAP staffing services with numerous methodologies.

Austere Systems being an SAP Staffing marketplace shares its knowledge of more than 150 ERP systems to its Pool of Consultants which suggests our Recruiter and consultants each perceive the client desires and check out to measure to the fullest to the conclusion of the ERP system at our clients timeframe.

Whether it’s a niche notice or something generic we’ve got entire complete information of passive and active SAP professionals who will deliver significant results to your projects without wasting your precious time, which otherwise may delay your project or increase the time period of the project.

Why choose Austere systems for your recruitment services Austere Systems offers full-fledged SAP consultants on a contract basis to fulfill immediate want for skilled talent. This selection provides the most flexibility to clients whereas providing the experience required urging the work done quickly. Austere Systems provides experienced SAP consultants on a contract basis whereas clients think about every placement’s long-run fit inside the organization. We have a tendency to matches you with the correct direct-hires through in-depth pre-qualification of candidates and position needs. This selection is on a contingent or preserved search model in keeping with your organization’s wants. We have a tendency to manages the complete recruiting method for an SAP implementation – from technical resources to project managers to subject matter specialists and on the far side. This selection ensures that your top employees won’t be swamped by the magnitude of the SAP implementation and might instead specialize in your company’s core business activities. Our SAP staffing and resource acquisition services enable your organization to act with speed, flexibility, and experience by accessing the correct talent within the right approach. We have a tendency to facilitate organizations cultivate SAP resources quickly and make sure the correct fit every clients specific desires and objectives.

Working process of Staffing Company in India

Working process of Staffing Company in India

As a recruiter, many Staffing Company in India is principally working for their customer and the employer. This can be difficult for certain experts to comprehend as an HR selection representative needs to pay a special mind for the best interests of both their clients and candidates. But at the end of the day, their client is the one with a position to fill, and a recruiter will be looking for the best person that fits their criteria.

Recruiters are working for a company which is the one who will be paying their fees. Charges vary between offices, businesses, and sorts of jobs. They are generally determined as a $ worth or Percentage of a competitor’s first years compensation or hourly. A compensation extends for a position is set dependent on an organization’s pay structure for that job. A Staffing Company only gets paid if they find the perfect person for the role; and remember, the client always makes the final decision on who they hire.

What is important for you to tell a Staffing Company in India is that a candidate’s salary should never be affected by that fee. A salary range for a position is set based on a company’s salary structure for that role. A recruiter’s charge is a completely different entity from that salary range.

The process followed by a Staffing Company in India Though each recruiter and staffing agency will operate slightly differently, generally they all follow a very similar process.

1) Open position : The first step of this process occurs when a client calls with an open position that they need help filling. Staffing company/Recruiters will then get all the details they need to start working on the role. This involves more than just getting a job description. They will do a deep dive and hunt for things like regular payment range, interview queries, any benefits to operating within the role/for the corporate, vacation compensation, management styles, reason the role is open, hard and soft skills needed, start date, and even advancement opportunities.

2) Posting a job : Recruiters, as a general rule, post all of their open jobs on their company website as well as any job boards that are relevant to that role. Positions may also be advertised on social media sites. Recruiters will also reach out to their network to find out if any great candidates are looking for work at the moment.

3) Finding great candidates : The average job posting gets 250 applications, and those applications can start coming in within 5 minutes of the position that has been posted online! A Staffing Company needs to review all of these resumes to identify the candidates that have the hard and soft skills their clients are looking for. Once they do, they will reach out for telephone or in-person interviews or a combination of both.

These interviews are vital as a result of presenting an under-qualified candidate to a consumer might probably cause a recruiter to lose that client. Today some good staffing companies are also providing IT Staff Augmentation Services for their clients.

A good interview also provides an opportunity for a staffing company to find out all those things that aren’t on a resume. Sometimes it is these hidden skills and personality traits that are so important to prospective employers and make the difference between a candidate that gets hired, and one that is passed over.

Once the recruiter has ascertained that a candidate matches the experience and personality that a Client needs and that the candidate is still interested in the position, they will present that candidate to the client.

4) Presenting candidates : The Best Staffing Company in India, don’t simply email resumes to clients and hope that one thing sticks. They will talk to their clients about each candidate, and “bring them to life” off the paper through discussing their work experiences, career aspirations, and why they will be a match with the client’s needs. Recruiters know that employers hire for both hard and soft skills, and will make sure to express both to their clients.

5) Client interview stage : Clients are busy people, often managing large teams, and their schedules get filled up quick. A Staffing Company knows this and schedules interview slots in advance so they match the schedules for all involved. This helps keep the hiring process as short and succinct as possible. No client wants to miss out on an exceptional candidate because they couldn’t be interviewed for the next month.

After the interview, the recruiter will collect feedback from both the candidate and client. Recruiters want to make sure they can give their candidates as much feedback as possible – good or bad – so they know where they stand.

6) Job offer : When a job offer is extended to a candidate, among the best staffing company in India will often be there as a sounding board for both sides. They will assist any negotiations and work to keep this process seamless. This also entails letting unsuccessful candidates know that a role has been filled. Recruiters may be involved in the onboarding process and can provide the first day details that candidates will need.

7) Stay in contact and recommend top performers : A good Staffing Company working as a recruiter, follow up with clients and candidates on their first day, the end of the first month, and at the end of a probation period. Should any small problems come up at this time, both clients and candidates can be hesitant to voice any concerns as theirs is a new and fragile relationship. A recruiter stands outside of that relationship and can be a good mediator if needed. Little issues can be easily overcome, rather than becoming something that leads to resignation.

Once a candidate has been placed in a role, a leading staffing company in Gurgaon should keep in contact with their recruiter. You never understand once things might modification and you may like their help once more. Recruiters are always looking for great people and also are happy to have you recommend top-performers to them.

A staffing company’s job as a recruiter is rarely straightforward and there are good reasons why the process is the way it is. Make sure you get the most out of your with your recruiter relationship. That being said, if you have questions along the way, or are confused by where you are in that process, always reach out to the recruiter and ask questions. Remember, even though a recruiters fee is paid by their client, they are also working for you.

Top skills that will help you land a great Job in 2020

Top skills that will help you land a great Job in 2020

Are you wondering how to excel in your current job or preparing yourself for the next one? Working upon your professional and soft skills helps a lot, but does professional development is as easy as it sounds? We are not always sure what to focus on! Should you invest in a digital marketing course or attend a communications training program? Whatever option you choose but following are the top in-demand skills that every hiring manager looks for in any candidate. Of course, many of these skills we acquire only through experience, but having these competencies will highlight your personality in a positive light even more.

Adaptability Communication Conflict Management Decision-Making Emotional Intelligence Leadership Negotiation Organizational Skills Out-of-the-box thinking Problem-Saving Self-Motivation Team work Time management You can showcase these skills in the core competencies and achievements sections of your resume. Further, you could also flaunt these skills on your LinkedIn profile and also while answering behavioral questions in an interview.

Know the quality of your soil by soil health testing services

Know the quality of your soil by soil health testing services

For the last few years of the survey, we found that Soil Health has gotten a lot of attention. Soil testing service is in great demand nowadays. According to research that we can improve soil health by modifying certain practices in production agriculture. Improving crop rotations is additionally an area of up soil health. A new practice has been used for encouraging farmers to include cover crops where they can use in their farming systems and In agriculture sectors, soil test commonly refers to the analysis of a soil sample to work out nutrient content, composition, and alternative characteristics like the acidity or pH scale level.

History of Soil testing service In India In India, Soil testing service began in 1955-56 with the soil testing laboratory at IARI which is popularly known as the hub to coordinate with all the other soil testing laboratories in the country. And this laboratory called as Central Laboratory for Soil and plant analysis is also very well known among research and extension agencies and farmers for its advanced facilities, reliability of reports and analysis and economic consulting service.

During the 1960s, the focus of agricultural extension was on adoption of improved technology and effectiveness of extension methods and in seventies, the emphasis shifted to communication behavior of farmers and extension personnel, mass media, coaching wants and development methods. During the eighties, the emphasis shifted to technological change, yield gap and constraints analysis, development organizations, extension strategies for mobilizing farmers, the impact of the T&V system, and extension and research management. The research coverage, thus, moved from micro-level evidence to macro-issues relevant to the national planning. And in the early ’90s, the various units of extension concentrated on the integration of research, extension, and consumer systems, media development, extension management, native farmers knowledge system, the role of farm women and participatory extension approaches.

The Soil Testing Service is offered in various ways name a few Soil and plant testing for macro- and micronutrients, irrigation water quality assessment, Manure analysis for total nutrient content, soil and plant analysis for heavy metals and pollutant elements.

Most of the Laboratories use basic macronutrients, like N, P and K, as well as several micronutrients for testing purposes. And it provides you with your soil pH and it also measures the availability of soil minerals and nutrients, which referred to as Healthy soil equals healthy lawns and plants. The most important test in a soil test is the pH level. It’s also equally important to include in your test package as well. It can affect the availability of other nutrients in the soil.

The need for Soil testing service The main use of Soil testing is to protect the environment from contamination by runoff and leaching of excess fertilizers, to aid in the diagnosis of plant culture problems, to improve the nutritional balance of the growing media as well as to determine the fertility or the expected growth potential of the soil, which indicates the nutrient deficiencies, potential toxicities from excessive fertility and prohibited from the presence of non-essential trace minerals. And it also mimics the function of roots to assimilate minerals.

Some benefit factors in Soil testing are First, it increases productivity by identifying soil nutrients or soil chemical factors that are limiting plant growth; Second, Increases fertilizer use efficiency by indicating appropriate rates for different soils and crops; Third, to protect the environment by preventing over-fertilization; And Fourth, Identifies polluted or contaminated soils.

Soil testing services are used to facilitate fertilizer composition and dosage selection for land employed in both agricultural as well as in horticultural industries.

You can test your soil at least once in every three years, to keep the test results handy and can monitor any changes in soil fertility. If you have a problem area or if you’ve applied lots of nutrients, you can test it more oftentimes.

Importance of Soil Testing Services for Farmers in India

Importance of Soil Testing Services for Farmers in India

The health of the soil is a crucial parameter to be assessed from time-to-time. It reflects the impact of current agricultural practices on the soil and so provides a way to adapt strategies and maintain the optimum condition of the soil. In agriculture nowadays, anecdotal proof suggests the percentage has improved. Now in India, there are many soil testing company that provide soil testing services and soil health card for farmers. To stay profitable in agriculture beneath present conditions, each farmer and agriculturist should contemplate that fertility levels should be measured. These measurements can then be accustomed to managing soil fertility to more exactly attain high production and quality, whereas still keeping prices at the minimum necessary to fulfill the goal.

Soil fertility and health are determinants for increasing agricultural productivity. In most developing countries wherever soil degradation is prominent, maintaining sensible soil fertility is vital to spice up agricultural production. A farmer with a Soil Health Card can become pro-active in approach and methods will nurture the soil instead of damaging it. The practices can become additional sustainable and output is perfect and reduced prices.

Common Nutrient Problems Iron/manganese toxicity : Some crops, particularly zonal geranium, and every one variety of impatiens are the foremost vulnerable plants to iron (Fe)/manganese (Mn) toxicity. This disorder is usually referred to as “bronze speckle” due to the looks of numerous tiny brown spots on the leaves. Growth medium pH should be maintained in the recommended range by adequate liming prior to planting, careful selection of fertilizers with pH monitoring, low potential acidity, and the use of liquid limestone preparations to increase pH after the plants are established in containers.

Iron deficiency : Iron deficiency symptoms typically show up as an interveinal iron deficiency anemia, commonly beginning at the shoot tips, however typically they occur throughout the complete plant. Generally, the leaves of some Fe deficient plants turn almost white. Calibrachoa, Scaevola, snapdragons, and petunias are the vegetative annuals most vulnerable to iron deficiency. Preventing metallic element deficiency are often accomplished by maintaining a low pH and using an iron chelate fertilizer.

Why Soil Testing is necessary It is very crucial for every former to have a Soil Heath Card from an expert soil testing company in India to gain the following benefits.

Soil fertility is assessed by soil testing. Soil testing can be useful to maintain soil health. To know the soil fertility, periodically soil testing is necessary. Ph status (Acidic or base) of the Ag. the field can be known by soil testing. Appropriate use of fertilizer for crop production can be recommended on the basis of the ph value of soil. If farmers can use the balanced dose of fertilizer for crop production then the unnecessary financial loss can be avoided. High dose of Chemical fertilizers is being used by the farmers to increase the production of various hybrid varieties of crops. Soil testing categorizes the soil into various categories such as Saline, Alkaline or Mineral soils. The farmers can be advised to convert such soils into normal soils. Thus, using soil testing services a farmer with a Soil Health Card can become pro-active in his approach and methods will nurture the soil instead of damaging it. The practices can become additional sustainable and output is perfect and reduced costs.

Multidimensional Learning Space

Multidimensional Learning Space

Multi-Dimensional Learning Space (MDLS) is a during-school and after-school program that provides multi-dimensional learning opportunities for school children to explore, experiment, discover, and learn in multiple ways. MDLS also provides students exposure to a wide variety of areas beyond the school curriculum. Here Learning is not restricted to a curriculum. It should extend to help holistic and balanced development of a child. According to the 2018 data, India’s literacy rate is at 74.04% Tripura has achieved a literacy rate of 94.65% and Bihar is the least literate state in India, with a literacy of 63.82% Youth Literacy rate age between(15-24) is 92%, 70% of children study in Government sector And 50% of students are dropout after 10. Get the Info graphic view of Multi-Dimensional Learning Space. Multidimensional learning space Source From :- India Literacy Project

Activities Our platform is an open platform for children where they express their ideas on science, social science, arts and computers and to grow in all fields not only studies but in extra curricular activities, where they exude confidence, learn by listening and doing, where they inspired to do new things, Teachers teach in ways more than one, Teachers Train teachers on alternate methods of teaching, creating lesson plans, managing classrooms better , school management software and more, Career Counseling Explain the various career options available both in their local economy and outside and also encouraged to choose careers that embrace and enhance local economies. We provide all type of courses in our multidimensional learning Space.

Key aspects Along with we also provide Smart Classroom Setup Infrastructure (laptop, projector, speakers, digital content and experiment kits) for visual/experiential learning, Low cost Science/Math Kit Provide every school with a low cost lab created using every day materials to teach math, science, Virtual Learning Spaces, Improve reading levels though a unique library program. We also organize Inter-school competitions to provide a platform for hands on projects and cross school learning.

10 Ways to Search Google for Information That 96% of People Don’t Know About

10 Ways to Search Google for Information That 96% of People Don’t Know About

In our era of advanced technology and high-speed Internet connections, you can find information on virtually anything. In the space of just a few minute, we can find recipes for the tastiest pie or learn all about the theory of wave-particle duality. But more often than not, we have to sift through a vast body of knowledge to get the information we need, and this can take hours rather than minutes. This is why we have put together a list of the most effective methods for searching Google to help you find the precious material you’re looking for in just a couple of clicks.

  1. Either this or that Sometimes we’re not sure that we’ve correctly remembered the information or the name we need to start our search. But this doesn’t have to be a problem! Simply put in a few potential variations of what you’re looking for, and separate them by typing the “|“ symbol. Instead of this symbol you can also use ”or.” Then it’s easy enough to choose the result that makes the most sense. Like: Vinod Khanna or Mehra

  2. Searching using synonyms Our language is rich in synonyms. Sometimes this can be very convenient when doing research online. If you need to find websites on a given subject rather than those that include a specific phrase, add the “~” symbol to your search. For example, if you search for the term “healthy ~food” you’ll get results about the principles of healthy eating, cooking recipes, as well as healthy dining options.

  3. Searching within websites Sometimes you read an interesting article on a website and find yourself subsequently wanting to share it with your friends or simply reread it. The easiest way to find the desired piece of information again is to search within the website. To do this, type the address of the site, then a key word or entire phrase from the article, and it should come up immediately. Brightside.me salad

  4. The power of the asterisk When our cunning memory decides to prevent us from recalling that one key word, phrase, or number we need in order to find what we’re looking for, you can turn to the powerful “” symbol. Just use this in the place of the word/phrase you can’t remember, and you should be able to find the results you’re looking for. Like : 11.22

  5. When lots of words are missing If it’s the lengthier half of the phrase you can’t remember rather than a single key word, try writing out the first and last words and putting “AROUND + (the approximate number of missing words)“ between them. For example, ”I wandered AROUND(4) cloud.” Like: I wandered AROUND(4) cloud

  6. Using a time frame Sometimes we urgently need to acquaint ourselves with events that occurred during a certain period of time. To do so, you can add a time frame to your search query with the help of three dots between the dates. For example, if we want to find out about scientific discoveries during the 20th century, we can write: Like: Scientific discoveries 1900…2000

  7. Searching for a title or URL To help find the key words and name of an article, type “intitle:“ before the search term, without any spaces between them. In order to find the words from a URL, use ”inurl:”. Like: intitle:husky

  8. Finding similar websites If you’ve found something you really like online and want to find similar websites, type in “related:” and then the address of the site, again without a space between them. Like: related:nike.com

  9. Whole phrases Framing the search term within quotation marks is the simplest and most effective way to find something specific and in the exact order you typed it in. For example, if you type in the words I’m picking up good vibrations without quotation marks, the search engine will show the results where these words appear in any order on a website, as opposed to the specific order in which you typed them. If, on the other hand, you type “I’m picking up good vibrations” within quotation marks, you’ll get only those results where these words appear only in the order you typed them in. This is a great way to find the lyrics to a song when you only know one line from it. Like: “I’m picking up good vibrations”

  10. Unimportant search words To remove unimportant search words from your query, simply write a minus symbol before each one. For example, if you want to find a site about interesting books, but you aren’t looking to buy them, you can write the following: Like: interesting books -buy

15 Powerful jQuery Tips and Tricks for Developers

15 Powerful jQuery Tips and Tricks for Developers

In this article we will take a look at 15 jQuery techniques which will be useful for your effective use of the library. We will start with a few tips about performance and continue with short introductions to some of the library’s more obscure features.

1) Use the Latest Version of jQuery With all the innovation taking place in the jQuery project, one of the easiest ways to improve the performance of your web site is to simply use the latest version of jQuery. Every release of the library introduces optimizations and bug fixes, and most of the time upgrading involves only changing a script tag.

You can even include jQuery directly from Google’s servers, which provide free CDN hosting for a number of JavaScript libraries.

The latter example will include the latest 1.6.x version automatically as it becomes available, but as pointed out on css-tricks, it is cached only for an hour, so you better not use it in production environments.

2) Keep Selectors Simple Up until recently, retrieving DOM elements with jQuery was a finely choreographed combination of parsing selector strings, JavaScript loops and inbuilt APIs like getElementById(), getElementsByTagName() and getElementsByClassName(). But now, all major browsers support querySelectorAll(), which understands CSS query selectors and brings a significant performance gain.

However, you should still try to optimize the way you retrieve elements. Not to mention that a lot of users still use older browsers that force jQuery into traversing the DOM tree, which is slow. $(‘li[data-selected=”true”] a’) // Fancy, but slow $(‘li.selected a’) // Better $(‘#elem’) // Best Selecting by id is the fastest. If you need to select by class name, prefix it with a tag – $(‘li.selected’). These optimizations mainly affect older browsers and mobile devices. Accessing the DOM will always be the slowest part of every JavaScript application, so minimizing it is beneficial. One of the ways to do this, is to cache the results that jQuery gives you. The variable you choose will hold a jQuery object, which you can access later in your script. var buttons = $(‘#navigation a.button’); // Some prefer prefixing their jQuery variables with $: var $buttons = $(‘#navigation a.button’); Another thing worth noting, is that jQuery gives you a large number of additional selectors for convenience, such as :visible, :hidden, :animated and more, which are not valid CSS3 selectors. The result is that if you use them the library cannot utilize querySelectorAll(). To remedy the situation, you can first select the elements you want to work with, and later filter them, like this: $(‘a.button:animated’); // Does not use querySelectorAll() $(‘a.button’).filter(‘:animated’); // Uses it The results of the above are the same, with the exception that the second example is faster.

3) jQuery Objects as Arrays The result of running a selector is a jQuery object. However, the library makes it appear as if you are working with an array by defining index elements and a length. // Selecting all the navigation buttons: var buttons = $(‘#navigation a.button’); // We can loop though the collection: for(var i=0;i console.log(buttons[i]); // A DOM element, not a jQuery object } // We can even slice it: var firstFour = buttons.slice(0,4); If performance is what you are after, using a simple for (or a while) loop instead of $.each(), can make your code several times faster. Checking the length is also the only way to determine whether your collection contains any elements. if(buttons){ // This is always true // Do something } if(buttons.length){ // True only if buttons contains elements // Do something }

4) The Selector Property jQuery provides a property which contains the selector that was used to start the chain. $(‘#container li:first-child’).selector // #container li:first-child $(‘#container li’).filter(‘:first-child’).selector // #container li.filter(:first-child) Although the examples above target the same element, the selectors are quite different. The second one is actually invalid – you can’t use it as the basis of a new jQuery object. It only shows that the filter method was used to narrow down the collection.

5) Create an Empty jQuery Object Creating a new jQuery object can bring significant overhead. Sometimes, you might need to create an empty object, and fill it in with the add() method later. var container = $([]); container.add(another_element); This is also the basis for the quickEach() method that you can use as a faster alternative to the default each().

6) Select a Random Element As I mentioned above, jQuery adds its own selection filters. As with everything else in the library, you can also create your own. To do this simply add a new function to the $.expr[‘:’] object. One awesome use case was presented by Waldek Mastykarz on his blog: creating a selector for retrieving a random element. You can see a slightly modified version of his code below: (function($){ var random = 0; $.expr[‘:’].random = function(a, i, m, r) { if (i == 0) { random = Math.floor(Math.random() * r.length); } return i == random; }; })(jQuery); // This is how you use it: $(‘li:random’).addClass(‘glow’);

7) Use CSS Hooks The CSS hooks API was introduced to give developers the ability to get and set particular CSS values. Using it, you can hide browser specific implementations and expose a unified interface for accessing particular properties. $.cssHooks[‘borderRadius’] = { get: function(elem, computed, extra){ // Depending on the browser, read the value of // -moz-border-radius, -webkit-border-radius or border-radius }, set: function(elem, value){ // Set the appropriate CSS3 property } }; // Use it without worrying which property the browser actually understands: $(‘#rect’).css(‘borderRadius’,5); What is even better, is that people have already built a rich library of supported CSS hooks that you can use for free in your next project.

8) Use Custom Easing Functions You have probably heard of the jQuery easing plugin by now – it allows you to add effects to your animations. The only shortcoming is that this is another JavaScript file your visitors have to load. Luckily enough, you can simply copy the effect you need from the plugin file, and add it to the jQuery.easing object: $.easing.easeInOutQuad = function (x, t, b, c, d) { if ((t/=d/2) < 1) return c/2tt + b; return -c/2 * ((–t)*(t-2) – 1) + b; } // To use it: $(‘#elem’).animate({width:200},’slow’,’easeInOutQuad’);

9) The $.proxy() One of the drawbacks to using callback functions in jQuery has always been that when they are executed by a method of the library, the context is set to a different element. For example, if you have this markup: And you try to execute this code: $(‘#panel’).fadeIn(function(){ // this points to #panel $(‘#panel button’).click(function(){ // this points to the button $(this).fadeOut(); }); }); You will run into a problem – the button will disappear, not the panel. With $.proxy, you can write it like this: $(‘#panel’).fadeIn(function(){ // Using $.proxy to bind this: $(‘#panel button’).click($.proxy(function(){ // this points to #panel $(this).fadeOut(); },this)); }); Which will do what you expect. The $.proxy function takes two arguments – your original function, and a context. It returns a new function in which the value of this is always fixed to the context. You can read more about $.proxy in the docs.

10) Determine the Weight of Your Page A simple fact: the more content your page has, the more time it takes your browser to render it. You can get a quick count of the number of DOM elements on your page by running this in your console: console.log( $(‘*’).length ); The smaller the number, the faster the website is rendered. You can optimize it by removing redundant markup and unnecessary wrapping elements.

11) Turn your Code into a jQuery Plugin If you invest some time in writing a piece of jQuery code, consider turning it into a plugin. This promotes code reuse, limits dependencies and helps you organize your project’s code base. Most of the tutorials on Tutorialzine are organized as plugins, so that it is easy for people to simply drop them in their sites and use them. Creating a jQuery plugin couldn’t be easier: (function($){ $.fn.yourPluginName = function(){ // Your code goes here return this; }; })(jQuery); Read a detailed tutorial on turning jQuery code into a plugin.

12) Set Global AJAX Defaults When triggering AJAX requests in your application, you often need to display some kind of indication that a request is in progress. This can be done by displaying a loading animation, or using a dark overlay. Managing this indicator in every single $.get or $.post call can quickly become tedious. The best solution is to set global AJAX defaults using one of jQuery’s methods. // ajaxSetup is useful for setting general defaults: $.ajaxSetup({ url : ‘/ajax/’, dataType : ‘json’ }); $.ajaxStart(function(){ showIndicator(); disableButtons(); }); $.ajaxComplete(function(){ hideIndicator(); enableButtons(); }); /* // Additional methods you can use: $.ajaxStop(); $.ajaxError(); $.ajaxSuccess(); $.ajaxSend(); */ Read the docs about jQuery’s AJAX functionality.

13) Use delay() for Animations Chaining animation effects is a powerful tool in every jQuery developer’s toolbox. One of the more overlooked features is that you can introduce delays between animations. // This is wrong: $(‘#elem’).animate({width:200},function(){ setTimeout(function(){ $(‘#elem’).animate({marginTop:100}); },2000); }); // Do it like this: $(‘#elem’).animate({width:200}).delay(2000).animate({marginTop:100}); To appreciate how much time jQuery’s animation() save us, just imagine if you had to manage everything yourself: you would need to set timeouts, parse property values, keep track of the animation progress, cancel when appropriate and update numerous variables on every step. Read the docs about jQuery animations.

15) Local Storage and jQuery Local storage is a dead simple API for storing information on the client side. Simply add your data as a property of the global localStorage object: localStorage.someData = “This is going to be saved across page refreshes and browser restarts”; The bad news is that it is not supported in older browsers. This is where you can use one of the many jQuery plugins that provide different fallbacks if localStorage is not available, which makes client-side storage work almost everywhere. Here is an example using the $.jStorage jQuery plugin: // Check if “key” exists in the storage var value = $.jStorage.get(“key”); if(!value){ // if not – load the data from the server value = load_data_from_server(); // and save it $.jStorage.set(“key”,value); } // Use value To Wrap it Up The techniques presented here will give you a head start in effectively using the jQuery library