Rob Loach .Net

The issue with using the Locale module to translate single strings on your site for tweaking text is that it gives you a performance hit. When the Locale module is used for this, it can make a query to the database every time the locale() function is called through t().

The solution to this is String Overrides, which stores these string replacements in the variables table, which is cached on every page load anyway. The problem with it was that it proved to be quite difficult to migrate from using the Locale method of string replacement to String Overrides. Well, it just got a whole bunch easier.

With version 1.5 of String Overrides, you have the ability to import *.po files. These *.po files can be generated by the Locale module's language. You can see a demonstration of exporting a *.po file from the Locale module in the image on the right.

Once you have the *.po file, you can visit the String Override settings at admin/settings/stringoverrides, click on Import, select the *.po file, and import the string replacements straight into String Overrides. You can see a screenshot of it on the right.

This functionality is only part of the Drupal 5 version at the moment, and will shortly be ported to Drupal 6 shortly.

I was recently playing around with the design of my twitter page and got it to look like Garland, the default design for Drupal. A number of you have asked me about it, so I thought I'd publish the values I'm using. So, if you want your Twitter page to also look like Garland, you can input the following values into your Twitter design.

Background Color:

EEF5FA

Background Image:

garlandtwitter.png

Text Color:

494949

Name Color:

494949

Link Color:

027AC6

Sidebar File Color:

E1F0FA

Sidebar Border Color:

E1F0FA

Of course, I'd recommend taking my website logo out of garlandtwitter.png, and putting your own image in there, but that's completely up to you.

For those of you who have an iPhone, a very handy new application was launched for it called Fring. Once you've installed it, you can connect to a number of different services like AIM, MSN, ICQ, but most importantly Skype.

With the ability to connect to Skype on the iPhone (through WiFi), you can make very cheap (or free) long distance calls on the iPhone as if it were a normal phone. So, if you're ever wandering around and gain access to an open wifi point, you'll be able to make Skype calls, without using your own phone service. This is an awesome application, and I highly recommend you check it out if you're an active iPhone user. It's very easy to install.

The third Toronto Independent Game Jam has been announced for May 9th, 10th and 11th. TOJam is an annual event in Toronto where game developers of all ages come together and spend the whole weekend making video games. There's a common theme required for every game entry, and prizes to be won at the end of the event.

Last year, some really cool games were made, mine being TOBam. I'm not too sure if I can attend this year, but we'll see. If you love making games, and live near Toronto, go and register for this event. I had an amazing time last year, and am really looking forward to see what games are put together this year.