I wrote about [how to check which application is using which port](https://veerasundar.com/blog/how-to-check-which-application-is-using-which-port/) a long time ago. I was using command line tools then to find out the ports.

Now after a decade, I am using a much simpler way tp find the ports of my servers running locally.

## Using Resource Monitor to find out port

1. Go to Windows `Start` menu, type in `Resource Monitor` and then open the application.
2. Once opened, go to  `Network` tab.
3. You will see the below window.

![Windows Resource Monitor](/img/resource-monitor-port.png)

The `Resource Monitor / Network` shows all the running process and their corresponding listening ports, along with the number of bytes sent and received by this process.

## Killing a process that's running on specific port

Say if you want to kill an application server that is listening to specific port, but you don't know which application server was it. You can use `Resource Monitor / Network` for this.

For example, I want to kill the node process that's listening on port 3000. In the above screenshot, I can see that the node process with PID 8672 is running on port 3000. Now, I can find this process with PID 8672 in the `Processes with Network Activity` panel at the top and then right click on process name. Now, I will have the option to  either `End process` or `End process tree` which both will kill the current process.

Hope this article helped you to find the application that was running on a port and then kill it if necessary.




How to see which application is using which port in Windows


Over the years, I have seen several JavaScript techniques that are particularly clever. Here's a short list of 5 such techniques that I have been using again and again. I hope it inspires you too to rethink how you write certain piece of code.

And, please note that some people may think clever coding impacts readability and they might be right. So, grasp the concept and apply it in your code wherever you think it helps.

## 1. A compact string comparision

Let's say you want to check if a string value is present in a set of strings. You obviously go for a `if` statement as below.

```javascript
if(fruit === 'apple' || fruit === 'banana' || fruit === 'chikoo'){
	doMagic();
}
```

Here's a compact version of above code:
```javascript
if({apple:1,banana:1,chikoo:1}[fruit]){
	doMagic();
}
```

This trick works well only if you have a small set of strings to compare.

## 2. !!

Here's a shortest way to convert any JavaScript value to its truthy / falsy representation - just use `!!val`. Very useful if you want to check if a value is a present or not.

For example,
```javascript
if(!!document.addEventListener){
	doMagic();
}
```

But `!!` might confuse people with `!` operator which has a different meaning. So make a good judgement before you use `!!` everywhere.

## 3. Conditional function call

If a value is true, you want to call a function foo() otherwise you want to call bar(). You go for `if`, right?

```javascript
if(param){
	foo();
}else{
	bar();
}
```

Here's an alternative, short approach:

```javascript
param ? foo() : bar();
```

yay!

## 4. Chaining of function calls

You have three functions `one()`, `two()` and `three()`. You want to call these functions one after other, but only when a previous function returns a truthy value. For example, if all three functions returns a truthy value, then all will be called. But if the function `two()` returns false/null then function `three()` won't be called.

So, you go for `if`, obviously.

```javascript
if(one()){
	if(two()){
		three();
	}
}
```

But let's rewrite with this one:

```javascript
one() && two() && three();
```

## 5. IIFE

**IIFE** is short for **Immediately Invoked Function Expression**. It means, you define a function and then you call it immediately. IIFE helped me in some usecases where I don't want to create a new function but I needed the logic to be inside a function block.

For example, lets say you are initializing variables and for one variable, the initial value needs to be calculated using some complex logic. If you don't want to separate this calculation logic to a seperate function, but you still want to wrap it in it's own block, you can IIFE. Like below:

```javascript
function doMagic(){
	var foo = 1,
		bar = 2,
		zoo = (function(){
			// some complex stuff
			// some more complex stuff
			return stuff;
		}()),
		baz = 3;
}
```

So, what do you think about these tricks? Do you think these are usefull or affect the code readability? Feel free to comment your thoughts.
```


5 nifty JavaScript tricks that you may not know

While writing JavaScript code, I often write debug messages to console using *console.log.* Though it is shorter than *System.out.println()* (hey, you Java!), which I am used to a lot, I still find it ineffective to type it every time.

So, I was following the approach to [bind console.log function to shorter name][1]. Here's another technique which is specific to Sublime Text.

[1]: https://veerasundar.com/blog/shortcut-to-console-log "Shortcut to console.log"

Using Sublime Text *Snippets* option, you can create a shortcut to a template and then you can insert that template in multiple places just by triggering the shortcut. Here's how I did it so that every time, I type *echo*, Sublime Text converts it into *console.log();*

Go to *Tools -> New Snippet*. Sublime will open a template in a new file. Now make sure you have this content in that file (or change it the way you want).

```xml
    <snippet>
    <content><![CDATA[
    console.log(
    ]]></content>
    
    <tabTrigger>echo</tabTrigger> -->
    
    <scope>source.js</scope>
    </snippet>
```

Then save this snippet file as *echo.sublime-snippet* under *Packages/User* folder. To find the location of *Packages/User* folder, in Sublime, go to *Preferences -> Browser packages* and note the location.

Restart sublime and then in a JavaScript file, start typing *echo* and Sublime will provide you with a dropdown to replace *echo* with the template you just created.

Creating a shortcut to console.log in Sublime Text 2


Today I learned a neat trick to organize imports in Eclipse. Of course, one can use **Ctrl Shift O **to remove the unused imports at file level. But what if you want to remove the unused imports for several files, may be at package level?

Simple - in the **Package Explorer** window, right click on the package that you want to modify and then select **source -> Organize Imports **which will analyse all the files inside that package and then remove the unused imports.

One more nifty trick is that you can automatically organize the imports when you save the file. To enable this, go to **Windows -> Preferences -> Java -> Editor -> Save Actions **and then enable **Perform the selected action on save -> Organize imports**. After this, whenever you save a java file, eclipse will remove the unused imports automatically.


Organize imports in Eclipse


So, tell me, how many times have you annoyed with very long pages (such as this blog) and wished for a single click way to jump to top of the page!? If your answer is *many, *then this tip might give you some relief - **add a bookmarklet to your bookmarks toolbar that jumps to the top of the page for you.**

Here's the dead simple way to do it. Just drag this link to your bookmarks toolbar: [^][1]

[1]: javascript:window.scrollTo(0,0);

Here are the manual steps:

1.  Add a new bookmark.
2.  In the *name *field, enter either ^ or UP or \*whatever\*!
3.  In the location/URL field, enter: _javascript:window.scrollTo(0,0);_
4.  Save it.

Happy jumping around!


Scroll to top - JavaScript bookmarklet


Recently learned a really cool trick for copy-pasting code in Eclipse.

Let's say you have the following code:

```java
    package com.veerasundar.demo;

    public class CopyCode {
    	private int nothing;
    }
```

Now copy the above code, go to any Eclipse project and right click on *source *folder and paste. See what happens! Impressive isn't it!?

Here's what Eclipse did: it parsed the clipboard, found that there's a Java code in it, create the necessary package structure for the code to fit in and then copied the code there.

Neat!


Copy paste code directly in Eclipse


Notepad is the lightest yet powerful text editor I've ever came across. It's fast, slick and has been my [default text editor][1] for years.

[1]: https://veerasundar.com/blog/notepad-a-cool-source-code-editor

In the past, I've learned/discovered few tips that helped me a lot while using Notepad . In this post, I'm sharing those tips in the hope that it might help someone else too. If you know any other tips about Notepad , please feel free to share.

## 1. Transform your Notepad to a post-it

Re-size the Notepad editor window to the size you want and then **press F12** which will make the text editor to stick on top of all other windows and will hide toolbars/menu bars.

To get back original window, just click on the **Restore** button.

## 2. How to delete a Macro in Notepad

To delete a macro in Notepad , go to **Settings -> Shortcut Mapper -> Macros** and then right-click on the macro name which you want to delete and click **delete**.

## 3. Edit two files side by side in Notepad

Open the two files which you want to edit simultaneously. Right click on any one file's tab and then select **Move to other view** which will split the screen into two for each of the file.

Of course, you can have more than 2 files open at the same time, and you can move any file into any view. Just follow the above said tip.

## 4. Switching between vertical and horizontal split in side by side editing mode

When you edit two files side by side, the files can be split either vertically or horizontally. To switch between vertical Horizontal, right click on the bar which splits the views and then select **Rotate to Left** or **Rotate to Right**.

## 5. Auto close HTML/XML tag

Go to **TextFX -> TextFX Settings -> Autoclose XHTML/XML**. After checking that option, when ever you edit a html or xml file, the tags will be auto-closed as you type.


5 tips that you might not know about Notepad++


Here's a small UNIX tip (or how-to) for executing a command in the background. For UNIX gurus, this tip might seem like a basic one. But for guys like me who are coming from a Windows background, even smaller ones makes a big difference.

This is the scenario - I use Putty to login to UNIX. I execute few (internal) UNIX commands which are time thirtsy and take at least 2 hours to complete. While the command is running, I can't do anything in the Putty terminal. All I can do is stare the Putty for 2 hours or do the below, to reuse the Putty session for other tasks while running the time-thirsty command in the background.

- In UNIX shell, type your command and hit Enter.
  $ my-long-running-command
  ...... the long-running command running .....

- Your command will start running. Now press `Ctrl z`. This will interrupt the current process and pauses it. You'll see something like this;
  [1] Stopped my-long-running-command

- Now , type `bg` and hit Enter. Your current process (i.e. the command) will start running in the background. To check, type `jobs` in the command line and hit Enter. You'll see the job status something like this.
  $ bg
  [1] my-long-running-command
  $jobs
  [1]- Running my-long-running-command

So, now you can use Putty for other tasks, while your command executes in the background.


Executing a UNIX command in background


<Notification>
  There's an updated article on{" "}
  <a href={"/blog/how-to-see-which-application-using-which-port-windows-gui/"}>How to see which application is using which port in Windows</a> that talks about the GUI for checking ports.
</Notification>

Today I found an easy way to check which application is using which port in my system. Here I'm sharing the steps. These steps are applicable for the **Windows Operating System**.

## Checking which application is using a port:

1.  Open the command prompt - **start → run → cmd** or **start → All Programs → Accessories → Command Prompt.**
2.  Type `netstat -aon | findstr '[port_number]'`. Replace the _[port_number]_ with the actual port number that you want to check and hit enter.
3.  If the port is being used by any application, then that application's detail will be shown. The number, which is shown at the last column of the list, is the PID  (process ID) of that application. Make note of this.
4.  Type `tasklist | findstr '[PID]'`. Replace the _[PID]_ with the number from the above step and hit enter.
5.  You'll be shown the application name that is using your port number.

## Checking which port is being used by a application:

This is exactly the reverse of the above steps.

1.  Open the command prompt - **start → run → cmd** or **start → All Programs → Accessories → Command Prompt.**
2.  Type `tasklist | findstr '[application_name]'`. Replace the _[application_name]_ with the application that you want to check (for example, apache) and hit enter.
3.  Make note of the PID (second column) from the details shown.
4.  Type `netstat -aon | findstr '[PID]'`. Replace the _[PID]_ from the above step and hit enter.
5.  You'll be shown the application detail and the corresponding port to which it is listening.


How to check which application is using which port


When ever I code a complex logic in Java, I often wants to test a part of that complex code to check my logic correctness or to evaluate a code snippet. I usually do this, by creating a sample class named SandBox with a main method and placing whatever code that I wanted to test inside the main method. Then run the SandBox class. This solved my problem most of the times. But recently, I came to know that Eclipse has a elegant way of doing this in the name of Scrapbook Page.

So, **what is Scrapbook Page?** To put it simply, it's just a file where you can place your Java code snippet and execute it directly from the Scrapbook. No need to create any temperory classes (like I did in the previous para). You can even put one line of Java statement like System.out.println('Hello') in the Scrapbook and execute it. You'll get the 'ËœHello' printed on your console. Cool, Isn't it?

That said, I guess now you know the potential of Scrapbook. Let's see **how to use Scrapbook**. To add a scrapbook to your project, go to **File -> New -> Other -> Java -> Java Run/Debug -> Scrapbook page**. This will add a new file with an extension '.jpage'. In this file you can place any Java statements and you can select the Java statements, right click and either choose to:

- **Inspect **- which will show the return value of your statements in an popup box.
- **Display **- which will insert the return value of your statements to the Scrapbook itself.
- **Execute **- which will run your selected Java statements.

Apart from running Java statements, Scrapbook pages supports content assist also. So, when you type your code in Scrapbook, you'll get the Autosuggestions as well.

i hope, this information helps you to use Eclipse effectively for your Java development. Do let me know your thought's about this article.


[Eclipse Tip] How to use Scrapbook pages in Eclipse?


Follow these steps to change the XAMPP server port number:

1.  Stop the XAMPP server, if it is running already.
2.  Open the file **[XAMPP Installation Folder]/apache/conf/httpd.conf**.
3.  Now search for the string `Listen 80` (I'm assuming that your XAMPP was using the port 80. Otherwise, just search for the string 'Listen'). This is the port number which XAMPP uses. Change this 80 to any other number which you prefer.
4.  Then search for the string `ServerName` and update the port number there also.
5.  Now save and re-start XAMPP server and you are done.

## Why do we need to change the port number?

Because, these days, it is very common that a web developer needs to have multiple web servers running, all at the same time. For example, an XAMPP server can be used to run the local WordPress blog, while a JBoss server also needs to be up for testing a java web applications. In such scenarios, if two or more servers are trying to use the same port number, then the late comer will fail to get the port. So, it becomes necessary to change any one server's port number to avoid the conflict.


How to change XAMPP server port?


By default, when you install XAMPP in your windows machine, the `root` password for the MySQL is set to empty. But this is not recommended, as the MySQL database without a password will be accessible to everyone. To avoid this, a proper/secure password must be set to the user `root`. To do it in XAMPP, there are two ways.

## Method 1: reset XAMPP MySQL root password through web interface:

After you started your XAMPP server, go to the browser and type the URL **http://localhost/security/** (incase you've [modified XAMPP server port][1], you need to include that port number also in previous URL). The security page will be shown where you can change the `root` password for MySQL. This will update the phpMyAdmin config also.

[1]: https://veerasundar.com/blog/how-to-change-xampp-server-port "How to change XAMPP server port?"

## Method 2: reset XAMPP MySQL root password through SQL update:

1.  Start the Apache Server and MySQL instances from the XAMPP control panel.
2.  After the server started, open any web browser and give **http://localhost:8090/phpmyadmin/** (if you are running XAMPP on 8090 port). This will open the phpMyAdmin interface. Using this interface we can manager the MySQL server from the web browser.
3.  In the phpMyAdmin window, select _SQL_ tab from the right panel. This will open the SQL tab where we can run the SQL queries.
4.  Now type the following query in the textarea and click **Go**  
    `UPDATE mysql.user SET Password=PASSWORD('password') WHERE User='root'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;`
5.  Now you will see a message saying that the query has been executed successfully.
6.  If you refresh the page, you will be getting a error message. This is because the phpMyAdmin configuration file is not aware of our newly set root passoword. To do this we have to modify the phpMyAdmin config file.
7.  Open the file **[XAMPP Installation Path] / phpmyadmin / config.inc.php** in your favorite text editor.
8.  Search for the string `$cfg\['Servers'\]\[$i\]['password'] = '';` and change it to like this, `$cfg\['Servers'\]\[$i\]['password'] = 'password';` Here the 'password' is what we set to the `root` user using the SQL query.
9.  Now all set to go. Save the config.inc.php file and restart the XAMPP server.


This article explains how to change the MySQL root password in XAMPP for windows. When you install XAMPP, the default root password for MySQL would be empty, which is not recommended.

How to change the root password for MySQL in XAMPP?


Custom fields are the user defined information that are assigned to any blog post in WordPress. They are also called as **meta-data**. Blog authors usually define the custom fields when they write the blog post to give some extra information like mood, whether,etc. Custom fields are **key/value** pairs, that means you can define any key and assign any value to this key. To know more about custom fields check out [WordPress.org][1] site. With this explanation, it is easy to control the ad presence in your blog post easily with custom fields.

[1]: http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Custom_Fields

### Control ad presence in blog post with custom fields

As a blog author, you may want to include ad in some of your blog posts and may not want to have ads in other blogs. But it will be tedious to make a code change every time you post a blog. So we are going to define a custom field `$show_ad` and in the blog template we will check for this custom field. And, if it is YES we will include the advertisement and if it is NO or NULL we are not going to insert the advertisement.

### Code changes to check for a custom field

1.  Open the _single.php_ wordpress template file
2.  Search for the text `the_content` and after this line, insert the below code. This will put the advertisement in the bottom of every post. If you want to place your ad on top of every post, copy below code above to the `the_content` line.
3.  _Code to be inserted_

4.  Save the changes.
5.  After this, when ever you want to insert ad in your blog post, just define a custom field `show_ad` and give it a value 'YES'. Your ad code will be inserted to this post alone. If you don't want to insert ad, just don't define any custom fields. So simple, isn't it?


#tip (13)