2017 Madison PHP Monthly Meetings
11 Jan - 31 Dec 2017 at Madison College

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Learn about the benefits of using Swagger, Swagger Editor, and Swagger UI to develop your REST API: from client to server to documentation. Come and learn about the Swagger Framework for REST APIs, "The World's Most Popular Framework for APIs." You will get an introduction to Swagger, the OAI/OpenAPI Specification, and associated Swagger Tools. The seamless transition from API design to documentation to implementation is simplified with Swagger. We will cover working examples to get you up and running with Swagger.

2

Are you scared by JavaScript? Have you used JQuery but struggle with adding interactive features to your web page? This talk will help you understand how to use JavaScript effectively in your existing web pages and PHP applications. Let's explore different ways to write and structure your JavaScript code and introduce the model-view-view model pattern as a complement to the model view controller pattern often used in PHP to create more reusable, understandable, and testable code.

Have you ever thought about giving a talk at a user group or at a conference but weren't sure what to talk about? Weren't sure how to format your slides? Weren't sure where to even start? Learn some tips for finding a topic, creating your talk, and engaging your audience. After the talk, Beth will be on-hand to work with you to develop your talk ideas, write your abstract, and find a call for papers or user group to submit your ideas to.

Are you interested in Laravel but don't know how to start? Homestead is a Laravel project that simplifies the creation of a local environment configured to run Laravel applications. Bring your laptop and when we're finished you'll have Homestead running and a fresh install of Laravel ready to work with.

Not everyone is a user interface designer, but that doesn't mean that usability isn't your concern. Usability affects everyone, and some small changes can make a big difference. We'll start by out covering some of my personal usability pet peeves to get the conversation started. We'll talk about how to do usability testing, and then, as a group, we'll analyze the usability of some real world sites (from completely embarrassing to innovative). If you'd like, we can even take a look at your site.

Hear about Impostor Syndrome from a software developer with a Psychology degree. In this talk, you will learn what Impostor Syndrome is, why it matters in today's workplace, and strategies for conquering it. You will learn ways to be an advocate for others in tech, from people who are just considering a career to long-time industry veterans. After listening to this talk, you will gain insights about yourself and your co-workers, and you will learn how to be a better person, employee, and advocate for others.

No matter the size of your team most developers work with users or stakeholders to develop project requirements. Making your way through competing requests to get to a good design takes a lot of time and skill. In this talk, Derek will use what he has learned as a parent and humorously apply it to product design and requirement gathering. You will learn about effective methods for getting agreement on product features and interface design. You will learn ways of discovering what stakeholders really need to ensure delivery of a great product. These are valuable skills that can help you create better applications, become more valuable to your team, and advance your career. You might even pick up a parenting tip or two.