Blog

Exploring reactivity in Svelte JS with real-world examples

So, we all saw the presentation by Rich Harris, the creator of the Svelte Javascript compiler, and are excited about implementing spreadsheet reactivity in our projects. However, even though the concept is easy to grasp when looking at simple examples implementing reactivity is sometimes not obvious when working with real data. In the last months, I have worked hard on Wisvids an online math video subscription service build with Svelte JS and this article explores Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

How to use external Javascript libraries (e.g. Stripe.js) in SvelteJS

There are many javascript libraries that give a lot of functionality out of the box which we normally include with a <script src=”url”></script> in the header section of the HTML page. In this article, we explain a method to do use these libraries in SvelteJS components. In doing so we explore three features of Svelte that are not often written about: onMount, svelte-head, and global(). So as an example we build an integration with the Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

A good authentication example, Sapper sessions, Svelte Store

For my new architecture with microservices and Svelte, a vital implementation detail is the authentication and authorization mechanisms. In the last article, there was an example of how to build the signup component and in this example, we take a look at sessions. The final result is basic account creation and authentication support with a JWT token for upstream services. A quick glance at the authentication API We use an external service created in API Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

How to implement custom pathfinding A* & CC in Unreal Engine 4

In this article, we see how our team implemented pathfinding in the Unreal Engine 4 for the upcoming tower defense game MassMonsterMaze. Besides using the default navigation meshes of the Unreal engine we implemented an A* algorithm in blueprints and a connected components (island detection) algorithm in C++. The hope is that the article gives a headstart to other game developers trying to implement pathfinding in their projects. The use case In our game, the Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

A tutorial on how to use the Messenger component of Symfony 4 with RabbitMQ

Running tasks asynchronous is becoming vital for any large web application. An example, on which I worked, is a Facebook-like activity stream for Open Social (Drupal 8). Imagine that a personal notification based on a relation, rank, and gender has to be generated for millions of users when an event happens. Pretty complex right? Now, imagine the messages to have to be aggregated (e.g., messages like there are 5 new comments on your posts). It Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

A realistic plan to pay for a universal basic income in the Netherlands

Een Nederlandse versie kan je hier vinden The idea of a universal basic income (UBI) is gaining traction on the whole political sphere. The central concept is that every citizen gets a monthly allowance that is above the poverty line with no mandatory requirements (e.g., having to apply for a job). Even if you do have a salary, you would still get the monthly UBI on top of it. As the concept is assuming a Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago
API Platform and Symfony 4

How to build a Symfony 4 API Platform application from scratch

Symfony 4 and the API Platform Framework make it easy to create an API application with basic CRUD operations. However, in real-world applications more advanced features (e.g. authentication and custom endpoints) are needed which require quite a bit of knowledge to set-up. Therefore, in this blog article, we explore these advanced features by creating an example application that covers the following topics: Step 1. Installation of API Platform and the EasyAdminBundle Step 2. Creation of Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

How to get Davinci Resolve 16 to work in Linux Ubuntu 18.04

Davinci Resolve has official support for Linux since version 15. However, when trying to install it I ran into a few issues. I have an AMD video card so I can not give instructions for the NVIDIA drivers but the concepts are the same. I hope this article helps in fixing your issues to get Resolve running smoothly. Note, that there is always a risk when installing drivers. When you continue it is at your Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago
Andrew Yang speaking in front of flag

Why can Andrew Yang win the 2020 presidency?

Even though I do come from the Netherlands I am an enthusiastic follower of the presidential elections. Furthermore, when a tech-minded startup guy runs on the platform based on a universal basic income (Freedom dividend) policy it is difficult to not to watch every interview, debate, and rally he conducts. I first became aware of Andrew Yang from an interview with Sam Harris (unfortunately you can only hear half of the interview for free) and Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

My new web application architecture: A Svelte front-end using API Platform (micro)services

For a new project, I decided to upgrade my architecture. My previous architecture ran with single-instance SaaS build in Drupal. Meaning that every new customer would get its own Drupal installation with its own database. As I learn more about APIs with by building services with API Platform the advantages of a big monolithic application like Drupal is diminishing. Currently, I developed the following services that I use in my applications: Video processing API Environment Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

A co-op tower defense game on the Unreal Engine – intro

As lifelong video game enthusiasts, a friend and I decided to build a tower defense game together. I have some previous experience in an internship building games for the Nintendo DS and he (Sander Vereecken) is an environment artist involved in level design for Killzone Shadow Fall, Horizon Zero Dawn and, Renegade-X. We want it to be a multiplayer game that is fun to play at a LAN-party, the main inspiration comes from TD maps Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago

Lancering bijlesaanbod.nl

Vandaag lanceer ik officieel het platform Bijles aanbod. Wij bieden een oplossing voor docenten van het voorgezet onderwijs die voor zichzelf willen beginnen met het geven van bijlessen. Na een lange test periode met twee docenten die zijn begonnen met bijles geven ben ik overtuigd dat het andere docenten kan helpen bij het opzetten van een bedrijf. Ons model onderscheidt zich van veel andere bijlesplatforms omdat we niet als tussenpersoon tussen de docent en de Read more…

By nielsvandermolen, ago