Joel Rendall's Blog

And to think… I would have missed this opportunity if I hadn’t checked through my spam folder.

Here is a shot I took using my iPod while riding the subway in Buenos Aires. There are always entertainers and solicitors working hard to make a buck or two on the “Subte,” and this was one of the more entertaining ones I saw. He kept sitting on the laps of different people… Some people pretended that he wasn’t there (making it even more hilarious).

MPU 046: Workflows with Merlin Mann II « Mac Power Users.

Lots of juicy organizational tips in this one. Some of it even over my head. Lots of great tool recommendations, incorporating iPad into a productive work routine, and more.

After they talk for over 2 hours about all of the Mac and productivity geekery, Merlin has some really great things to say about life priorities, the ignorance of youth, and fearlessness during a recession. (around 2:08:30).

I’ve been following Merlin Mann for years, because he is a great combination of sarcastic humour, mac geekery, productivity, and insight about what really matters.

Speaking of which, here’s a great post that sums up his overall attitude. A classic read: First, Care

What You’ll Need

Both Files: Unzip_and_Zip_FTP_folders.zip

Contents:

• Billy’s Unzipper Script [uncompress_zip_file_on_ftp_server.php] (author site)

• Joel’s Compress and Download Script [download_ftp_folder_as_zip.php]

Disclaimer: These scripts work great for me on my 1and1 server, but use the scripts and these instructions at your own risk.

The Problem for Web Nerds: Slow FTP Transfers

As a web designer who primarily builds sites using WordPress, I often find myself having to move a WordPress blog from either one FTP server to another, from my computer to the web, or any combination of those.

The most painful part of this process is that although a WordPress installation doesn’t take up a lot of memory, it does consist of many small files. When transferring this WordPress folder using an FTP client, it can take half an hour or even longer, depending on your connection speed.

I knew that there had to be quicker way, so I spent some time looking around.

Part 1: Zip and Download Entire FTP Folder

I had a theory: If only there was a way I could compress all of those tiny files into one big zip file, I could download them all at once, much quicker.

This was the hardest part.

I found a few possible solutions and php snippets, but none of them worked for me. Keep in mind that I am primarily a designer and am less proficient in programming PHP scripts. Since there was no solution that worked, I decided to hire a coder to write this script for me.

Download File: download_ftp_folder_as_zip.php

What is does:

This file will do exactly as it says: It will zip and download ALL of the files that it finds in the SAME directory you drop it in.

Instructions:

1) upload this php script INTO the /awesome-folder-you-want-to-zip/ folder,

2) navigate to your script in a web browser (www.yourawesomesite.com/awesome-folder-you-want-to-zip/download_ftp_folder_as_zip.php

3) click the zip button, and after a few seconds (depending on how many files there are) a zip file will start to download containing all of the files that were in /awesome-folder-you-want-to-zip/

4) Remember to delete the script when you’re done just in case the public should randomly stumble across it

Video Tutorial:

Limitations:

• In the zip file, this script will include all of the files, folders, and subfolders in the directory. You cannot choose individual files – And if you don’t like it, then no soup for you.

• Probably because of server limitations (I tested this using a 1and1 account), the script seems to time out when zipping folders larger than 60mb. In this case, the script will leave a temporary 60mb file on your server that you’ll have to manually delete using your FTP software. That means that some of your sites, you’ll have to do in parts. If you have large files in your uploads folders, then move that folder first before zipping all the rest. The inconvenience of this may make this script only useful on sites that don’t have large files included within the WordPress installation folder.

Part 2: Upload a Zip File, then Unzip it on your FTP Server

Rather than making your FTP software go through the dirty task of uploading all those individual files, it’s easier to compress everything on your computer, then upload it to your web server as one zip file.

Now that you have that zip file uploaded, you need to somehow unzip it on the server.

Googling around, I came across an excellent script that allows you to unzip an FTP folder on your server. It’s called Billy’s PHP Unzipper, and the author graciously shows the code and explanation on his site.

Download file: Uncompress_zip_file_on_ftp_server.php

Instructions:

1) On your computer, zip the WordPress site (or any other folder) locally on your computer

2) Upload the zip file

3) Upload this script in the same directory as the zip file

4) Navigate to the PHP script in your web browser

5) Wait for the files to unzip.

6) Check out the extracted files in your favorite FTP program to see the results (To see the extracted folder, you will probably have to refresh your FTP software, if you already had it open)

Limitations:

• Using this on a Mac, I sometimes notice a temporary folder being left on the server called _MAC OSX. It doesn’t seem to be a problem, and for all the time it’s saved me, I don’t mind deleting the extra folder (or just leaving it there).

Video Tutorial:

5 months into a ship contract, you’d think that the last thing I’d want to do while ported in Ushuaia, Argentina, is get a on a smaller boat for a sunset cruise. Here are some pics, including a shot of our ship (a.k.a. “home”) as we were heading back to shore.