One thing I’ve realised about working a project is the initial spur that gets you going. When you have an idea and a vision you can really feel determined to get it done. Often you loose this momentum as you encounter hurdles and problems that slow you down. This is the first time where I’ve decided that I wanted to make something and I’ve done it (with some help) in only a few days.

Local testing helps immensely when working on a new project - why? Because you can test your script in seconds, and the best way to see if something works is to keep testing it. I’ve been using XAMPP with PHP5, Apache2 and MySQL5 on one of my Windows machines to get the job done. Alternatively if your running Linux or Mac then you (should) have these facilities only a few clicks away.

I also find that looking at other open source scripts can be extremely useful. You might know how to do something one way but you may find that someone else has done it in a more efficient and easier way then yourself. The great thing about open source is that you are no obliged to use someone elses scripts, and if you do use it then you are free to change it as much as you like to suit your needs (depending on what license it’s under).

Anyway back to the HijriDate Wizard. It has been completed and is working really well, but - yes there is a but. This webhost is not currently supporting ‘FreeType’. What does that mean? Well basically the script will not run on here. I have it running on an Usayd Networks server but I am not allowed to release it publicly till it can be hosted here. The script has been tested by around 25 people so far and the evaluation has been very positive. I’m afraid all I can offer to you right now is a screenshot of it in action, and I will keep emailing this pathetic webhost to enable FreeType.