Stuart Langridge takes a brief look through some of the facilities available to JavaScript in modern browsers that you might not know about or might think you can't use, to see what's coming up in the next couple of years and which of them you really can use now after all.

• Using PDF templates
• A Catalyst view to generate PDF files with Template Toolkit
• Creating a PDF manual from a set of Pod files or a Perl module distribution

How To Get Here

The Place

The Victoria, 48 John Bright Street, Birmingham, B1 1BN (Tel: 0121 633 9439)

For a picture click here.

The Way There

Travelling from the South: From M40 join the M42 and then take either the A34 or the A45 in the direction of Birmingham. These will both eventually bring you on to the A41 (Digbeth High Street/Deritend). As you enter the City Centre you will pass the Irish Community Centre and the Birmingham Coach Stationon your left-hand side as you approach the city centre, at the traffic lights, follow the road round and take the exit on the left just before the street market stalls. Follow the road to the traffic lights, and head straight over. The Aracdian and Ibis hotel will be on your right. Bear round to the left and cross the traffic lights, on to Hill Street, past Holiday Inn on your left hand side. The venue is at the end of Beak Street, the first left after the hotel. For parking see below.

Travelling from the North: Leave the M6 at Junction 6 and join the A38M in the direction of Birmingham City Centre. As you approach the City Centre you will see the University of Aston on your left-hand side. Stay on the A38 as you go OVER the flyover, UNDER the underpass and THROUGH the tunnel. On exiting the tunnel, bear left onto the slip road, up onto the roundabout with the Pagoda in the centre. Turn left at the roundabout, and take the first left on to Hill Street, past the Holiday Inn on your left hand side. The venue is at the end of Beak Street, the first left after the hotel. For parking see below.

Parking: On street parking is available (free after 6pm) around the loop of Station Street, Dudley Street and Hinckley Street (and Theatre Approach), or along Beak Street and John Bright Street, if you get there early enough.

If you prefer, there are two multistorey carparks nearby. The first is the big red cage on Navigation Street, near The Mailbox. If heading along Hill Street from Smallbrook Queensway, turn left at the main set of traffic lights and the cage is on your right. If travelling in via Paradise Circus Queensway, exit onto the slip road for A38 Bristol Street (heading south), but take the first immediate left onto Brunel Street, following the road down passed the cage on your right and turning right onto Navigation Street for the main entrance. There is also road parking spaces available on Brunel Street, which you may wish to get to by continuing up Hill Street to the traffic lights on Paradise Circus Queensway, turning left and left again onto Brunel Street.

The second multistorey is The Arcardian car park (entrance on Bromsgrove Street), which is a short few minutes walk away from the venue, although charges are quite expensive.

From Birmingham New Street Station: The venue is 5-10 minutes walking distance. Take the right hand exit out of the turnstiles of the station (NOT up the escalators). Through the doors, past the taxi rank towards the New Bullring. Before reaching the shopping arcade, turn right onto Smallbrook Queensway, towards the traffic lights at the crossroads at the bottom of the short hill. Turn right on to Hill Street, passed the Holiday Inn on your left. Take the first left and the venue is on corner on the right hand side.

The Arrival

Once you get to the Venue, the meeting room is upstairs. Order a drink first and ask the staff where the Birmingham Perl Mongers technical meeting will be. Failing that, look out for of us ordering drinks at the bar.

Problems

Should you have any problems with the directions, please give me, Barbie, a ring on my mobile 0771 401 6184.

Map

A map is available at Google Maps.