This post should be a short one, and builds on a few previous posts that involve creating custom Google Docs. In those articles, I demonstrate how to use various methods of `DocumentApp` to create cus
VCU is in the beginning stages of an LMS transition, and the instructional designers in our department are doing pretty much all of their professional development courses in Canvas now. Since everythi
In this post, I'll walk you through how to auto fill Google Doc templates with data pulled from a Google Spreadsheet using Google Apps Script. This tutorial is a follow-up of sort to [Auto Fill a Goog
Sometimes when you are coding and you need to make calculations, we introduce values into our programs that are called '[magic numbers.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_number_\(programming\)#:~:t
Over the last couple of weeks, there has been some renewed interest in a project I started a few years back, our [Online@VCU virtual assistant](https://jeffreyeverhart.com/2018/08/29/creating-a-virtua
I've had a few people ask me about variations to [my write-up of how to auto-populate Google Docs from Google Forms submissions](https://jeffreyeverhart.com/2018/09/17/auto-fill-google-doc-from-google
This should be a quick post, but I'm doing more of my Google Apps Script development in [clasp](https://github.com/google/clasp) using TypeScript now, which exposes some interesting ways of doing thin
Over the past several years, I've been prying more and more at the limits of the WordPress REST API as they apply to creating ['headless' sites and applications](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/
I'm working on a project right now that allows people to send images to the Google Cloud Vision API for analysis using a Google Sheet and Google Apps Script. As part of that project, we talked about h
In the second part of this series, we're going to take a look at arrow functions, how they are used, and how they can be helpful in the context of Google Apps Script. In part one, we looked at [ES6 te
Google recently announced that it is bringing [the V8 JavaScript runtime to the Google Apps Script environment](https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/v8-runtime), and the community, myself
In a recent project, I had the need to get an array of all of the pages on a site that were using a particular page template. It turns out that this is really just an extension of any other type of me
Most of the comments I get on this site have to do with someone trying something I've written about that isn't working for them. In most cases, error messages can be your friends since they can point
Most of what I write about on the site exists to save someone else from having to learn the painful lessons I've spent time, energy, or emotion solving. This is one of those times where I'm sharing so
Over the last several years I've had the opportunity to do a lot more work within the WordPress ecosystem here at VCU. Writing themes and plugins for WordPress was what really got me started in web de
Eventually, this post will be a small part of a long post-mortem describing a ton of unexpected challenges I've faced recently trying to wrangle some historical geospatial data. However, this post is
As I frequently do, I've been taking a deep dive over the last few weeks into a very cool intersection between the WordPress and AWS ecosystems all in pursuit of the most scalable and turn key databas
We've been dealing with some decently complex system-level issues for awhile on Rampages. In an effort to track them down to the source, I've been digging through lots of log files. While we still don
Lots of the Google Apps Script projects that people are working on start with a Google Spreadsheet as a base. Sometimes a Google Form writes data to a spreadsheet that triggers other events, or you ha
This will be a short post, but I felt it necessary to do since I had to deal with this is a non-standard way given my situation. I decided to play around with WP CLI to scaffold out the theme for a pr
Over the past few years, this site has gone through some pretty substantial changes. After getting hacked on BlueHost sometime in 2016, I reworked the entire site architecture using hand-rolled resour
In this quick tutorial, we're going to build a simple little menu add-on for Google Docs that lets you translate text into another language. Some of this functionality may be baked into Google Docs at
It's been awhile since I have written anything to do with Google Apps Script, so I decided to start exploring some features of the Apps Script world that are new to me.
In a previous post, I wrote about some of [my experiences building chatbots with the Amazon Lex platform](https://jeffreyeverhart.com/2017/12/11/making-chatbot-amazon-lex/), and I guess this post will
As I'm sure this is with most people, my deepest learning moments come from random walks down different avenues. In preparation for a GIS focused project I might get to work on, I spent a few minutes
Over the last few weeks, we've been dealing with some heavy fallout from a recent server migration on our large WordPress MU installation. While moving everything from Linode to Digital Ocean should g
We've been working on a project with some of the folks from the medical campus since I've been at VCU. They are developing a large OER site for Histology, which is the study of cells, but we're approa
This project builds off of some work that Tom and Matt did over last summer for an [eco techniques course](https://rampages.us/ecotechniques/data-visualization/) focused on open science, data visualiz
For a recent project, we were helping a group from the Environmental Sciences department translate some of their academic research on a particular type of bird into a more general narrative targeted t
One of the hardest things to do as a developer is to resist the urge to add additional complexity where it does not add value to the overall solution. As technologists, we tend to think this stuff is
Continuing my exploration of data visualization tools, I circled back to where it all started for me: D3. For those of you involved in developing data-driven apps for the web, you most likely have a l
After a decent amount of foot shuffling, I finally decided to step up and dig into the Gutenberg editor that will ship with WordPress 5.0, whenever that is ready. There has been a lot of chatter in th
I'm not really sure when this happened, but over the last several years, I've started to spend a lot of my personal and professional time working on building out data visualization tools and workflows
Over the last several years, it seems like I've worked on a lot of different map-based applications for a variety of purposes. Some of them have been focused on the digital humanities, like the [Moton
This post is really just a placeholder for some new JavaScript tricks I've learned for WordPress over some of my latest projects. I'm sure these won't be groundbreaking, but it's worth it to document
What follows here is an exploration of an evolving project I'm working on to provide some additional touch points for current and prospective students in online courses at VCU. 
I finally swallowed the Webpack pill, mostly because I wanted to get the most out of single file Vue components for some new projects I'm working on, and Webpack is along for the ride. 
For the most part, I love working with Google App Script. The APIs are what you expect them to be. Most of the features are well-documented. Heck, I've even tried to [build Google Sheets into a small
One of the [current projects I'm working on](https://rampages.us/davinci-events/) involves building out some analytical tools that sit on top of an application that lets students track attendance at e
This post is the second post in my new fangled Weekly Workflows section. I took a few requests on Twitter as to what people would like to see here, and [Paul Williams](https://twitter.com/cyclopslabs)
This is the blog post I wish existed a few weeks ago when I started trying to configure Visual Studio Code to debug PHP and WordPress interactively. Although this setup might not work for everyone dep
This post is the first in what will hopefully be a weekly tip or trick focused on workflow since I think many of these things can be helpful across the board for a lot of folks. For a long time, I fee
I'm writing this post at the end of a particularly odd week in terms of things going wrong. And this is the type of post that you write with fingers crossed, praying that you don't have to come back l
Over the last several weeks, I've been working on several prototypes to help facilitate different types of annotations. Most educators are already pretty familiar with the typical textual annotation,
Google Sheets tends to be my go to whenever I need to build a really lightweight application that has a limited life span. Usually, these things typically involve a short turnaround or some type of ve
For those of you who've read the blog for any amount of time, you're likely already aware of my tendency to skew towards data and data-driven solutions to problems. Thus, I tend to talk with people ab
I'm not sure the power of visualizing data can be understated in the modern world. After all, we have more data than we've every had before, and we at least seem to understand the world we live in les
Over the last few years, I've gotten spoiled by working with some awesome UX and graphic designers. As a result, I was able to double down on my programming skills on both the back and front ends, but
I'm working on building out some cool annotations tools for different types of audio, mostly music, which you can see [an example of here](http://audiovideo.jeffreyeverhart.com/audio-annotation/peaks.
I've been trying to up my sysadmin game over the last several months using a lot of different server configurations on AWS (Linux, IIS, etc.). Mainly I'm writing this post because I've implemented thi
I've been doing a deep dive into Vanilla JavaScript lately, partly as a pretty overt reaction to the proliferation of client-side MV\* frameworks. My thought process is that the time spent learning fr
I'm not sure how I didn't know about this command sooner since I use cURL for a few other tasks. I've been using WGET to download remote files, but I recently stumbled across this new little shortcut
For a recent project, I implemented an NGINX proxy server to proxy requests from a WordPress installation on a subdomain so that they appear to come from a subdirectory of the main domain.
There are endless projects you can make with Python, the Raspberry Pi, and just a few LEDs. One obvious and really fun project is a button operated traffic light. This post will build on an earlier pr
# Getting Started with Raspberry Pi
Typeerror: cannot read property "values" from undefined is one of the most persistent and frequent errors you can get when doing any type of scripting in Google Apps Script. One of the most frequent q
Using custom menus can help you automate and streamline certain tasks in Google Apps Script by creating easy-to-use interfaces so other people can run and benefit from your code.
For anyone looking for faster page loads, converting images to data URIs can provide a speed boost in certain instances. In modern web development, page load time is extremely important, not just beca
Over the last year or so, I've been working more and more with Node.js for a variety of projects. I started by building a few command line apps, progressed to some simple Node/Express sites, and more
I've got another Google Apps Script tutorial here for everyone, and this time we'll be taking a look at one of the advanced services provided by Google Apps. Most of what we've talked about so far inv
Continuing my infographic kick, here is an infographic explaining some of the key points from a [Pew Research project on Teens, Social Media and Technology](http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens
Having worked with instructional technology for awhile, I'm often surprised by how frequently people conflate hybrid pedagogy with flipped pedagogy. At SXSWedu, I bought a bunch of really good books o
Heat maps are a great way to analyze frequency in a data set. Beautiful and creative things happen when you are stuck in an airport for four hours. I've been wanting to explore heat map visualizations
A lot has been going on over the last two days, and Austin is such a fun city, that I'm combining my reflections into one super blog post. There is a lot to talk about, so stay tuned, but I'm not goin
I want to document my experiences at SXSWedu for anyone interested in the conference or for my educator friends in the blogosphere or on twitter. First off, Austin is a super fun city, with a motto of
I've been thinking a lot lately about video streaming platforms used in the ed tech space, what makes them different from one another, and how feasible it would be to create one from scratch. After a
I've been doing more lately working with APIs of different sorts, and I recently stumbled onto some cool ways to use [Google Sheets to connect with APIs and store the data very easily in a spreadsheet
One of the coolest things about working with Google Apps Script is the overall versatility of the Google Apps ecosystem. I've written pretty extensively about how to use Google Apps Script to do a lot
Debugging Node.js processes on the server can be kind of painful depending on what tools you have available to help you make sense of error messages. After scouring the web, it seems that a lot of peo
In this Google Sheets training tip, you will learn how to insert and remove rows and columns in a Google Sheet. **Sometimes, when you are working with Google Sheets, you will need to shift things arou
In this blog post, we're going to look at how to use Google App Script to create a Google Calendar with a Google Form. This tutorial will build on some of the same code and concepts we've been working
This is a post to host all of my presentation resources for the presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Group Instructing with Canvas (MAGIC) Conference. To get the most out of this experience, downloading t
This is a post to collect all of the presentation resources for my presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Group Instructing with Canvas (MAGIC) Conference. To get the most out of this experience, try instal
The Google Fonts API makes it easy to load great fonts into your site for free. Beautiful typography can mean the difference between a good website and a great website. Instead of jumping through hoop
Google Forms is a great tool to use to make quick and easy sign-up forms, but sometimes you need it to do something else a bit more complex. In this short tutorial we'll talk about how to extend a bas
## ‘The simple, compact, well join’d scheme’: Creating Multimodal Experiences for Students of Early American Literature Using Web-based Resources
\[caption id="attachment\_727" align="alignright" width="300"\][](/media/networking-1-1.png)
In this short tech tip, we are going to look at how to make a Google Forms send a confirmation email to the user each time they submit a form. This is just a basic template for how to make this happen
Excel is a powerful data analysis tool. In this blog post, we will look at how to use the =RAND() function in Microsoft Excel to randomize a column of data. Randomizing data in Microsoft Excel could b
[](http://ec2-34-198-113-124.compute-1.amazonaws.com/wp-con
People do amazing things everyday. The problem is that most people never see them or hear about them. Creating a buzz is essential to gaining active followers and supporters. Here are just a few tips
 No one wants to be a back seat driver forever. That is a fact. There are many kinds of leaders with differing opinions on this simple fact: Those who gain their authority from the s
 Most of the ideas that people have are not new. They may be new to that person, or new to the situation, but so often they are reproductions of other ideas, other situations, other
Over the last several centuries or so, humankind has undergone a radical shift that has redefined which biological traits determine success. For tens of thousands of years, success, both biological an
Good Morning ITCs, I hope everyone had a nice, abbreviated week because of fall break. Wordpress Challenge 3: Add widgets to your Wordpress page and then write a post about which widgets you selected
I’ve been reading a lot lately on innovation, how to harness it, how to define it, and how to help other people get there. Although all of these scenarios require a fair amount of work to achieve, it
**Ignoring Conventional Wisdom** Communication has a large role in influencing how people make decisions. People develop opinions and sometimes these opinions become widely accepted, often disguised a
Hey Guys, Thanks to all of those who followed me last week for our first weekly WordPress challenge. Your challenge for week 2 is as follows: Add content to your "about" or "bio" page and include an a
Although many Advanced Placement courses and grade level courses have been offered through online or distance models since the early 2000’s, Virginia has recently made a [push to increase the number](
I've been thinking a lot about project based learning, both how it can be applied in the public education setting and how I can use this type of method to organize learning experiences for the undergr
Many universities are implementing e-portfolios in some capacity. The purposes of e-portfolios fall into roughly one of three main categories. The first type of e-portfolio involves using the space to
While communication technology has changed rapidly over the last thirty years, our modes of teaching students to be communicative have changed very little. The essay still seems to be the time-tested
The use of cloud computing in a collaborative research setting provides both student and teacher a more ready means of written communication. Students are able to collaborate together more effectively
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
I had a long discussion with a young man this afternoon. His words were to me far more poingent than he must have intended. He is not a native Of the U.S., and many of us would judge him for the way t
I have always struggled with finding interesting ways to teach grammar to less than enthusiastic students. For many American kids, even the first syllable of the word grammar is enough to make them lo
During my childhood, I played about every sport imaginable for at least a few years except one: soccer, or as my amigos hispan0hablantes call it, futbol, or football for you linguistically challenged
I have been enjoying spending more time outdoors this summer. Being surrounded by nature though certainly helps, as does having an Australian Shepard that requires frequent walks. I feel a bit like Th
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