Smash the Bug

On this episode of Smash the Bug, TJ Gamble, Owner and CEO of Jamersan and the one and only Ecommerce Aholic on YouTube is here to discuss what makes a developer irreplaceable and how to think about your journey as an Ecommerce professional.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Why is understanding the business of Ecommerce important for developers?

How can agencies and their developers differentiate themselves in the marketplace as the best at building and maintaining sites, but also partnering with the merchant and educating them?

Merchants need to know that you are their PARTNER, not just their emergency help in distress. After all, the more successful and profitable that merchant becomes, the more they need your agency in order to continue that growth process and increase their marketshare!

Agencies want someone who doesn't have an ago, who can communicate well and employ a high level of emotional intelligence, and who shows a certain level of curiosity.

Curiosity, in this industry, proves that a developer enjoys their work, wants to grow and improve, and is going to do a thorough job when given a difficult and/or obscure project. Curiosity can even be regarded as a dying quality in today's world, since we are constantly being influenced towards speed and objectivity, which naturally surpasses the ability to be curious.

TJ believes that developers who are busy with side jobs and creative hobbies make for some of the best developers, and it all contributes to that idea of "curiosity".

Good communication doesn't mean more communication, but mores being able to listen well and explain information in simple, clear terms.

A good developer is able to communicate the same information to a merchant that he or she would be communicating to a manger or co-worker, in different ways that apply better to the person he is speaking to.

Merchants don't want to work with a team that won't slow down and try to help them understand what is going on.

You may not be an account manager or regularly interfacing with merchants, but learning to communicate effectively will serve you well in your career. It will certainly help you land that promotion or job that you've been working towards!

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Check out TJ Gamble / Ecommerce Aholic right here: https://www.youtube.com/c/eCommerceAholic/videos

Do YOU have an interesting experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

(Theme music courtesy of Trending Audio)

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Oscar Merida, Editor in Chief at php[architect] (phparch.com) is here to give us the "PHP pro tools" and remind us of some very useful resources we should be utilizing. The reality is that most developers only understand "the bare minimum" when it comes to PHP and there is a whole world of resources we can tap into to sharpen our knowledge.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Underused features in PHP:

For language syntax, there is a whole suite of functional array support that makes everything more efficient.

The biggest complaint about these array functions - is it legitimate or just a misunderstanding?

Developer experience vs actual functional quality.

In a practical sense, what does a generator actually do and how can it optimize performance?

Built-in developer web server - a quick way to stand up a local website to hack on ("quick and dirty dev environment").

SPL Library for working with files.

 

Best resources out there for PHP:

"We know what the platform requires of us, but it's hard for us to look outside of that"

php.net docs for practical day-to-day stuff.

phptherightway.com - actual advice on how to work with databases (and more).

Your local user group - listen and share!

Go to php.ug to find a local group, or nomadphp.com to get involved.

For helpful php tips and info, php[architect] (phparch.com) is a solid resource. It's an actual magazine that gets shipped to you, which will help you learn while getting away from your screen for a while. With your subscription, you'll gain access to the php[architect] discord community where you can ask questions and seek advice from others like yourself!

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Do YOU have an interesting experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

 

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

(Theme music courtesy of Trending Audio)

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Chris Anderson, Tech Lead at BORN Group talks about a difficult integration project and how developers really should be learning how to use RabbitMQ!

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Using Magento in the "best way possible" and avoiding over-customization away from the Magento core.

Why RabbitMQ isn't more widely used, and why you should start learning about it.

When a client was trying to onboard multiple sites to Magento and have it communicate with their SSO, RabbitMQ was a uniquely perfect solution, which made Chris the "RabbitMQ guy" at his company after he learned how to use it specifically for this project.

The importance of not letting yourself stop learning - you never know when you'll be faced with a task that could take 100 hours or 1 hour, depending on how wide your knowledge base is.

A simple communication error can wreak havoc on an entire system, and being able to spot it requires the desire to learn more than you think you "need" to know.

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Do YOU have an interesting experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Simon Frost gives us a sneak peek at his upcoming book on the Magento 2 admin panel, outlines his debugging process and explains what it takes to become a "power user"!

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Brief overview of Simon's upcoming book on the Magento 2 admin panel and why it will be useful for tons of developers.

What it takes to become a "power user" and what that means.

The importance of a "personal solutions log" and how to start one.

Admin action logs as a great start to evidence gathering.

"Created at" and "updated at" - approaching a bug like a forensic investigator.

Why Simon tries to avoid firing up Xdebug until he knows it's time.

Simon's "comparison technique".

Skilled debugging is more than compiling a bunch of different tools, but more importantly, choosing the right one.

"If everything seems to be working properly, challenge your assumptions".

 

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Do YOU have an interesting experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Joseph and Jesse talk about the importance of resetting even before a problem is solved, a deep Xdebug stack trace, and the importance of visualizing data in the right ways.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Why are we on a dock at the lake?

The importance of clearing your mind and resetting, even when deadlines are approaching.

The light bulb moment (it's not what you think).

Amending the discussion on "views" from Episode 8 Products not loading into a quote item , a deep Xdebug stack trace with a fix in under an hour, and the value of teamwork and collaboration.

Price re-calculation/updating not happening (logging is so important!) and how visualizing data in the right ways gets you far.

The ultimate value of becoming an amazing problem solver.

 

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Do YOU have an interesting experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

Don't forget to check out SwiftOtter's brand new FREE COURSE, "Mastering Xdebug"! Go to SwiftOtter.com/MasteringXdebug to enroll!

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Robert Rand of JetRails discusses with Joseph the current state of the Magento (or Adobe Commerce) ecosystem after the Adobe Summit, and gives some helpful tips on agency communication.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

The current state of the Magento (Adobe Commerce) ecosystem after the Adobe Summit.

Is open source going to go away now that Magento is Adobe Commerce and things are evolving?

How do agencies often fail to keep merchants and how can these issues be avoided?

What impact does a developer have on the merchant/agency relationship?

What communication strategies are key to the merchant/agency relationship?

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Do YOU have an interesting experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Joseph and Jesse (the dream team at SwiftOtter Solutions) talk about Hyva, BugUFO.com, and helpful strategies for debugging!

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

-News & updates-

What is Hyva and how can it be used in Magento 2?

Is BugUFO.com going to be a valuable resource in addition to Stack Overflow?

 

-Experiences, Tips & Hacks-

Over and over again, we think we know what we are working on and the kind of bug we are fixing, but the finished product is very different from what we set out to accomplish.

Join filters and working with statuses.

Is this a "plug the hole" situation or time to build a real fix?

DocBlock issues and a broken URL When to go local and replicate outside the staging environment.

Performance improvements: indexing and small vs big improvements

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Do YOU have an interesting experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Dan Andrei talks about his experience dealing with a massive eCommerce store that wasn't functioning well on Magento 2.3.6!

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Client with massive store and too many customizable products for Magento 2.3.6.

Product page was crashing. Comparing configurable products led to narrowing down the issue, finding what was crashing the page and then formulating an actionable solution (with multiple components).

Keys for success: getting thrown in the deep end and having to learn things mostly on your own with some help from peers. Getting creative when coming up with solutions and thinking dynamically when complex issues come up.

Tool of choice: PhpStorm

Plugin of choice: Magicento

Machine of choice: Linux (without a doubt!)

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Do YOU have an interesting (and 100% true) experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Joseph and Jesse (the dream team at SwiftOtter Solutions) talk about news from the Adobe Summit and the many common production challenges that agencies experience.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

-News & Updates-

Adobe Commerce Payments: is Adobe fixing a pain point by "componentizing" payments?

Adobe Commerce Search: will it be a step up, or even be able to keep up with Algolia?

The Art of eCommerce Debugging - July 1st is a date you will want to write down!

 

-Experiences, Tips & Hacks-

Production problems: the monster in the closet. When things check out on local and dev, then we have a mystery bug.

Lessons on what changes you should and shouldn't be making in the production stage.

The better way to communicate apologies to clients and move forward after a big setback.

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Do YOU have an interesting experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers!

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

On this episode of Smash the Bug, Sarvagya Pandey talks about his experience with MSI and the difficult hurdles he has crossed in his career!

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

First challenge: Needed to map the project and define MSI, dive into the code and connect the merchant's needs with what Magento could offer.

Second challenge: MSI wasn't in use in a lot of cases, so information was hard to find on stack exchanges and in community forums.

"Regardless of what feature we are working, we have to see that the particular change should not break Magento or Magento functionality when we upgrade or make other changes".

Get information and user flows, understand the Magento code, and use your tools. Understand all of the locations where the functionality is present - sometimes you can adjust the same function in multiple places.

One of the most overlooked tools is the code itself - rehearsing what is happening and where it is happening.

Perspective: "I want to learn as I work"

Being embarrassed while reviewing your code from six months ago is GOOD and it means you're growing.

Concept: the importance of community and always thinking like a junior developer.

Gaining awareness is the starting point (credit to Ben Marks).

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Do YOU have an interesting (and 100% true) experience with debugging? Send your story to [email protected] and you might be our next podcast guest!

This podcast exists to inspire, educate and entertain eCommerce developers who are serious about improving their skills and advancing their careers.

The Art of Ecommerce Debugging, your complete guide to becoming an expert debugger, is NOW AVAILABLE at SwiftOtter.com! Claim your copy right here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/

The information contained in this book is your pathway to becoming an incredible developer. In fact, veteran developers from all over the world are reporting that they learned valuable new tricks from this book. Your ROI on this inexpensive tool will be immediate and through the roof!

Get your copy here: https://swiftotter.com/art-of-debugging#/