It was hard to find a resolution to this problem so I started some experiments. There are no problems to run the unoconv from the console (to convert docx to pdf for example) but is hard when you try to run from PHP as an www-data user. (process:350363): dconf-CRITICAL **: 10:28:43.201: unable to create directory…
Category: dev

How to use the Apache error log for debug
Part of your job as a programmer is to track bugs, to find errors or just the check some backend results. Some people find it hard to use the debuggers or they can’t be installed remotly. So you can choose this small cheat to do this job. This can be done by manipulating and watching…

Add some useful commands to your console (Ubuntu)
Kubuntu comes with Bash scripting language This is a list that will be updated (last updated 4 Oct 2020) If you don’t know what is Bash please read here. At some point, when I started to learn the Web Development the most used command by myself was the apache restart command. And i discovered the…

How to check the creation date of your databases (MySQL)
The Query If you have a lot of databases and you want to check their creation dates just run this SELECT. If the ‘create_time’ is null then your user won’t have the necessary permissions. SELECT table_schema, MAX(create_time) create_time FROM information_schema.tables — where TABLE_SCHEMA =’myDb’ — uncomment for specific database GROUP BY TABLE_SCHEMA — SORT BY…

Tips and tricks for Junior PHP Web Developers
(last updated 04 Oct 2020) Here ill shares some simple tips and tricks that I’ve learned as a Junior PHP Web Developer. And the list will be updated. First of all – everyone learns in their own way. Find yours. By watching videos, reading, or doing tutorials. Check my list with favorite learning sources and…

How to debug/filter the Apache error log by specified string (Linux)
Refine how to display the Apache error log with a simple command While you hunt a bug in your code you may wish to check the error log and refine the result. If you configured a virtual host you may use individual <site>-error.log and will be easier to track some error. You may have problems…

How to update value in DB table only when the cell is not empty or null (MySQL)
I faced the problem I only needed to update the data fields with values. When you work with a real app which has working send email module but you don’t want to botter the clients. Just change their email with yours I spent 10 minutes to find the right query 🙂 Here it is: UPDATE…

Tricks List for Daily work with MySQL (5.7) for Web Developers / Ubuntu
This list will be updated periodically. Every time I feel that something will be useful and make my life easier 🙂 Create daily backups of your working database set on your desktop/dev machine Open console as root Paste in console: crontab -e Edit the user, password, path and filename pattern, the desired time to run…