Author: Nic Raboy

Execute HTTP Requests in JavaScript Applications

August 5, 2019 Nic Raboy

When it comes to modern application development, whether that be web, mobile, or other, there is almost always a need interact with remote web services, generally through HTTP. When working with frameworks such as Angular, Vue, and React, there is baked in functionality for making requests, but what about if you're using vanilla JavaScript or you'd prefer not to use those built in functionalities?

In this tutorial we're going to explore a few options towards making HTTP requests in JavaScript. Particularly we're going to focus on the classic XHR request, using a modern JavaScript Fetch, as well as using a third-party package called Axios.

Getting Started with Vue.js Navigation Guards to Restrict Access to Routes

July 29, 2019 Nic Raboy

You might remember that I had written a tutorial titled, Simple User Login in a Vue.js Web Application, which demonstrated how to navigate between routes and check a variable to determine if a user should in fact be allowed to be on a particular route. This previous tutorial focused on applying logic after the user had already completed the navigation process, rather than during or prior. While this is a good introduction to becoming familiar with the Vue.js router, it isn't a realistic approach to handling user login and route restrictions.

The recommended approach is to use navigation guards, sometimes referred to as route guards.

In this tutorial, we're going to see how to use Vuex with Vue.js navigation guards to protect certain pages within the application from unauthorized access.

Chaining JavaScript Promises While Sharing Parent Data

July 17, 2019 (Updated) Nic Raboy

Typically when I'm working with RESTful APIs, the routes or endpoints return what I need, plus more, which would be too much data. However, recently I ended up working with an API where the responses were rather trim, resulting in the need to use many HTTP requests to various endpoints, rather than getting everything in a single request. To take it a step further, some of those HTTP requests depended on data from other requests creating a mess of asynchronous operations in JavaScript.

After consulting with my pal, Corbin Crutchley, we came up with a solution to what I needed, without creating chaos in my code. Remember, Corbin is a JavaScript professional, as demonstrated on the podcast we recorded together titled, Asynchronous JavaScript Development.

In this tutorial we're going to see how to chain JavaScript promises, but also use data from parent links in the promise chain with child links in the same promise chain.

TPDP Episode #29: Asynchronous JavaScript Development

July 8, 2019 Nic Raboy

The latest episode of The Polyglot Developer Podcast has just published, this time focusing on the use of callbacks, promises, and async / await, in JavaScript.

This episode titled, Asynchronous JavaScript Development, is the twenty-ninth episode to appear on the show and it features Corbin Crutchley, an expert JavaScript developer and open source maintainer.

If you've ever struggled with wrapping your head around working with remote resources or blocking tasks in JavaScript, this episode should clear things up.

Share Internet Between macOS and a Raspberry Pi Zero Over USB

July 1, 2019 Nic Raboy

If you're a fan of the Raspberry Pi, you might have stumbled upon my tutorial for interacting with a Raspberry Pi Zero using nothing more than a USB cable. If you recall, the standard Raspberry Pi Zero has no WiFi, no Bluetooth, and no Ethernet.

Alright, so let's assume that you're able to interact with your Raspberry Pi Zero. Now what? How do you update it, download new software, or work on some awesome projects that might require internet in some fashion?

Well, you could take a look at my tutorial titled, Three Simple Ways to get Online with a Raspberry Pi Zero IoT Device, or you could share the internet of your host computer without having to purchase any extra hardware.

In this tutorial we're going to see how to share the internet from our host device, assuming that host is macOS.

Image Cropping, Zooming, and Scaling with Angular and JavaScript

June 17, 2019 Nic Raboy

When building a web application there is a good chance you're going to need to work with images eventually, even if it is something as simple as allowing a user to upload a profile image. In theory this is a simple task, but in reality, your website theme is probably anticipating images of a certain resolution or aspect ratio. If the user tries to upload an image that doesn't meet your requirements, it might break your theme.

We're going to see how to include image manipulation capabilities in your Angular application using the popular cropperjs JavaScript package.

TPDP Episode #28: Coding Bootcamps vs Traditional Computer Science Degrees

June 10, 2019 Nic Raboy

I am pleased to announce that the 28th episode of The Polyglot Developer Podcast titled, Coding Bootcamps vs Traditional Computer Science Degrees, has been released to all of the major podcast networks!

In this episode I'm joined by Ben Nelson, founder of Lambda School, an increasingly popular coding bootcamp and an alternative approach to a Computer Science degree that you'd typically get at a four year or more institution. The topic that we discuss is around coding bootcamps in general, not limited to Lambda School, and how they could be beneficial for new developers attempting to enter the workforce.