New Visual Features and Projects Abound!

Published Nov. 18, 2021, 1:09 p.m. by Ethan Armbruster

A word from the editor


  From the inception of this site, I wanted to not only be able to showcase my skills and projects but to also discuss the progress of my projects and their current status and I feel as though I let not only those reading down, but myself as well.  At times when developing software and other works, I tend to focus solely on getting the task at hand completed and nothing more.  That behavior is not representative of who I am nor who I want to be. 
  
Moving forward posts will be made at the beginning of the week regarding status of current projects, recent findings, updates to the site,and/or upcoming projects down the line.


Updates to the Site


  As you may have noticed, this post looks a little different than previous posts and for the better!  In the past two weeks I've added the module, ckeditor,which allows for rich text editing in Django based websites.  This allows for blog posts to feel more alive with headers, bold text, and images instead of static text like previous posts.  For the time being the website will continue to look the same, however in the future I would like to add additional Javascript visuals to enhance the site and gain additional practice and knowledge.


Current Projects & Status


    Kitchen Unit Conversion App


     Recently, I've created and begun development of a Kitchen Conversion app.  One that converts from Liter to ml, cup to tbsp and the like. Thanks in part to other app developers on the Google Play Store, such as the Cupful app  I've found that using the Javax library measure, I am able to easily implement units and their   conversion factors in my app without having to manually find, instantiate and manage conversions between   different units. The app also opened my eyes to using Java Maps as a way to "map" the units themselves and their string counterparts for the spinners used.  Java Maps aren't new to me, but the thought of using them with an Android Spinner was clever and quite useful in this situation.  


Status


• Working Prototype that converts from addition defined Units 


• Element Layout is functional but needs further enhancement, better placement, different font style, colors etc.


Currently Planned Additional Features


• Fractional Buttons to increase a measurement 


• Recipe Multiplier and Save Modified Recipes to the Filesystem or Notes 


• Recipe Importer for Multiplying(Extracting Ingredients for the Multiplier)


Planned Projects & Status


Pool Monitoring System


     Using an Arduino Uno and ph, temp and ORP sensors I'm looking to monitor the condition of my swimming pool's water, if the water is comfortable to swim in, and to see if additional chlorine is needed to maintain ideal conditions.  In its final form I'd like to be able to have the data stored in an SQL server, status checked with either an Amazon Alexa command or a quick glance at a website, and a custom case to keep the Arduino safe and protected outdoors.


Status


• Necessary sensors and Arduino have been purchased and acquired.


• Progress and Development is currently on hold until the Kitchen Converter App is looking and functioning as good as it can for the first phase.(Second phase will include features aforementioned in the Planned Features Section)