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A Place for Awesome Developers   by giltotherescue

Rating: (by 36 people)   Your rating:

You're here for any of 4 reasons (maybe all): 

  1. You're already familiar with Squidoo and want to try your hand at making a module for the site. (You can't believe we don't have this one yet!).
  2. You're a smart developer looking for a new project, and maybe get credit for getting it featured on Squidoo.
  3. You run your own site or blog or service and are looking for a way to promote your content to our 100,000 passionate lensmasters, for free.
  4. You want fame, fortune, or a pony.

Wait, what's a module? 

A module is just a building block. A widget. A lincoln log. Modules are the content boxes that make up our single page user-created "lenses." Some modules are very powerful and complex with several inputs and display options and lots of Ajax. Some are simple and widgety and fast.

We have modules for Amazon content, eBay, Flickr, Indeed, RSS feeds, CafePress, RollingStone.com, Delicious, a Text module, a Link List module, and a whole lot more.

Find out more about Squidoo (and see some modules in action) here: squidoo.com/squidoo.

3 things you should know... 

  • Go ahead and download our Module Development Kit (MDK). It's totally free and always will be. And it's everything you need to get started right away. Don't forget the documentation!
  • Stop by our MDK help forum if you have questions. Before posting, you should sign up and build a lens.
  • You should know in advance that building a module doesn't guarantee that it will be included on Squidoo. We look at submissions for quality, functionality, and "interestingness" to our users. For instance, you could build the world's best working "how many breaths am I taking every minute" module, but we probably can't make a good case for introducing that to our users. (Sorry, science teachers).

Getting started 

If you have an idea for a module that you really want to build and get approved, but aren't sure if our community would dig it, drop us a line first and let us know what you're thinking.

Bonus: Or feel free to get your feet wet by grabbing a module off our "Most Wanted" list below. Those are modules that we'd really love to have and, if built well, will likely be whitelisted for use in the site. We offer a bounty for modules built off this list, too.

P.S. A promise from us to you: Any module we do add to Squidoo will get proper crediting in the site as well as SquidBlog love. And maybe a hug.

Here's everything you need... 

Download the MDK


Download the Documentation

Programming requirements 

A bit of HTML, PHP, and Javascript experience are all you need

To build a module, you'll need at least working knowledge of HTML and PHP, and a place to host your modules while it's in development. The more advanced your modules become, the more likely you'll be to need some Javascript experience—but many of our modules are javascript-free.

If you're eager to pick up a new skill, I recommend the following books to get you started.

Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML (Head First)

by Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Freeman

The first of its kind to use cutting-edge learning theory to teach better and faster, the Head First book series is simply amazing. If you're new to HTML, this book is a great read.

Amazon Price: $25.19 (as of 05/18/2007)

Beginning PHP and MySQL 5: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition

by W. Jason Gilmore

I haven't read this book personally, but many of Amazon's reviews speak very highly of it. Beware: while the book serves as a good introduction to PHP, it appears not to be a good introduction to programming. For that, I recommend Head First Java.

Amazon Price: $29.69 (as of 05/18/2007)

Head First Java, 2nd Edition

by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates

New to programming? Fear not! Head First Java is a great way to start programming. Even better, you'll be learning a language that's actually useful. Bye bye Cobol...

Amazon Price: $29.67 (as of 05/18/2007)

PHP Cookbook (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))

by Adam Trachtenberg, David Sklar

Once you're familiar with the language, this cookbook has a number of great code samples that can help while developing your module.

Amazon Price: $28.34 (as of 05/18/2007)

Still not sure what a lens is, or how our modules work? 

Is this your first visit to Squidoo? If so, get a feel for what Squidoo is all about (and also what the modules can do) by visiting some of these awesome lenses from our Lens of the Day group.
My Dog Indigo

This lens is about my dog Indigo.  I built this site to support the ASPCA in their fight against animal cruelty. If you see a book or dog treat you like, please order it from the link on this site so we can help support the ASPCA. Thanks Want t...

Learn to Fly - Find out what it takes to earn a private pilots license

Since I was young I always wanted to fly. But, until recently it was just a dream. When I finally decided to earn my private pilots license I looked around the internet to find out what was involved. At the time there were not many great resources so...

Funky, Chic and Cool Laptop Bags

In the year and a half since I started my search for the perfect bag, I've discovered many talented designers.  I'm thrilled to see that "funky, chic and cool" is the new black for laptop bags and cases.My search continues ... needs ch...

Tea Junkie

I grew up on Lipton iced tea with lots of sugar, aka. sweet tea if you are from the South. After a three week visit to China, I have become a tea junkie. There's green teas, white teas, oolong teas, herbal infusions, and so much more. I am constantly...

CSS Design

When I began designing websites, my biggest concern was the finished product.  I didn't care that the code was bloated as long as my site looked good in IE and Netscape.  Tables, pixel shims, font tags -- nothing was off limits.  Then...

Most wanted 

Not sure what to build? Here are a few modules we're dying to have.

#1

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craigslist

Not sure if they have an API though.14 points

#2

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PopShops Store Lens

An auto-include that resizes properly. Sure, this can be done with iframe if you are real careful, but height resizing is iffy at best.12 points

#3

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Etsy

Put Etsy products on a lens and sell them to the world. Would work similar to CafePress or Amazon.8 points

#4

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Slideshow module

Pictures that move. Eyecandy!7 points

#5

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Stats Counter

Ability to track where your lens traffic is coming from, etc.7 points

#6

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Autoresponder Signup Form

A simple way to let your visitors signup to your autoresponder newsletter (currently done via Iframe).7 points

#7

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Countdown widget

Set a time or event or day and countdown to it on your lens.6 points

#8

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Charts

Tables and graphs, or either. Especially if they can sort dynamically.6 points

#9

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Geo-Targeted Amazon Module

An Amazon module which shows matching products for the visitor's country, e.g. UK, CA, FR, DE, etc. Only for keywords though, not hand-picked items.6 points

#10

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Zazzle

Zazzle.com Products5 points

#11

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Music Player

Similar to MySpace music players, with configuration and options.5 points

#12

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Fundraising widget

Lensmaster sets goal amount and the benefitting charity. Module works like a tipjar, maybe, paying the charity monthly via PayPal?4 points

#13

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Petition module

Probably a guestbook, right, but with a different skin? It should include the ability, IN the module, for someone to easily and quickly email the lens to a friend and spread the signing of the petition.4 points

#14

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collapsible link list

A link list that has a simple tree based structure that can expand or collapse to make navigating large link lists easier.4 points

#15

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Art.com or Allposters.com module

A module that would allow you to show posters based on keyword.4 points

#16

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Forms in a module

to be able to feature a product from Commission Junction through a Form. Using iFrames currently.3 points

#17

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Weather widget

Simple widget to show today's weather. Display options for what to view (forecast, current temp, current precip, etc)2 points

#18

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ScribD Module

This allows you to have pdf documents that can be read without having to download them2 points

#19

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Lulu Module

This would allow us to sell books that have been published on Lulu.2 points

#20

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Grab-bag module

A mystery module that features a single different Amazon product, within a category, every day...at a discount?1 point

#21

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Brightcove

Youtube? = Yawn! How about a better quality video-clip module ... i.e. www.brightcove.com1 point

#22

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PopShops Module

A way to incorporate PopShops directly into lenses, to replace the departed iframe stuff1 point