Thoughts, links, and project updates

I’m building a CRM widget for my Win95 Style WordPress theme that will pull data out of an Airtable base I keep, and display it in a Unix style terminal… (I’m basically just wrapping it, it’s not an actual terminal) which I’ve always preferred, at least as far as retrieval goes…

My goal is to have a vintage GUI for a dashboard displaying every aspect of my projects, interests, etc. I love details and I want to be able to see them all in one place… broken down by project.

I love the modern tech of course, I just prefer the old way of retrieving info… I’ve never found anything that quite suited me in that regard… So I’m building it myself with WordPress and Airtable API’s..

The theme is already finished… As I get into it though, I’ll decide whether it should be a widget or a plugin… the transition from one to the other is usually pretty easy. Of course, I won’t be selling it, at least in its current form, don’t wanna tick MS off.. ☺️

I’ve been building a money manager WordPress plugin… There is still a lot to do, but it’s coming along…

Today was another productive day on the Money Manager EX project. I continued building what started as a simple clone into something that is beginning to develop its own identity.

I started by improving the transaction register. Earlier versions had several layout problems where fields extended beyond the widget, scrolling didn’t behave correctly, and the interface became cramped as new features were added. Throughout the day I tracked down each issue one by one and fixed them instead of working around them.

One of the biggest additions was the new Search & Filters system. I can now instantly search transactions by typing, and filter them by type, payee, category, and date ranges. The results update automatically without needing a Search button, making the register feel much more responsive.

While testing, I discovered that adding search controls reduced the amount of space available for the transaction register. That led down an interesting path. Instead of trying to squeeze everything onto one screen, I introduced the idea of separate working modes.

First I created the ability to hide the filter panel. Then I added the ability to hide the transaction entry form. Once I saw how much room that gave back to the register, it became obvious that this wasn’t just a workaround—it was a better way to use the program.

That led to the creation of two distinct workspaces:

• Entry Mode, where the focus is on creating and editing transactions.
• Browse Mode, where the focus is on reviewing, searching, and filtering transactions with a much larger register.

Browse Mode gives the register far more space, making it much easier to review financial history. Entry Mode brings the transaction form back whenever I’m ready to add or edit transactions. I also designed it so the software remembers which mode I last used.

Throughout the day I also continued improving the overall user experience. I fixed multiple scrolling problems, corrected layout issues caused by my Windows 95 desktop theme, improved register sizing, refined viewport calculations, and kept everything working without breaking existing data.

One thing that stood out today was that several of my best ideas came from solving problems I hadn’t anticipated. The Browse Mode concept wasn’t part of the original plan, but it ended up becoming one of the features I’m most excited about. It makes the application feel much more like a real desktop finance program rather than just a
form.

By the end of the day, the application felt significantly more polished. It now has a stronger workflow, better organization, improved searching, cleaner navigation, and a much more usable transaction register.

Looking ahead, I think the next major improvements should focus on making the register behave like Windows Explorer or a traditional desktop application. That would include sortable columns, resizable columns, remembered layouts, frozen headers, and double-click editing. Those features would move the project another step closer to feeling like a professional desktop application running inside a browser.

Overall, today felt like an important milestone. The project is no longer just recreating Money Manager EX—it is becoming its own application, designed around the way I actually work. It was one of the most productive development sessions I’ve had so far.