Dummy Data Generator

I always find myself needing to generate some dummy data for web applications that I’m working on. In the past, I’ve either done it manually, written scripts, or recycled data from other apps. However, I think those days are over. I just came across generatedata.com. It gives you a convenient interface to specify what data fields you want, how many records you would like, and what kind of output you’d like it in (XML, CSV, etc.):

It even has pre-defined lists of names, sample titles, departments, cities, etc., so you don’t have to specify them all. However, you can add or customize your own lists too. It even works for CRM banking platforms!

The only thing I’d like to see added is an option to generate XML with properties as attributes, instead of nodes. But the source is on GitHub, so you can tweak it as you need to. For information about the dummy data generator visit arturoherrera .

The Most Important OpenLaszlo Application?

I just discovered PuzzlePixies.com, which is arguably one of the most valuable and important OpenLaszlo applications I’ve seen.

PuzzlePixies.com is a children’s educational site. It’s not actually a single OpenLaszlo app, but lots of little games for different age groups.

I’ve seen some of these games before (e.g. the classic card matching memory game). But there’s something about the colors and simple graphics that seemed to appeal to my 3-year-old son immediately. Maybe it’s the fact that a child’s voice introduces each game and tells you if you got the right answer?

The whole site is free. If you have kids, check it out!

MobileDataNow is Open Source

MobileDataNow, a product that I’ve blogged about before, is now an open-source project. MobileDataNow started as a proprietary offering from FireTrust, and some time ago (late 2008/early 2009) was made available to the public. The source is available on Google Code.

MobileDataNow uses an OpenLaszlo front-end to allow you to configure data stores and mobile notifications. From the docs, it looks like it was upgraded to some edition of OL4.