Localize date format using i18n

Tested on:

1. Drupal 6.16+
2. Date API 6.x-2.4
3. Internationalization 6.x-1.3

Any date format is stored as system variable (on the global $conf variable).

Since Internationalization module allows to declare some system variables as Multilingual, you could add to your $conf['i18n_variables'] on settings.php these lines to use different date format for different languages:

$conf['i18n_variables'] = array(
// Other variables
// bla bla bla
// Date variables
'date_format_long',
'date_format_medium',
'date_format_short',
'date_first_day',
);

date_format variables are Long, Medium and Short date format, used in many places (including Views).

date_first_day is the first day displayed on calendars (e.g. Sunday for English, Monday for Italian).

Note that you have to save the value twice via:

http://example.com/it/admin/settings/date-time

http://example.com/en/admin/settings/date-time

And one more time:

http://example.com/it/admin/settings/date-time

After the first time, you can change format as you like without double checking.

See also:

• Multilingual variables (Internationalization) howto

How to edit a PDF file with Open Office

Some months ago I’ve looked for a decent PDF editor for Linux. Results? Only an application called PDFedit was interesenting enought.

Now, an extension (plugin) for the cross platform suite Open Office called PDF Import do the magic with a nice PDF import for Open Office Draw.

I’ve tested it on a simple PDF document (v. 1.0.1) and the result is amazing. With Open Office, you can rewrite a PDF, save it as Draw document and export the modified version as PDF format with the handy PDF conversion tool.

Since PDF is a widely used format, you can use tool like this to download documents that require some changes before print (e.g. a paper form) without awful cut-and-paste onto an editor.

Related links:

• http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfedit/ a PDF editor for Linux / cygwin
• http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/pdfimport an extension to open and modify PDF with Open Office

***

Happy GNU Year to all readers, I’m glad of all of the the 100k visits of this little blog!

How to automatically translate your Drupal module

You’ve created your module. But how to translate it into different languages?

Tested with:

• Translation template extractor 6.x-3.0
• Drupal 6.x
• English default + Italian translation

Prerequisites:

• Another language active apart default (English)
• Use t() function for all translatable string, including ones on my_funny_module.admin.inc (Administration interface).

If you use t() function correctly on your module, you can create your own translation using the handy Translation template extractor module.

1. Download and install Translation template extractor module.
2. Create a directory named “translations” within my_funny_module directory (your module directory)
3. Go to admin/build/translate/extract
4. Select your module from Directory lists
5. Select “Language independent template” and click “Extract”
6. Save file to my_funny_module/translations directory as my_funny_module.pot
7. In the same screen, select “Template file for Italiano translations” (where Italiano is your destination language)
8. If you’ve already translated some strings into Italiano language, check “Include translations” to include these strings
9. Click “Extract”, and save file to my_funny_module/translations directory as it.po, where “it” is the ISO 639-2 code for Italiano language
10. You can add information about translation changing the first part of both files (translator mail, name, etc.)

Now, when you install your module translation strings will be added automatically. If you apply some changes to these files, and in any case the first time you complete this procedure on an active module, you have to refresh translation cache. To do this, go to admin/build/translate/refresh and use Refresh strings and Update translations after you’ve checked all boxes. If problem persists (strings are not updated or you got some weird errors), try to reinstall your module.

Disable upload and comment for a new content type programmatically

Following code is useful when installing a module that create a new content type programmatically on Drupal 6.x.

Basically, it adds two variables setting default values for comments (core Comment module) and attachments (core Upload module).

Code to write on my_funny_module/my_funny_module.install.

function my_funny_module_install() {
  // Disable attachments
  // Read http://api.drupal.org/api/function/upload_nodeapi/6 on "load"
  variable_set("upload_my_content_type", 0);

  // Disable comments for this content type
  // Read http://api.drupal.org/api/function/comment_form_alter/6
  variable_set('comment_my_content_type', COMMENT_NODE_DISABLED);

  // Install schema as usual (if any)
  drupal_install_schema('my_funny_module');
}

Note that this code assign only default values for my_content_type: as any content type, this value could be later changed via GUI.

Theme a multiple CCK field with a table

Sometimes CCK contrib modules cannot do exactly what you want. It’s time to build your custom CCK field!

Official documentation on CCK fields creation for Drupal 6 is incomplete and some passages are obscure. If there is a good howto you have to read before do any CCK customization, this is Creating Custom CCK Fields. This howto supposes you’ve read and understand it before continue. If you want to create a custom field, you can read the complete Creating a Compound field. A custom multiple compound field (with more than one field for element, e.g. an image and its description).

Read these howto well, you’ll spare time later

Well, you have followed the howto, you have your own compound field but now you have a problem. You want to display compound field data as cells in a table, and each field as row.

On following example, we have a name list made with a multiple compound field with “firstname” and “lastname” columns.

KarenS tell you that you’ve to use CONTENT_HANDLE_MODULE instead of CONTENT_HANDLE_CORE on hook_formatter_info() .

// The machine name of the formatter.
function my_funny_module_field_formatter_info() {
  return array(
    'default' => array(
      'label' => t('Default'),
      // An array of the field types this formatter
      // can be used on.
      'field types' => array('examplefield'),
      // CONTENT_HANDLE_CORE:   CCK will pass the formatter
      // a single value.
      // CONTENT_HANDLE_MODULE: CCK will pass the formatter
      // an array of all the values. None of CCK's core
      // formatters use multiple values, that is an option
      // available to other modules that want it.
      'multiple values' => CONTENT_HANDLE_MODULE,
    ),
  );
}

/** Set the formatter **/
function my_funny_module_theme() {
  return array(
    'my_funny_module_formatter_default' => array(
      'arguments' => array('element' => NULL),
      'function' => 'funny_display_table',
    ),
  );
}

/** Here you format your table data as array **/
function my_funny_module_formatter_default($element) {
  $data = array(
      $element['#item']['firstname'],
      $element['#item']['lastname'],
  );
  return $data;
}

/** This function will display a table even where data array is empty:
 ** You have to put an additional control statement to avoid this.
 ** $element will have $data from formatter_default() above
 **/
function my_funny_module_display_table($element) {
  $header = array(
    t('First name'),
    t('Last name'),
  );
  $i = 0;
  while (!$end) {
    /** Any row will contains **/
    if(array_key_exists($i, $element)) {
      $rows[] = array(
        'firstname' => $element[$i]['#item']['firstname'],
        'lastname' =>$element[$i]['#item']['lastname'],
      );
      $i++;
    }
    else {
      $end = TRUE;
    }
  }
  /** Theme a table with data from element and header **/
  return theme('table', $header, $rows);
}

Note: to format a table you have to change only “multiple values” on my_funny_module_field_formatter_info(): you can leave my_funny_module_widget_info() as is.

See also:

• Creating Custom CCK Fields – a stunning howto by  KarenS (Lullabot)
• Creating a compound Field Module by Jennifer H. – a complete howto
• theme_table() function – how to tranform an array of data into a table, drupal way

Howto merge two torrent files

Update October, 2010: before trying this howto, I suggest to try mergetorrent. It’s free software, released under GNU GPL by Eyal (read comments) and it’s simpler than the method described below. Thank you Eyal!

Sometimes you want to download a torrent that you’ve partially downloaded. Many bittorrent client allow partially downloaded files, but what if you’ve downloaded the same torrent twice, with differents parts available?

Use Zeroconf / Local peer

I’ve used two client on the same LAN, ktorrent (on Debian) and utorrent (on Windows XP). I’ve two downloaded files (or folder) from the same .torrent, with different parts downloaded.

• Enable Zeroconf plugin on ktorrent
• Check if on utorrent “Enable local peer discovery” is enabled
• Import existing download #1 on ktorrent
• On debian system, as root type ifconfig to discover your local IP address, i.e.  inet addr:192.168.0.XX
• Go to ktorrent preferences and check the used port (e.g. 12345)
• On utorrent go to Peers tab on #2 download. Right-click > Add peer
• Type your first machine IP address (e.g. Debian) and the first bittorrent client port (e.g. 12345 on ktorrent),  e.g. 192.168.0.XX:12345 with no protocol prepended.

On both client you’ll notice a new peer, downloading and uploading very fast. Little after, the two downloaded files / folder could be completely merged.

You can now close #2 and continue to download the torrent on a single machine / client from external peers.

Note: I’ve tested this method on the same machine using Virtualbox (Debian as host, XP as guest).

See also:

• Merge / combine a torrent

Howto extract tracks from mkv and avi

This howto requires:

• mplayer
• mkvtoolnix
• your Linux box

Audio from Avi files (es. Xvid + MP3):

mplayer -dumpaudio "mymovie.avi" -dumpfile mymovie_audio_track.mp3

Tracks from Matroska MKV file:

List all tracks:

mkvmerge -i mymovie.mkv

File 'mymovie.mkv': container: Matroska
Track ID 1: video (V_MS/VFW/FOURCC, XVID)
Track ID 2: audio (A_VORBIS)
Track ID 3: audio (A_VORBIS)
Track ID 4: subtitles (S_TEXT/UTF8)
Track ID 5: subtitles (S_TEXT/UTF8)

mkvextract tracks *.mkv 3:mymovie_audio_track.ogg 4:mymovie_subtitle.srt

Creates two files, mymovie_audio_track.ogg (track 3) and mymovie_subtitle.srt (track 4).

Installing Plone on Debian

A little howto to quickly install and try Plone (a GPL’d CMS based on Zope) on your linux box. Well, the installer seems to do the job nicely.

Tested on Plone 3.* version, Debian “Lenny”.

• apt-get install g++
• Download latest version of Plone (Unified Installer)
  
• Execute:
  tar zxvf Plone-YOURVERSION-UnifiedInstaller.tgz
cd Plone-YOURVERSION-UnifiedInstaller
./install.sh standalone
gedit /usr/local/Plone/zinstance/README.txt &
gedit /usr/local/Plone/zinstance/buildout.cfg &
/usr/local/Plone/zinstance/bin/plonectl start
less /usr/local/Plone/zinstance/adminPassword.txt

README should be read to follow installation instructions, then you can modify Plone configuration on buildout.cfg, and then you can start Plone. On adminPassword.txt you’ll find your Plone passwords to use for administrative purpouses.

• Add /usr/local/Plone/zinstance/bin/plonectl start to /etc/rc.local before exit 0 (Red Hat) to run plone at any server restart or create a script on /etc/init.d/ (Debian) like.

Now you can test this CMS based on Python (I’ve tested it 4 years ago, maybe it hardly can replace Drupal but you can give it a try ).

Save user profile on Drupal

Tested on:

• Drupal 5.x

After you have created some user fields through Profile module provided by core, you can have the need to save value into the user object. Here a quick howto to do this.

On user creation:

/** create user profile ($new_user will be an user object) */
$new_user_array = array (
  'name' => "funnyusername",
  'pass' => "MyVerySecurePassword",
  'mail' => "info@example.gom",
  'status' => 1, # status: active
);
$new_user = user_save(NULL, $new_user_array, $category = 'account');
/** assign values to profile fields */
$new_user_edit =  array(
'profile_surname' => "Yumemiya",
'profile_name' => "Arika",
);
/** create and save profile fields */
profile_save_profile($new_user_edit, $new_user, "Character ID");

Where “Character ID” is the category name for profile_surname e profile_name.

To load current user instead creating new one, you have to use

global $user;

instead a previously declared user object $new_user.

See also:

• profile_save_profile() on Drupal API
• profile_load_profile() on Drupal API

Update:

• Using this method during a cronjob (using hook_cron) I experienced an error: profile values are passed, but not written, but only if cronjob is launched automatically, and not forced by Report screen (as admin). After some days, I discovered that it’s a permission issue.
  Problem:
  Add a “cronbot” user with some privileges over user (“administer user”) to allow writing even on hidden Profile field.
  Solution:
  On a dedicated server, with a dedicated IP, you can automatically login by IP (by IP Login module for 5.x and 6.x) the cronjob using the server IP or loopback address (127.0.0.1) depending on server configuration (I use the first in production, the latter on local testing).
  1. Add an ip_login Profile field (single line text field, hidden field)
  2. Enable IP Login module
  3. Assign ip_login field to IP login by IP Login configuration screen
  4. Create a new role named “cronbots”, with “administer users” permission.
  5. Create a new user named “cronbot”, with “cronbots” role assigned
  6. Change the “IP login” field for “cronbot” to your server IP (127.0.0.1 or your static IP address as listed on ifconfig on *nix servers)

  On the next automatic cron run (not force it), you’ll see the “cronbot” user logging in. On Drupal logs, the cronjob execution pass from “Anonymous” to “cronbot”, and profile fields are rightly written.
  The other way:
  Just write profile field via db_query. (You don’t want to do a weird thing like that, right? )

PEAR install quick howto on Debian Lenny: Image_Graph

Tested on Debian Lenny.

Time elapsed before a working script < 10 minutes

Install PEAR installer:

# apt-get install php-pear

First, type:

pear -h

to get help.

On root shell type:

# pear install --alldeps Image_Graph

Install failed with error:

Failed to download pear/Image_Graph within preferred state “stable”, latest release is version 0.7.2, stability “alpha”, use “channel://pear.php.net/Image_Graph-0.7.2″ to install

Retype as:

# pear install --alldeps Image_Graph-0.7.2

Repeat for other alpha dependencies the same procedure, eg:

pear install --alldeps Numbers_Words-0.15.0

At last, you got:

Nothing to install

Now, you can find all installed packages on /usr/share/php.

ImageGraph is installed on /usr/share/php/Image/Graph.php.

You have to include it on your PHPs.

You can follow the Ian’s howto on:

http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/ian_gilfillan20060503.php3

To start using PEAR Image_Graph.

Here the result using Ian’s code on my Linux box:

Image_Graph test, using Ian code

Additional info:

Hosting providers (eg. HostMonster) sometimes furnish simplified PEAR installation via CPanel. So, you can use local PEAR installation for developement, and online installation for production use.

Remember:

• To check differences between local and production versions
• To change include path! (say no to white screen!)

See also:

• Image_Graph PEAR Documentation