A diagram of the QWERTY keyboard lowercase characters
Productivity Tools, Tools & Tips

Typing French Accented Characters on a QWERTY Keyboard

QWERTY or AZERTY?

If you’re using a computer designed for the English-speaking market, be that US, International or English-English, it  can be a challenge to type French accented characters. In systems set up for French speakers, its far simpler because they have a AZERTY keyboard, which gives quick access to the characters and symbols that are needed.

For English-speakers, our systems are shipped by default with a QWERTY keyboard – so called because the first six characters on the keyboard are Q-W-E-R-T and Y. Since that keyboard is designed around the frequency of letters and characters used in English (and there are some US and UK differences, in the main they are the same) obviously there’s unlikely to be any reason to access the many accented letters used in the French alphabet. But what if you do find you need them? Maybe you’re studying French or resident there, or a native French speaker stuck with a QWERTY system. In this post I’ll describe three different workarounds that will make it much easier to find the accents you need.

Three Ways to Type French Accented Characters

One way is to become familiar with the ASCII or ANSI codes for each accented letter or symbol. These are basically a combinations of machine-readable codes that anyone who’s worked with HTML will probably have come across already, and usually involve a combination of keys, such as Alt or Alt+Shift and a three- or four-digit number. For example, press Alt and type 0181 and the micro character, “µ”, is displayed. These codes can seem laborious to learn at first but, as a tech writer (by trade), I’m a big fan of these; they’re the only way to program special characters into FrameMaker template headings and in non-WYSIWYG coding tools with the benefit that if you programme the ANSI code you know it’s going to come out right at the other end. I guess I just got used to them. If you want to give them a try you can use the list shown in the table below.

LetterAccented Character & ASCII (Lowercase) CodeAccented Character & ANSI (Uppercase) Code
Aà = Alt + 133
á = Alt + 160
â = Alt + 131
À = Alt + 0192
Á = Alt + 0193
 = Alt + 0194
Eé = Alt + 130
è = Alt + 138
ê = Alt + 136
ë = Alt + 137
É = Alt + 144
È = Alt + 0200
Ê = Alt + 0201
Ë = Alt + 0203
Iî = Alt + 140
ï = Alt + 139
Î = Alt + 0206
Ï = Alt + 0207
Oó = Alt + 162
ô = Alt + 147
Ó = Alt + 0211
Ô = Alt + 0212
Uù = Alt + 151
û = Alt + 150
Ù = Alt + 0217
Û = Alt + 0219
Æ æ = Alt + 145Æ = Alt + 146
Cç = Alt + 135
Quotation Marks« = Alt + 174
» = Alt + 175

Another useful code is for the Euro currency symbol (Alt+0128).
And advantage of knowing the ANSI codes is they will work on ANY system: Windows, Mac, etc.

The second way involves installing the US or UK International Keyboard and using this in place of your US or UK default. This method is relatively simple once you’ve got the keyboard set up. There’s a small learning curve but no long term memory demands. I have a printed list of the ANSI codes – and sometimes they are useful – but since I installed the International keyboard I am using them less and less.

Finally, you can install the French (of French Canadian) keyboard, which uses the AZERTY layout. This isn’t so easy to use on a QWERTY keyboard unless you have excellent visual memory because the layout is very different. I don’t recommend this option on a PC. It’s less cumbersome on a MAC because that also gives you a visual keyboard option (this may exist for Windows, but if so I haven’t found it – yet). Since I’m talking about Windows here, we’ll skip right over this and go back to the International keyboard layout as I think that’s the most accessible of the three options for Windows users.

Here’s an overview of the differences and a quick reference for accessing the accented letters on the International keyboard and also a few other suggestions that make writing in French on a QWERTY keyboard more manageable.

Differences between the UK Default and International Keyboards

The two images below show the main differences between the regular UK and International keyboards. They’re really very similar – and anyone who also uses a Mac or iPad will be familiar with the placement of the @ and ” symbols; it’s just the behaviour, with regards to combining keystrokes to add accents, that makes the difference.

QWERTY_CAPS
UK International vs Default Keyboard Layout (Uppercase/Shift)
QWERTY_LowerCase
UK International vs Default Keyboard Layout (Lowercase/No Shift)

UK International Keyboard Quick Reference

You can always find visual representations of the International keyboard to help you navigate it but they are pretty confusing in themselves. This list of key strokes is, I find, easier to use.

Accented Letter(s)AccentDescriptionExample
á éAccute  (single quote), the letter (a, e, i, o, u)‘ a = á
‘ e = é
à èGrave`(key to the left of the 1 on the keyboard), the letter (a, e, etc.)`a = à
`e = è
êCirconflexShift+6, e^ e = ê
çCedille (single quote), c`c = ç
öTrémaShift+’ (single quote), o‘ o = ö
« »Quote marksCtrl+Alt+[
Ctrl+Alt+]
[ = «
] = »

The only snag with the above is that the key you use to apply the acute, grave and tréma accents is also the one you need to work alone, should you need a plain ol’ apostrophe. To do this, just hit the apostrophe (single quote) key, then hit the spacebar twice: the first time to make the apostrophe mark, the second time to add a space after it. The same goes for UK and US English-style quotation marks (curly quotes):

To get an apostrophe, type: ' (single quote), space, space

To get UK/US quotation marks, type: Shift + ' (single quote), space, space

Once you have the International keyboard setup you’ll wonder how you every managed without it. Setting it up can be tricky though – so in my next post I’ll give you instructions on how to do it.

I no longer offer tech support, preferring to focus on websites, SEO, and branding. However, I still love writing! If you like this post and want to support me, please click the button below!

Tools & Tips

Move MySQL Database Files between XAMPP Installations

I recently had the (dis)pleasure of having to reinstall my laptop. Of course this happened when I had a deadline. Then, when I found I was unable to access the web development project files I needed due to an error with the XAMPP installation of Apache, I was facing a lost afternoon. The question was, how to migrate my PHP database from one installation of XAMPP to another while unable to open PHPMyAdmin and export them? Luckily, the answer was simple.

To do this:

Move MySQL Databases from one version of XAMPP to another

Download and install XAMPP.

https://www.apachefriends.org/download.html

Verify the Installation

Run Apache and MySQL and check that both are working, then Stop both processes.

Copy the database files from the old to the new installation

In the new version of XAMPP, delete the folder ..mysql/data (I usually just rename it by adding the prefix “z” so that I don’t have to go hunting for the files if I need to replace them.)Copy the entire data folder from the old XAMPP installation folder to the new one.

Start Apache and MySQL and check your files

Start both applications then check for your database names int he list of databases in PHPMyAdmin.Then check your websites at //localhost/yourwebsiteaddress

That’s it! It was one of those jobs that I thought would be a massive headache but turned out relatively simple and – more importantly – fast!

Now, back to work…

I no longer offer tech support, preferring to focus on websites, SEO, and branding. However, I still love writing! If you like this post and want to support me, please click the button below!

Productivity Tools, Tools & Tips, Websites

From Yoast to SEO Press OLD

Since I first started working with WordPress I’ve been using the Yoast plugin for my SEO. It’s a great tool. I’ve been happy with it and have been happily recommending it to clients. But lately there’s been chatter in some groups where WordPress pros and others discuss their SEO tools of choice, and I’ve been hearing very good things about SEO Press. After reading many reviews to find out more, I’ve decided to give it a go.

As I type, I’m backing up my personal blog and will shortly be installing SEO Press. Once it’s installed I will then go through the configuration and setup procedure (if there is one) and then work on and publish my first post using it. According to the instructions I’ve read it’s simple to use and has some great features, such as tools to help with titles and metatags, the creation of XML and HTML sitemaps (the latter being somewhat overlooked these days but still very helpful), content analysis with unlimited keywords, and also making it easy to implement Schema – a form of metadata that is increasingly favoured by search engines, giving your content much greater visibility in searches.

There’s a comparison of the tool’s features on the SEO Press website. It sounds impressive, at least for a free plugin. As with anything the proof will be in the pudding. After using it for a while I’ll come back with a review – on usability and also whether it makes any discernible difference to my site’s SEO! Of course, there’s no plugin in the world that can actually boost your site’s SEO. Only good writing and constant review and improvement can do that! But what a good SEO plugin can do is guide you a little and make some of the technical side of SEO, such as adding Schema tags and maintaining your XML sitemaps, easier to manage. Wish me luck!

Do you need help with your website SEO or WordPress tools and plugins? If so, contact me to arrange a free consultation – no obligation.

Tools & Tips

Using Git (via GitBash) for Version Control

Whether you’re working on content or code, version control is the best way to stay sane. Being able to edit your work knowing that any mistakes or problems can be rolled back is reassuring – and also an essential part of a professional content writer or coder’s workflow.

It can all sound super-nerdy, but using Git is surprisingly simple. I’ve been using GitBash, which really helped to demystify the process. There are only a handful of commands required. After a small amount of setup (setting your Environment Variables, for example) you’ll be ready to go.

Here’s a quick reference to all the git commands you need.

To create a new git repository:

  1. Navigate to the directory containing your files (for WP dev can navigate straight to the directory for your theme: don’t waste time and space adding the whole wp-content folder as most of the time you won’t touch it.)
  2. Type git init.
  3. Type git add -A to add all the files in that directory – or use the specific file or folder name, if you just want to add a subset of the directory contents.
  4. Type git commit – and you’re done.

If you make a mistake and need to remove any files (as I’ve just accidentally done):

  • Type git rm -r [file-name.txt], where file-name.txt is the file or folder to remove.

After making updates:

  • Type git commit -m “[commit message]” to commit your changes.

That’s it!

For a full list of commands, there’s this handy list on github.

Are you using git to track your project’s changes? If not, why not!?

Productivity Tools, Tools & Tips

Three Free Software Tools for Small Businesses

If you’re running a small business, when it comes to admin it’s easy to stick with what you know. I see many clients trying to manage invoicing and time tracking with Excel or an equivalent spreadsheet, or posting to each social media channel separately. And managing projects can always be tricky, especially when you have multiple clients. But software has moved on. Now there are many Cloud-based applications that can really transform your efficiency. In this post I’ll introduce what I think are the best three free software tools. I hope by using one or all of them you’ll find will help you be more organised and efficient with your business admin.

1. Harvest – for time tracking and invoicing

If you’re charging for time or services, this is a great app that, with some canny configuration, you can use for free but still track time for multiple clients.

The interface is clean and intuitive. You track your time, you invoice for that time, you track the progress of your invoices (sent, unpaid, paid) etc. and you can also generate some great reports based on date ranges.

The Harvest Time Tracking Software Invoice Page

If you want to go further, you can also start using it to track expenses.

A nice feature of this app is that it’s very easy to customise the standard field labels in your invoices, making it perfect for those of us running businesses outside of the US or UK. Just go into Invoices then Settings and select Translations, make your changes, and then click Save Translations when you’re done.

Translate your Invoice Field Names with Harvest

Since the French fiscal year starts on January 1st, it’s not too late to set up something new like this. You can easily migrate your invoices, in order to keep the report up-to-date.

As I mentioned earlier, it is perfectly possible to use the free version of this app to manage multiple client projects and will be showing you how via my Facebook page with a Live in coming weeks. Contact me if you need any help!

2. Trello – for tracking projects and making lists

Trello is one of those super-simple apps that has so many great features, you’ll wonder how you managed your projects without it.

It works around a system of “boards” – think, if you had a physical white board in your office on which to collect and prioritise related tasks. For example, you could create a board for each of your clients, or a board for admin tasks.

A Blank Trello Board
A Simple To Do List Board in Trello

Within each board you then create cards within the board. A card is a category into which you add tasks. You give each task a title then you can add as much or as little detail as you like. There are fields for a description, comments, a due date, and more.

When you create a new board you get a new pallet for creating colour-coded labels unique to that board. Here’s how my Admin board looks with a few label categories defined.

Once you have a simple board like this, this is where it gets interesting.

  • Add a Power-Up (one per board, with the free version of Trello) to add functionality, like linking to your Harvest account, meaning you can track time for specific tasks and assign them to clients. This is a really slick way of integrating your project tasks with time tracking and invoicing.
  • Copy and link tasks across boards. So, for example, you could have a client-specific board with a task, “Update Website”, that you duplicate and link under your Tasks board.
  • Enable collaboration, by sharing boards with others or creating teams.

You can also use Trello to keep track of lists. For inspiration there are hundreds of sample boards in the Trello Gallery. Here you’ll find layouts to help you to manage a job search, build a software application, manage your social media content, even plan a wedding or move house — you name it!

It’s a powerful tool with too many features to cover in this summary post. If you have questions about using it or the best setup for your business or project, get in touch and I can help.

To help you get started I’ve made my Admin Tasks Template board public. You can access it here. and you’ll find instructions for copying it to your own account on Trello’s help page.

3. Buffer – for social media scheduling

We’re all on social media theses days and, whether you love it or hate it, it’s an essential part of the marketing strategy for any business. But it can be a real time suck. Make your life easier by scheduling your social media posts. Then you can set aside time to create your social media in advance, then let the posts roll out over the week or month (or however long you plan ahead). I like this over and above other schedulers like HootSuite because it’s simple and is all about scheduling, so it stops me from getting distracted, reading and replying to other people’s posts, responses, and messages.

A Free Version for Publishing to Three Channels

With the free version of Buffer you can link to up to three channels, including Facebook Pages and Groups, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. If you have multiple businesses to promote the workaround is to setup a Buffer account for each business. Or you can upgrade to a paid account.

Handy Browser Plugins

There are also a handy browser plugins, enabling you to quickly create posts with a single click right from the web page you’re reading.

Working your social media this way will really save you a tonne of time!

4. Google Keep – for storing info from the web

Last but not least, Google Keep is worth a mention. You can use it to collect information about anything and everything you find online, from potential suppliers, customers, competitors, tools, holidays – whatever! It’s easy to use, then, now and again, go into you account to transfer the mot useful stuff to a Trello list.

Google Keep comes with browser extensions and mobile phone apps, so it’s easy to add links to it from any device.

A set of colourful badges with the "W" from the WordPress logo - and banner text saying: Working with WordPress: Site Migration Tips"
Tools & Tips, Tutorials

Access WordPress Installation without a Domain

Let’s say you’re moving a WordPress site from one host to another. Before changing the DNS settings on the domain you want to migrated the site’s contents and test it rather than make all the changes to a live site. The way to do this is to make a few simple edits to a text file. Here’s how.

Instructions for editing your Host file, to direct your browser to WordPress on the server.

Find your server’s IP address.

Login to your CPanel account. The IP address you need is shown under the heading Shared IP Address in the General Information. Make a note of this.

Navigate to the hosts file and open it with a text editor.

The file, called hosts, is stored in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. You may need to click through a popup asking for Administrator access. Just click Continuewhen prompted.NOTE: If you are trying to open the file from within an application, such as Notepad++, and are not in Adminstrator mode, you won’t see the file. To rectify this, navigate to the file via Explorer then double-click to open it in your text editor.

Update the file.

You will see some intro text describing the purpose of the file and then, at the bottom, some text that includes an IP address and a label, like this: 127.0.0.1 localhostThis is an instruction that says, “when I type localhost into my browser, redirect the request to 127.0.0.1.”We will use this to redirect requests to the domain to your copy of WordPress on the server. Add a new row of text under any other redirects, in the format shown below: X.X.X.X yourdomain.comwhere, X.X.X.X is the IP address you just retrieved from your CPanel account. yourdomain.com the domain you will be transferring to (where WordPress is installed.)

Save the file.

When you’ve finished editing, save the modified hosts file.

And that’s it. Now, when you type the domain into your browser you will access the server-installed WordPress installation. Now you can get this all set up, transferring all the data from your old site to the new server, making sure everything works, before changing the DNS settings on your domain to point to the new host.

But what about when you want to see online version of the site? Well, simply open the hosts file and comment out the edits by adding the # symbol in front of the code, so:

X.X.X.X yourdomain.com
becomes
# X.X.X.X yourdomain.com

Now you can test your site on the new server before changing the DNS settings on the domain. No downtime!

Troubleshooting, Tools & Tips

A Workaround for the Google Drive Download Error

Store your docs in the Cloud, they say. And we do. And some of us like it so we have multiple accounts. So when we’re using Google Drive to store docs online and then cannot download them, it’s a real pain! The particular error I’m referring to is this one:

Error screen that says: "Access to doc-14-4c.docs.googleusercontent.com was denied. You don't have authorization to view this page. HTTP ERROR 403."
An unhelpful 403 Error when attempting to download files from Google Drive

It’s caused by a conflict between the account containing the files and your default account. For example, your main account is called mainaccount@gmail.com and your files are stored in one of the Drive folders for workaccount@gmail.com. Google doesn’t like you downloading to another account, which is what it thinks is happening.

It’s a problem that’s been around for a while (I found bug reports going back to 2018) but not one Google seem to have fixed. So what to do? Unfortunately, banging your head against the wall will just give you a headache, so lucky for you I’ve already tried that and found a workaround.

Download your Google Drive Files

The workaround to this annoying 403 error is:

Total Time: 5 minutes

Share the folder or file with your default Google account.

Right-click on the file or folder, select Share, then enter the email address for your main account.

Login to Google Drive on your default account.

Click on the list of accounts on the upper-right side of screen. This shows your list. Click on the default account to change to.

From the default account, find the shared file or folder.

Select Shared with Me from the list on the left of the screen.

Download the files.

Right click on the file or folder and select Download.

A small blackboard with the text, "Set up a group email list in Roundcube" written on it.
Tools & Tips, Tutorials

Create a group email list in Roundcube

An email list enables you to send the same message to a group of people. For example, you might want to send messages to a list of family members, club members, or a social group.

If you’ve changed host and were using the webmail package on your host’s server rather than a local application like Outlook or Thunderbird, you will need to recreate your lists in the webmail application provided by your new host.

With our hosting packages you can choose one of three webmail applications (Horde, Roundcube, and SquirrelMail). The instructions in this article describe how to create a group email list in Roundcube, which is the email software I recommend to clients.

To create a group email list in Roundcube, do the following:

Login to your webmail account.

You can access webmail by typing your domain name followed by /webmail, for example, www.yourdomain.com/webmail.

Open your address book.

Click the Contacts button, which is located at the top right of the screen underneath your account name.

Create a new group.

Click the + symbol at the bottom of the Group column.Give your new group a name, then click Save.

Add your existing contacts to the group.

To add a contact that is already in your address book, click on Personal Addresses and drag the name of the person over to the group list name. If you need to add a contact not listed in your address book, see Step 5 below.

Add your new contacts to the group.

Click on the group name to make sure it is selected (in the example below, the group name is My Group List). Click the + symbol at the bottom of the My Group List box, fill out the form with the new contact’s details, then click Save. Repeat until all the new contacts are added.

With all your contacts added, you’re ready to send an email to the group.

Note: When you click the group name, all the email addresses will be visible in the To box of the email you are sending. It is a good idea to use the BCC box for group emails like this, as this protects the email addresses of everyone in the group.

That’s all!

I no longer offer tech support, preferring to focus on websites, SEO, and branding. However, I still love writing! If you like this post and want to support me, please click the button below!

Three piles of coins, getting large, with small plants sprouting from the piles, symbolising growth, and the title French Admin Guide: How to submit your quarterly declaration online
Tools & Tips, Tutorials

How to Submit your Declaration Online as an ME in France

Anyone registered as a micro-entrepeneur (or “ME”) in France is required to a submit a declaration (Déclaration Trimestrielle de Recettes), which is used to determine the amount of cotisations (social charges) you will pay. You can choose do this monthly or, as I prefer, quarterly. These declarations and the amounts you are required to pay (called cotisations) are separate from taxation and are your “social charges” (called “national insurance” or “social security” in other parts of the world) are based on the amount of money you’ve been paid during the period you are declaring for. The good news is this can all be done online and, as long as you’ve been keeping on top of your income, it’s pretty quick and easy to do.

In this article I’ll walk you through the steps to do this online via the main Auto Entrepreneur website. The steps assume that you’ve already registered and have an online account with them.

This article is now out of date. The website has been updated so the steps are a little different – but the principal is the same.

When should I make my declaration?

The quarters align with the January to December tax year, so:

  • January, February, and March are the 1éme trimestre (first quarter.)
  • April, May, and June are the 2éme trimestre (second quarter.)
  • July, August, September are the 3éme trimestre (third quarter.)
  • October, November, December are the 4éme trimestre (fourth quarter.)

What amount should I report?

The end of the quarter is always a good time (if you haven’t already done it) to tie up your receipts with your bank account and make sure your cashbook is all up-to-date.

Once everything’s in order you should have a single amount as the total were paid in the quarter. This means the total amount of payments received in this period. It doesn’t matter when you invoiced a client; it’s when you were paid by them. Remember to include cash payments, and any payments to PayPal. And as an ME you can’t deduct costs, so that’s the amount you were paid by your client, not how much you received after fees or other costs have been deducted (e.g., Etsy or PayPal fees.)

If you’re operating in more than one of the three ME categories (professional liberale, artisan, and/or commercant) you will need a total for the quarter payments to each of your business types. You account for them separately because they are treated differently with respect to tax and allowances for purchases, so this is a worthwhile exercise as well as a legal requirement.

You need to log in in the month after the end of the quarter you need to report on. So in April you submit the info for the first quarter, then in July for the second quarter, and so on.

You do need to wait until the end of the quarter to submit this information. If you try and submit it before then you will struggle because the option won’t be available. When you log in when the system is ready, it will automatically open at the declaration page. That’s how you know it’s time.

Ready? Let’s try.

Make your Quarterly Declaration Online

Step 1. Login to your account on the Auto Entrepreneur website. You can do this using your email address (courriel) or your 13-digit social security number (N° de Sécurité sociale), which you can find on your carte vitale.

The login screen on the URSAFF Auto-Entrepreneur website

Step 2. If any cotisations are due (usually on the 1st of January, April, July, and October, for the preceding quarter), the first page you will go to is the Déclaration Trimestrielle de Recettes. This shows your name, your SIRET number, and your category. Here’s the info on my account.

The screen for submitting your Quarterly Declaration

Step 3. Under Declaration, enter the amounts you have earned in the appropriate box.

There are three rows, which correspond to the different categories of business: professional liberale, artisan, and commercant. You fill out the boxes according to the amount you’ve made in the previous quarter under the category for each regime. This is because, although many people are only registered under one category, it is possible to be registered for more than one type of business.

When you put a number into one of more of these boxes, the lower section labelled Montant á payer, updates to show the amounts you are expected to pay. After you submit your declaration, the the amount shown under the heading Télépaiement will be taken automatically from your linked business bank account, usually in the first week of following month.

If you need to make changes to your account details, click on the blue text that says Ajouter un compte bancaire and then follow the instructions.

The automated form that updates to shows the amount to be paid and from which account.

Step 4. Submit the Form

When you’re happy with the information this page, click Valider la télédéclaration to submit the form. This will take you to a confirmation page which gives you a record of the quarterly declaration you just made. Print this page and/or save a PDF to your computer to keep for your accounts.

It will also indicate when the payment will be taken from your account. Take note of this and make sure you have the funds in your account on that date.

That’s it, you’re done!

If you are trying to navigate online systems and business-related IT and need help or have issues with any other aspect of your home or business IT, read about the range of services we offer to find out how we can help, and get in touch.

A chalk board with the text: Use SkyFonts with Inkscape
Tools & Tips

Link SkyFonts to Inkscape

Two pieces of free software I like to use are SkyFonts, a font manager that you use to manage any non-system fonts downloaded from Google Fonts or Font.com, and Inkscape, a free vector graphics tool that is a good freeware substitute for Adobe Illustrator. I find Inkscape to more akin to the old Corel Draw vector software, which I always found more intuitive than Illustrator. But of course this is freeware, which means sometimes workarounds are necessary to accomplish a few tasks that you might take for granted when using paid for software. One such task is linking the SkyFonts manager to Inkscape.

By default, fonts that you add into SkyFonts won’t show up in the fonts list in Inkscape. This is because Inkscape looks in your %USERPROFILE%/.fonts directory for your typefaces. For Inkscape to find typefaces stored in your SkyFonts directory, you just need to creat a symlink.

To do this:

  1. Launch the command prompt.
  2. Type cd.. and hit return, and repeat until you get to the root directory (usually C:).
  3. Type (or copy) this command at the prompt: 
    mklink /D "%USERPROFILE%\.fonts" "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Monotype\skyfonts-google"
  4. Hit Return and the symlink has been created.
  5. Check your list of fonts in Inkscape, and you should now see all your SkyFonts listed.

That’s it!

I no longer offer tech support, preferring to focus on websites, SEO, and branding. However, I still love writing! If you like this post and want to support me, please click the button below!

You’ll find more great tool tips on my blog 🙂