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Sessions / Redirects / Flash Messages

Now that users can submit reviews, let’s give them feedback! In this video, we bring in sessions, redirects, and flash messaging to guide the user experience after form submissions. ✨

Here’s what gets built in version v18-redirects-with-flash:


- Create a Session class as a singleton, with a handy global session() helper 🔐
- Initialize the session at app start and build a clean API like:
- session()->error('Missing required parameters.')->redirect('/');
- Implement error() and redirect() methods for smooth flow and messaging
- Fix the issue of persistent flash messages by introducing delete_transient_data() to clear session data after one request cycle
- Use Alpine.js to display flash messages dynamically with a snappy user experience ⚡
- Create a reusable _flash.view.php layout file for flash UI 💡
- Hook flash messages into the review flow by updating all dd('TODO') redirects in the PhotoController
- Bonus: Add current_route support in the Router to improve context-awareness in views 🧭


With sessions and flash messages in place, your app now speaks back to the user—clear, friendly, and fast. 🚀

Setting up Node & First Script

👉 Ready to start your journey with Node.js? In this video, we’ll get your environment set up and run your first server-side JavaScript script ⚡️. Say goodbye to browser-only JS and hello to full-stack possibilities!

💥 You’ll learn:

- How to install Node.js using nvm and verify your Node & npm versions.
- How to use the REPL (Read-Evaluate-Print Loop) to experiment interactively in Node.
- How to create and run your very first Node script (hello.js) that prints “Hello World!”.
- Why starting small with Node sets the stage for building servers, APIs, and dynamic apps in future videos.

⚡️ By the end, you’ll be able to confidently open your terminal, fire up Node, and see JavaScript running outside the browser!

👉 Perfect if you’re new to Node or want to finally get hands-on with server-side JavaScript.

💡 Relevant Links

Previous TekCasts series:
- JavaScript for Beginners: https://tekcasts.com/play/javascript-for-beginners-what-is-javascript
- JavaScript in the Browser: https://tekcasts.com/play/javascript-in-the-browser-browser-runtime-environment


Official Docs & Resources:
- Node.js Download & Docs: https://nodejs.org/en/download
- MDN JavaScript Guide: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript

Setting Up The Environment

Before we dive deep into coding magic, we need a proper space to create it! In this episode, we’ll set up a clean and powerful JavaScript development environment so you can code confidently from the start. 🛠️✨

🚀 Here’s what we’ll cover:
• Introduce two popular code editors: Visual Studio Code and WebStorm. You can choose either one to follow along comfortably!
• I’ll be using WebStorm throughout this series for demonstrations.
• Set up your first project folder called js-beginners, and create two important files inside: index.html and script.js.
• Learn how to open your HTML file in the browser and access the browser developer tools to run and inspect your JavaScript code.
• Connect your external JavaScript file to your HTML page so your scripts come alive right inside the browser console!

🎥 Visual Walkthroughs:
• We’ll create the project structure together, step-by-step.
• Open the browser console and verify everything’s working.
• Highlight important parts of the editor and project setup to keep things clean and organized.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have your environment ready, your first files created, and the confidence to start coding with JavaScript! 🚀

Setting Up the Package Structure

In this video, we start coding! 🚀 We’ll create the necessary directory structure, initialize a Git repository, and write the initial code for our PHP package.

📌 What you’ll learn:
✅ Setting up the directory structure
✅ Initializing a Git repository
✅ Writing the first version of the package

💡 By the end of this video, you’ll have a solid foundation for your package!

🔔 Subscribe for more PHP tutorials!

🔗 Resources:
• GitHub: Getting Started

Setup a Development Environment

Before you start coding in PHP, you need the right tools! In this video, we’ll guide you through setting up a local development environment step by step. You’ll learn how to install PHP, set up a local server using XAMPP, MAMP, or the built-in PHP server, and explore containerized options like Docker. We’ll also discuss different code editors, from lightweight options like Sublime Text to powerful IDEs like PHPStorm and Visual Studio Code. By the end of this video, you’ll have everything configured and ready to start coding in PHP like a pro! 🚀

Simple Frontend Architecture

✨ Before you write thousands of lines of JavaScript, you need a solid foundation.

In this video, we’ll explore how to structure frontend applications so your code stays organized, modular, and maintainable — even as your project grows.

You’ll learn:
⚡ Why separation of concerns prevents “spaghetti JS”
📦 The power of modularization (breaking one big file into smaller, focused ones)
🛠 Principles like YAGNI, DRY, SRP, and Decoupling to guide clean architecture
🔄 How event-driven patterns make your apps more reactive and less fragile

To wrap things up, we’ll also walk through a quick example of creating a custom browser event — showing how components can communicate without tight coupling.

👨‍💻 This isn’t about writing tons of code — it’s about learning the architectural principles that make every line of code easier to understand and maintain.

Software

Now that the hardware’s wired up, it’s time to breathe life into the Smart Garage Door with code! 🚀

In this episode, we walk through the entire software that powers the project — written with clean, object-oriented design to keep things modular and maintainable 🧼👨‍💻.

We do a full code review and break down the key classes that make everything tick:

🔹 DoorSensor – encapsulates logic for detecting the door’s position
🔹 DoorButton – handles interactions with the door opener button
🔹 GarageDoor – the high-level controller that integrates with Apple Home using HomeSpan. It pulls it all together and exposes the device as a HomeKit accessory 🍏🏠

You’ll see how these components work together — and how dependency injection keeps things clean by passing DoorSensor and DoorButton instances right into the GarageDoor class constructor.

Whether you’re into embedded dev, smart home integrations, or just love clean code, this video dives into the software heart of the project. Let’s build smart! 💡💻

Static HTML to PHP

It’s time to bring our static site to life! In this video, we take the first step toward dynamic content by converting our plain HTML files into PHP. 🧩

Here’s what we’ll cover:
• Renaming .html files to .php ✅
• Updating the navigation links in two key places on each page for consistency 🔗

By the end of this video, our project will be PHP-ready and set up for future enhancements. This version is tagged in the repo as v2-php-files for easy reference. 🏷️

It’s a small change with big impact—let’s keep the momentum going! 🚀

Static Methods and Properties

Ever wondered when to use static properties and methods? 🤔 In this video, we break it all down! 🔍

We’ll start with a quick refresher on normal properties and methods, then dive into their static counterparts. 🏗️ What’s the difference? Static members belong to the class—shared across all instances—while normal members are instance-specific. 🌎➡️📦

But wait—static properties aren’t constants! ⚠️ We’ll explore constant properties using const and discuss real-world use cases where static methods shine. ✨

By the end, you’ll know exactly when and why to use static members in your PHP projects! 💡💻 Let’s go! 🎬

Submitting Reviews

It’s time to let users have their say! In this video, we implement the “Leave a Review” feature, allowing users to submit feedback on photos directly from the app. 💬

Here’s what’s packed into version v17-leave-review:


Add a POST route to handle form submissions 🛤️
Stub out the PhotoController::store method as our entry point for review handling
Wire up the review form and hook it into the controller 🧵
Introduce basic validation to catch missing fields or bad data 🧼
Add temporary dd('TODO') calls as placeholders for future redirects
Build the SQL insert logic using the photo_id from the query string 🔗
Validate that the photo exists before inserting a review to maintain data integrity 🔒
Refactor the Database class:
Rename exec() to raw() for clarity
Add a new execute() method to handle parameterized inserts and return the number of affected rows ⚙️


By the end of this video, users can leave their thoughts—and our app takes one more step toward being fully interactive. 🌟

Template Literals

Say goodbye to clunky string concatenation! In this episode, you’ll discover template literals — a modern way to handle strings in JavaScript that makes your code cleaner and easier to read.

🎯 What you’ll learn:

Backtick (`) syntax — the foundation of template literals.
Variable interpolation — insert variables directly into strings.
Multi-line strings — create readable text without messy \n escapes.
Expressions & functions — embed calculations or function calls right inside your strings.


💡 Why it matters:
Template literals are one of those “quality of life” features you’ll use everywhere — from building user messages to formatting HTML templates. Once you start, you’ll never want to go back to + string concatenation.

By the end of this episode, you’ll be writing strings that are not just smarter, but also more expressive. ⚡️

Terminal - Shells, Basics, Help

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will introduce the Linux Terminal and how to efficiently navigate command history, cursor position, and how to obtain help on any command.

Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

Text Editors - Nano, Vim, Emacs

This video is part of the Linux Crash Course series. This video will continue exploring the Linux File System. In this video I will introduce three common text editors found on Linux systems.

Github Repo: https://github.com/rcravens/linux-crash-course

The Event Loop

JavaScript may look simple, but under the hood it’s powered by the Event Loop — the secret sauce that lets your code juggle tasks, handle async operations, and keep your apps responsive. In this video, we’ll break down exactly how it works (without frying your brain 🥓).

Here’s what you’ll learn:
📚 Call stack basics – how functions get pushed, popped, and executed
⏱️ Synchronous vs asynchronous execution – what runs now vs what runs later
🕒 Macrotasks – like setTimeout and setInterval
⚡ Microtasks – like Promises and queueMicrotask
🧪 A hands-on demo where we predict and then prove the order of console logs using timers & promises

You’ll finally understand:
✅ Why some logs show up before you expect them
✅ Why promises are “faster” than timeouts
✅ How the browser keeps things efficient, even when you’re spamming microtasks

By the end, you’ll see the Event Loop not as magic, but as your best friend in building smooth, non-blocking web apps 🚀

👉 Watch now and unlock the inner workings of JavaScript’s brain 🧠⚡

The HTTP Module

Every web app starts with a server — and in Node.js, that journey begins with the HTTP module. In this episode of JavaScript on the Server, we’ll peel back the curtain on how requests and responses actually flow between the browser and your app.

✨ What you’ll learn:
- Why the HTTP module is the core engine of Node.js servers
- How the client-server request/response cycle really works
- Building a minimal web server from scratch (no frameworks required!)
- Getting hands-on with the req (IncomingMessage) and res (ServerResponse) objects
- Key concepts to set you up for routing, APIs, and beyond


Whether you’re new to backend dev or just curious how Node powers the web, this episode will give you the foundation you need to level up.

📚 Helpful Links
- Node.js HTTP Module: https://nodejs.org/api/http.html
- Request/Response Cycle Overview: https://backend.turing.edu/module2/lessons/how_the_web_works_http
- Node.js HTTP Request Object: https://www.w3schools.com/nodejs/nodejs_http.asp
- Node.js HTTP Response Object: https://www.w3schools.com/nodejs/obj_http_serverresponse.asp

🔗 More TekCasts Learning
- JavaScript for Beginners: https://tekcasts.com/play/javascript-for-beginners-what-is-javascript
- JavaScript in the Browser: https://tekcasts.com/play/javascript-in-the-browser-browser-runtime-environment