Peter Cruickshank
38/8 Barony Street Edinburgh EH3 6NY m: 07092 086 881 e: info@cruickshank.biz
KEY SKILLS WEB SCRIPTING PHP (Server-side) Separation of HTML from code through HTML templates – allowing designers to JavaScript (Client-side) concentrate on building pages that look good.
Use of standard security code (PHPLIB) Use of standard documentation tools (phpDocumenter) Object Oriented coding style enabling common code to be reused across different projects (eg Fantasy Football, Fantasy Cycling and now a dating website) This is the main programming language I use. Main feature of my approach are:
DATABASES
Currently specialise in using MySQL 3.23 and 4.x, but my knowledge can be transferred to other RDBMSs (Relational databases) such as Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle. Recent practical experience of medium sized databases with in the region of 0.5M records. Database skills include: Investigating slow queries and modifying indexes to increase speed of updates and queries, sometimes dramatically Designing the level of normalisation (normalising increases consistency in the data, but at the expense of speed of data storage and/or retrieval) My experience of web coders is that many do not really understand how RDMSs work – I have often encountered code that cycles through the data a record at a time (thousands of queries) rather than a single query. See MS Office below for Access
WEBSITE VALIDATION Can use WebTest – a Java package that allows scripted navigation through a
dynamic website (scripts are in the form of xml files). Allows a suite of tests to be maintained to ensure critical functionality of website has not been impacted by new developments.. Use of configuration files to control behaviour of website – httpd.conf and WEBSITE CONFIGURATION .htaccess. (eg ensuring that files with *.htm extension are in fact processed by PHP) (Apache) Simple site security through .htpassword files Expert Excel and Word user – at least up to Office 97. Competent Visual Basic developer.
MS OFFICE
Excel
Use of pivot tables integrating with external data-sources – generating dynamic graphs (as used for ACL analysis of Registers of Scotland data). Experience with extensive Budget and cost allocation – eg cost allocation for contracts at Western General Hospital
Access
Development of small applications – including security. Links to/from MS Excel and Word (as in the Crown Estates application that BAG uses).
MULTIMEDIA
I can program Macromedia Flash and Director, including link to server-side data.