Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tutorials

Know any good VBA tutorials?

Librarygeek — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:11:55 -0800

Can you reccommend VBA tutorials, particularly for MS Excel 2007? I used to know a tad of VBA that I used in the context of Access databases. However, I need to program some macros to help analyze our search analytics reports. I am floundering a bit -- so I've decided I need to go back to basics and more throroughly learn VBA. I checked previous questions and either they addressed a specific issue or the links provided in the answers are now dead :( I did look at the granddaddy of Excel discussions on the Blue. From there I checked out the Excel Nexus and VB Users pages. Those will be great when I'm beyond the basics, but they not at a tutorial level. I've consulted Google but there are tons of returns and I'm not sure how to tell which are any good.
Thanks for any leads!

help my faqs look neat

jak68 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:44:27 -0800

Whats is/are the best programs to create simple online tutorials (w/ captioned pics, mainly)? A CHM maker or something else? What do you use? What I'd prefer is a program like screenbook maker which seems to make the process very easy ("put your picture here, caption it here, press button: churns out a postable self-contained ebook with toc and everything). (Except that screenbook maker isnt quite there yet). DO you know of a program like that that works well and would let me insert a background pic/template on each page? I wouldnt mind paying so long as its not exorbitant (under $100).

I'm setting up basic tech instructions for relatives (having gotten sick of answering the same basic questions a hundred times).

I'm more a hardware guy, not a documentation guy. I was about to use nvu or kompozer and just slap together some marked-up screenshots along with some text. But it occurred to me that this is an opportunity to learn about some simple documentation procedures.

Other than a chm maker, I also considered using a paid or free pdf maker and posting pdfs instead of html. What do you think?

Or should I just do straight html in dreamweaver/nvu using bulleted lists and the TOC generator?

The goal here is to turn these "faqs" out as rapidly as possible; the closer it is to feeling like a wordprocessor, while getting me TOC and links to pages, the better.

Thanks!

Need recommendations to learn simple Wordpress to modify an existing webpage.

judybxxx — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:57:38 -0800

I Need help with (I hope) simple Wordpress to modify an existing Wordpress webpage Seeking recommendations of (youtube?) tutorials, basic manuals, etc. I have 30 years of varied computer experience, but none with creating/maintaining web page content. And didn't want any. A friend and I have inherited that task from our webmaster and I don't understand the mindset and terminology of pages, posts, categories. I need to rearrange the home page , adding some pages and changing the layout, add photos (linked to (apparently) pages, in a changing display, etc etc. googling wordpress tutorial free gives lots of possibilities. I think we will set up a blog one of these days, but most important is to modify the web pages. I need some basics. Is a blog a subset of a web page, or vice versa, or is it all the same? Any help will be appreciated. I found the following in the archives, but still appreciate help. (from MeFi archives) I would recommend wordpress as an engine for driving a simple website as you describe, but you may need smoeone to set it up for you. I think you should look at basic things like how to upload files and display images first, get some idea of how the internet works in general. Then any package you use will make a lot more sense to you. Things like wordpress are very easy to set up once you have the basic skills, but if you don't even know how to ftp it can be a big step up.
posted by shelleycat at 7:23 PM on January 8, 2007 [+] [!]

If she does not know web design I would start with Wordpress.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 12:01 PM on July 2, 2008 [1 favorite +] [!]

I'd disagree slightly over Wordpress. It's perfect if she specifically wants a blog, but to adapt a wordpress template to her own design she'll certainly need to know CSS and possibly even need a rudimentary understanding of PHP, and that may be a case of going in at the deep end.

If she's a graphic designer with good Photoshop skills, then what she's probably looking to learn is some basic HTML and CSS, and the techniques involved in transferring a page design from Photoshop to the web. I'd suggest that she gets a good HTML/CSS book that caters for people from a design background, and just has a go at putting together a simple site of a few pages. Alternatively, a site I've heard a lot of people rave about is Web Design From Scratch.

If she decides she also wants a blog, then maybe she could explore Wordpress once she has some basic HTML/CSS skills; probably the best avenue would be to find a basic template from one of the many online repositories and then tweak the existing HTML/CSS to her own requirements.

another view
I'm not saying that WP is the best choice (it's not a true CMS), but you might want to give it a try because it is fairly easy to use and it has is an enormous amount help available for newbies.

OOP! There it is. OOP! There it is.

bjork24 — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:35:05 -0800

I'd like to sharpen my PHP skills and finally tackle OOP, classes, etc.. There's an overwhelming amount of tutorials online, so I was wondering if you had a favorite one (or ones) that helped you hone your OOP skills. I've tried going straight to the source on PHP.net's reference material, but I'd ideally like something a bit more dumbed down. Once I get a grasp on general concepts, I'll definitely go back and check out the PHP toot, but for now I'm looking for something a bit more accessible. Thanks!

It's alive!

Nonce — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:10:32 -0800

Help me make automatons. I want to start making wind-up toys as a hobby. I'm particularly interested in toys that use springs for power, as opposed to say rubber bands. I assume that a wind-up car will be the logical starting point.

Please point me to any of the following:

1. tutorials on just this sort of thing
2. inexpensive toys in this vein that I can purchase and take apart to see how they work
3. cool examples of antique or current wind-up toys
4. places where I could order the materials I would need to make this happen

Linux Filter: Calling out all Linux experts, searching for the best route to learn Linux!

wile e — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:19:17 -0800

Linux filter: Calling out all Linux experts. I need to learn administrative Linux in a rather short period. Looking for the best online resources, tutorials, cheat sheets, tips etc. I am a relative beginner as far as Linux goes. I have used the platform for various things, but never delved really deep into the command line control of it. With my new job, that is all about to change. I need to be very comfortable with the inner workings, understand most terminology and have an overall command of the CLI.

So I have done all the standard google searches, and have found quite a bit of quality resources. I am currently going through many of them, but I wanted to make sure that I have access to the absolute best material and find out if there is anything I am missing.

I am looking for online tutorials, video/audio tutorials, free sites, pay sites anything. I just want to maximize my learning process as I have a really short time period to truly understand everything. Think of me as a complete noob, as I want to go over even the basics just to make sure I fully comprehend everything.

As of right now, I have Fedora 9 on a bootable USB that I use as a personal testing ground. Plus beginning mid-week, I will have access to the Red Hat Enterprise testbed that I really need to have down pat.

Not sure if I'm giving enough information, so please ask away if I omitted anything.

Thanks to all that even bothered to read this!

What's the best online information literacy tutorial for university-level literature students?

Webbreader — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:52:06 -0800

I'm looking for a good general information literacy tutorial with a focus on good search strategies, using bibliographic databases, etc. It needs to be suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate literature students. I'm putting together a guide on finding secondary sources for university-level students beginning work on children's literature. Most of it is about specific resources, but I'd like to point to a good information literacy tutorial to reinforce the need to learn general skills, and to help those who might not have good information literacy provision in their place of study, or who are independent researchers.

I've used several information literacy models in the past, but not for this purpose - it would be great to get the perspective of the hivemind on which open-to-the-public resources are particularly good for this group.

Thanks!

Help me understand object oriented programming, please

saraswati — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:50:07 -0800

I'm looking for an introduction to the concepts of object oriented programming. My goal is to be able to learn Objective C for Mac OS X development. I've done a lot of procedural programming/scripting both personally and professionally using languages like Perl, PHP, VBScript, etc. I understand the fundamental concepts of computer programming but OOP has always escaped me. Are there any good primers on the subject, preferably (but not necessarily) targeted to new Objective C developers?

I need skillz

donnagirl — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:15:02 -0800

I have two weeks to learn PHP. Help me make a plan! Because my library job is ridiculously awesome, I'm being given two weeks to devote myself to learning php. This will be time otherwise unfettered by work concerns; I'm even staying out of the library to help make that happen.

Previous AskMe questions were helpful in a general sense, but I also want a reality-check on my expectations. I have no programming background. I have a handful of self-taught html and css skills. I am fearless in the face of technology, and I have a well-honed librarian's ability to find answers when I have questions. What do you think I could expect to accomplish in 2 weeks (80-ish hours) of work? What resources would you recommend, particularly in online tutorials? Are any of them worth paying for? (I've seen prices from $30 to nearly $1000; I probably have some library money at my disposal, but nothing approaching the upper end of that range.) Anything I'm completely missing in my naive enthusiasm for this project?

Help me AJAXify a portion of my project without overwhelming me.

odinsdream — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 08:41:58 -0800

Help me AJAX-ify a very simple web process in PHP. Links to very simple AJAX tutorials much appreciated. I've been reading up on AJAX technologies for a couple weeks. I've tried out a few, but I am still stuck with taking existing tutorials and modifying them slightly without really understanding behind-the-scenes. That is, I understand conceptually what the tutorials are showing me, but not very much programmatically. I'm fairly capable with PHP and HTML. I can read and write basic Javascript, but it seems like the AJAX technologies require a deeper level of understanding.

Having said that, all I'm really looking to do is rewrite a very simple portion of my project. Hopefully taking this small step will help me better understand what AJAX can really help me do long-term.

I have one PHP script, delete.php, which does an UPDATE SQL statement setting Deleted = True for a given ID, passed via HTML GET from other pages.

This seems like the perfect thing to AJAXify, but all of the tutorials I can find jump straight into Google Mashups, SOAP, JSON, XML, etc. I don't need these yet. What are some very basic tutorials that would help me replace my delete.php script with something more efficient?

I have too much time

nitsuj — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 11:41:24 -0800

I have an abundance of time this holiday week, and I finally got around to watching that Japanese t-shirt folding tutorial video and learning how to do it. I wonder, what other quick, easy, and cool time-saving tricks can I learn this week?

3d Modeling for the Autodidact

kepano — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 02:23:19 -0800

What are the best resources for learning Rhinoceros or Alias Studio? Over the next few months I want to teach myself how to use a 3d modeling software – either Rhinoceros or Alias Studio. Unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding good tutorials, videos or books on either of these two programs. Any recommendations?

Graphics that pop.

phaedon — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:58:27 -0800

I program actionscript on the side and I'm looking to pick up a designer's slack on a particular project. Can anyone recommend some really great internet resources (tutorial write-ups, guidelines, video) for learning how to create "Web 2.0" style graphics? I'm thinking gradients, high glossy type-stuff. You can probably tell I've totally missed the boat on this one.

How can I improve the quality of my digital photos without upgrading my camera?

GS1977 — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:24:28 -0800

How can I improve the quality of my digital photos without upgrading my camera? I have a Canon Powershot A80 that I picked up a few years ago, and for the longest time it's been pretty good to me. It's a decent camera for a beginner -- it has manual controls, etc. I have to say I've outgrown it, but I am not financial ready to upgrade right now.

The problem is that I've noticed my photos are often sub-par lately in the quality department. I'm certainly not an expert but my photos tend to be more blurry than those from comparable cameras (or even the same model). I understand that it's usually necessary to do some post-processing in Photoshop, but I seem to have to do lot to mine to get them to look even halfway decent. Pictures often come out blurry, even in good light. And I almost always have to tweak the color balance to get good hues and saturation.

I understand that as a 4 megapixel camera, it can only be so good, but I've see way better results from other folks with similar cameras. Where am I going wrong?

Although I'm hesitant to show you my flickr photos, I will do so if you need to see them to get an idea of what I'm talking about. Just promise not to laugh, mkay?

ProjectNameFilter: Help me find a better name for my open source project

aroberge — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 12:03:55 -0800

I need to come up with a more descriptive name for an open source project. I have written a program to help create interactive tutorials to teach programming with Python. As far as I know, it's a first of its kind: it takes a normal-looking W3C compliant html page from anywhere and displays it inside a browser (firefox) window with "interactive Python objects", so that you can try out the examples right inside your browser (provided you have Python installed on your computer).

Following a common practice in many Python-related projects, I have given it a name (Crunchy Frog) related to the works of the British comedy troup, Monty Python.

However, I have found out that another project already exists with an almost identical name (CrunchyFrog ), with no space in between "Crunchy" and "Frog". Furthermore, it has been suggested to me that the name should be more descriptive. Perhaps something along the line of:

"Crunchy Frog: the Interactive Tutorial 'Creator' or 'Maker' "
"Crunchy the Interactive Tutorial Creator" (which could be shortened to "Crunchy Creator".)

Note that both the sourceforge site where it is created and an svn repository that hosts the code start with "crunchy" (crunchy.sourceforge.net and crunchy.python-hosting.com), so I would rather keep that word in its name.

Suggestions would be gladly accepted.

How to build a massive LED array

bjork24 — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 11:02:03 -0800

Continuation from my last question: how do I make a giant red "M" out of little LEDs? After reading all the answers from my previous question, I became enamored with the idea of building the big red "M" out of LEDs. The only problem is, I know about as much about LEDs as I do needlework, which is to say, nothing at all.

Can someone point me in the direction of a tutorial that will help an absolute noob like me learn enough about LEDs to build the "M"? This is going to be a massive array of LEDs, so the "build your own LED flashlight" articles aren't really helping me.

online learning

flummox — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 04:20:13 -0800

What kind of experiences have you had with using online tutorials/courses to help learn common softwear programs, word, quickbooks, elements, datacad and the like. Looking for tutorials that do more then walk one through the basics but give sample problems and situations to work through. A course that well help one gain a better then beginners level of proficiency with a program before one needs to use it in a real world setting. Searches with any kind of keywords for this the results are humongous. It would be good to hear recommendations for reputable sources of learning resources and or reviews. Free is not a necessity, (but would be a bonus).

Need to know the basics of Avid iNews

amusem — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 21:09:00 -0800

In 10 days or so, I'm going to learn how to use Avid iNews at my new job. I don't have Avid iNews on my home computer but I want to get a few steps ahead and acquire some knowledge of it before day one at work.

Are there online tutorials that I could read? It would be helpful, even if I don't have the software. I've googled and haven't seen anything... (except for the brief demos on this page: www.avid.com/products/inews)

AE expressions tutorials?

brundlefly — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 23:32:39 -0800

Anyone know of any good tutorials on expressions in Adobe After Effects?

Photoshop tricks for a newbie

gregchttm — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:08:25 -0800

What tricks separate a Photoshop/Illustrator newbie from a master? I am an experienced developer who knows the basics of Photoshop and can manage to do all the last minute little tweaks (like cropping, changing colors, etc...) that I need to, but am in awe of the talents our inhouse designers. My question is, what are the keyboard shortcuts, processes, and websites/tutorials that will help elevate my skills? I am not looking to become an expert -- just want to learn more than the very basics and work more efficiently. Focus on web-development applications, not photo processing.

Cycling '74 Max/MSP

svidrigailov23 — Tue, 03 May 2005 21:39:35 -0800

Has anyone used Cycling '74 Max/MSP and if so, do you know of any good tutorials?

Pro tips for selling on eBay?

loquacious — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 18:41:39 -0800

eBay newbie help. What pointers do you have for selling on eBay? Favorite websites and tutorials? How to list effectively? How to get started and build up a positive rep? Negative experiences? Positive experiences? I'm going to be selling custom artwork in the form of posters, postcards and t-shirts related to that artwork on eBay, as well as whatever odds and ends I feel will do well. (Think books, clothes, etc. Thrift store finds, that sort of thing.) Google is drowning in eBay links, and most are spurious. Site-Googling AskMe is also drowning in eBay hits. I would love to hear what MeFi has to say about this and how to go about it. I have also studied the eBay support tutorials, but I value the MeFi knowledge base. Thanks in advance!

Mono on OS X

alan — Mon, 13 Dec 2004 15:59:41 -0800

I want to monkey about with Mono on OS X. I've found a few installation tutorials via google, but was wondering if anyone here had a preferred set of instructions they use (before I go and break my computer).

Tutorials for JSLT

4easypayments — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 14:25:28 -0800

I need be somewhat familiar with JSLT for a job interview/test next week. Anyone know of any good tutorials or have any magic tips? I'm coming from a PHP background and have never worked on a JSP site before.

Online introduction to Perl Unix scripting?

Krrrlson — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 11:13:45 -0800

Looking for a reasonably quick introduction to Perl Unix scripting, preferably online.