Comments on: Using Weather Data to Change Your Website’s Appearance through PHP and CSS http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css Legendary scribbles about JavaScript, HTML5, AJAX, PHP, CSS, and ∞. Thu, 24 May 2012 07:34:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: John Kavanaghhttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-23024 John Kavanagh Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:21:38 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-23024 I just wanted to leave a note (I know this article is years old at this point!) to say thank you. I first came across this sort of website interactivity in one of the Google Mail themes (which takes your current location and changes the background dependant on the current weather).I ended up taking a different route when integrating this into my own site (http://johnkavanagh.co.uk), using a switch statement to identify the weather conditions and extending it to grab the time for night/sunrise/day/sunset and changing the entire appearance of the site by tying into classes in the HTML and body tags.There's 150 different combinations on the site now - not a small amount of work! Two different skylines with fifteen different weather conditions and four different times of day (plus two hidden easter-egg states, each with the fifteen weather conditions). Although being based in Manchester (UK), I could probably have just got away with including 'cloudy' and 'rainy' and nothing more!One thing worth mentioning is that anyone attempting this should defiantly consider caching the weather feed results for short periods of time to improve load speed and to avoid hammering the Yahoo feed - mine only grabs a newer version of the feed if the previous cache is over 90 seconds old - I know that they have clamped down on this considerably over the past twelve months.It's a great idea and I'm surprised that more people aren't doing this, thanks for sharing your solution and I hope you like mine! I just wanted to leave a note (I know this article is years old at this point!) to say thank you. I first came across this sort of website interactivity in one of the Google Mail themes (which takes your current location and changes the background dependant on the current weather).

I ended up taking a different route when integrating this into my own site (http://johnkavanagh.co.uk), using a switch statement to identify the weather conditions and extending it to grab the time for night/sunrise/day/sunset and changing the entire appearance of the site by tying into classes in the HTML and body tags.

There’s 150 different combinations on the site now – not a small amount of work! Two different skylines with fifteen different weather conditions and four different times of day (plus two hidden easter-egg states, each with the fifteen weather conditions). Although being based in Manchester (UK), I could probably have just got away with including ‘cloudy’ and ‘rainy’ and nothing more!

One thing worth mentioning is that anyone attempting this should defiantly consider caching the weather feed results for short periods of time to improve load speed and to avoid hammering the Yahoo feed – mine only grabs a newer version of the feed if the previous cache is over 90 seconds old – I know that they have clamped down on this considerably over the past twelve months.

It’s a great idea and I’m surprised that more people aren’t doing this, thanks for sharing your solution and I hope you like mine!

]]> By: superevanhttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-14969 superevan Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:06:17 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-14969 Instead of it changing css on the page, would it be hard to have it play a different swf animation that corresponds with the local weather? I've searched around for someone that's tackled this but haven't found much. Instead of it changing css on the page, would it be hard to have it play a different swf animation that corresponds with the local weather? I’ve searched around for someone that’s tackled this but haven’t found much.

]]> By: thorhttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-13202 thor Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:45:55 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-13202 I’ve integrated the script pretty easy (despite I’m a nob). How can i know for sure day and night right codes for 27 mostly cloudy (night), 28 mostly cloudy (day), 29 partly cloudy (night) and 30 partly cloudy (day)? How can i declare this in according css? Should i have different css files for day and night? I’ve integrated the script pretty easy (despite I’m a nob). How can i know for sure day and night right codes for 27 mostly cloudy (night), 28 mostly cloudy (day), 29 partly cloudy (night) and 30 partly cloudy (day)? How can i declare this in according css? Should i have different css files for day and night?

]]> By: davidhttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-436 david Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:58:14 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-436 Hello Azeem,I started the same as you -- learned PHP completely by myself. There's always a place for a web noob. Start a blog would be my advice, and bring your blog up during interviewsDavid Hello Azeem,

I started the same as you — learned PHP completely by myself. There’s always a place for a web noob. Start a blog would be my advice, and bring your blog up during interviews

David

]]> By: Azeemhttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-435 Azeem Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:14:41 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-435 Great website. I am a PHP newbie. I am learning PHP as a hobby. Completed a couple of tutorials. I already have a non-PHP fulltime job. How do I start working with PHP as a part timer. I am bored doing the PHP tutorials. I would like to cut my teeth on something real time which would increase my PHP skills. Odesk.com has experienced guys . Are there any opportunities for a newbie like me. Great website. I am a PHP newbie. I am learning PHP as a hobby. Completed a couple of tutorials. I already have a non-PHP fulltime job. How do I start working with PHP as a part timer. I am bored doing the PHP tutorials. I would like to cut my teeth on something real time which would increase my PHP skills. Odesk.com has experienced guys . Are there any opportunities for a newbie like me.

]]> By: davidhttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-433 david Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:37:35 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-433 Yes it is Jon. Yahoo! provides country codes as well. Yes it is Jon. Yahoo! provides country codes as well.

]]> By: jonhttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-434 jon Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:27:21 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-434 is it possible to make a forcast for san jose costa rica? is it possible to make a forcast for san jose costa rica?

]]> By: davidhttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-430 david Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:26:48 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-430 Glad you like it. Thank you Jon! Glad you like it. Thank you Jon!

]]> By: jon sorokohttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-432 jon soroko Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:28:59 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-432 This may be more important than you realize. In the disaster-response context, automatically updated, highly localized blogs can be critical. What you've done with the header does that with one of the critical data streams (weather) - and does it with really elegant information design - it doesn't require people to analyze a string of words.My blog is about these issues - and I do consulting, research and writing that isn't always reflected on the blog. But I'm going to see how easy it is to set up at my skill level -Nice work - you've done something that may end up saving people's lives.Jon Soroko This may be more important than you realize. In the disaster-response context, automatically updated, highly localized blogs can be critical. What you’ve done with the header does that with one of the critical data streams (weather) – and does it with really elegant information design – it doesn’t require people to analyze a string of words.

My blog is about these issues – and I do consulting, research and writing that isn’t always reflected on the blog. But I’m going to see how easy it is to set up at my skill level -

Nice work – you’ve done something that may end up saving people’s lives.

Jon Soroko

]]> By: tjeerdoohttp://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css#comment-431 tjeerdoo Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:51:35 +0000 http://davidwalsh.name/weather-data-change-websites-appearance-php-css/#comment-431 Very nice work, i'll try and get it up on my website ! Thanx Very nice work, i’ll try and get it up on my website !
Thanx

]]>