you.arenot.me

BD Network

At bd-ntwk I have developed many sites ranging from the very small to the very large, with clients ranging from the small to large. I have also helped develop and maintain bd-ntwk’s own content management system.

I believe I have grown as a programmer, due to the opportunities to build entire websites from the first line of code to the final release and also the ability to design the full architecture for many sites including www.movemachine.com and www.eatscotland.com to name a couple.

I have been given opportunities to become more client-facing, gaining the ability to see even more of a project’s life cycle outside of just programming.

On the following sites, I was the main or only developer on the project

• http://share.orange.co.uk
• http://www.homecomingscotland2009.com
• http://www.stoneridgeelectronics.co.uk
• http://www.eatscotland.com
• http://white.visitscotland.com
• http://www.movemachine.com
• http://thatsfamous.thefamousgrouse.com (previously feelfamous)
• http://beijing2008.coca-cola.co.uk
• http://findit.visitscotland.com

The following set of sites I was part of the a team developing them:

• http://citybreaks.visitscotland.com
• http://www.visitlanarkshire.com
• http://seasongreetings.visitscotland.com
• http://www.homecomingscotland.com
• http://www.londondesignfestival.com
• http://www.theweebox.org

Plus most of the other websites that the Glasgow office have created or had to maintain since I started at bd-ntwk.

When I joined bd-ntwk the coding standards were good; however I saw some limitations, and was allowed to develop a different style of architecture. The style that I introduced was readily adopted as the standard for all new websites created in the Glasgow office due to its efficiency at database handling and clean separation from user interface and data manipulation. This was then taken further when the team decided to move on to C#. Myself and 2 other developers took the content management system to the next level creating a better user experience, giving the user more control than ever before over the content and controls that can be placed on a webpage. Again I was the main lead on this project, and resulted in much praise for the new CMS from both clients and colleagues.

Solution Canvas

With Solution Canvas, I learned a lot about the development cycle of a project, cementing everything I learned at university. I have been given a chance to learn new technologies – including .Net 2.0, C#, and Share Point.

I have developed sites and applications for Johnston and Johnstone, Northlanarkshire Council, and Absolute Assigned Policies (a London based company dealing in endowment policies).

Euro PC

Since starting my employment with EuroPC I have developed 4 new systems and maintained all the old systems. All have been created using ASP.net and VB.net along with HTML, CSS and Javascript, all with a MySQL backend.

Highlights:

Created Xzen – a 2 part system that polls data from Sage Line 50, via a bespoke task management system, and also online warehouse management to reduce the time and amount of paper that is wasted. As Sage has no ability to create individual invoices in PDF, and email them individually to customers, I was given the task to write a system that did this. Using PDF Creator Pilot API and Visual Basic.net, the system was created that emails a customer a link to our website to then download securely a copy of their invoice on the night their goods are dispatched. Given the task to integrate our current website with online finance from V-12. This has been successful and brought large dividends to the company. V-12 were impressed with our website and the turnover we were receiving due to the simplistic nature of access the finance.

All old systems were designed badly and I was given the task to update and maintain them all, which has been praised by all due to the fewer crashes that have been taking place, and all the new features.

ACIS

Developing bespoke software for architect’s office. BaseX is project management software that handles all your documents which are created on a day to day basis. Everything is stored under a project title, with dates, who it came from and who it went to. Also included is an email client, a word processor, contacts management system, and a power finance and costing tools incorporating staff timesheets.

Highlights:

BaseX was fully developed in Visual Basic 6 with a MySQL backend

Fully programmed by myself, developed from design to deployment.

Successfully implement and now been implemented in 6 offices throughout Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.

Was developed and deployed on time and under budget.

Strathclyde University Student’s Union

In my role of Treasurer, I updated the paper and Excel accounts management system, to an ASP online system that could be accessed from anywhere within the University’s campus by a club’s committee.

Highlights:

Another success story, with the fact that the accounts for the GCCS for the first time ever tallied correctly with the main accounts of the Union. Clubs found the system easy to use and activity with in the GCCS increased as the system gave them more access to information about their club and an easier way to contact GCCS. To present day the system is still being used, although developed more, but with the same core code that was created, and has been taken up by the Sports Union and the Rag Office, within the Union.