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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>
  • To: pcplantdb@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [pcplantdb] starting then...
  • Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 02:02:34 -0700

Chad Knepp wrote:

Lawrence F. London, Jr. writes:
> Chad Knepp wrote:
> > > I have one question that I don't need to know the answer to right off,
> > but that we may want to discuss. This is, do we want to couple our
> > project tightly with Plone. I can, using Plone Archetypes, create
> > objects that are compatible with the plone CMS style of doing things,
> > subject to workflows, reviews, etc. The immediate/obvious advantage
> > is that things like comments, articles, and discussions already exist
> > in Plone and we don't have to create them later. I can also do this
> > pretty easily at a later date so I don't need to know right off.
> > Does this mean that you would create, using the above-mentioned
> tools, the data entry interface for users to input material into
> the DB? Or do you plan to use other programming tools for this and
> if so would the end product offer the same or similar features as
> Plone (comments, articles, and discussions [and email notification
> of changes and new data entries])?

More or less answering you and John S. here... Yes, and yes. I don't
mean to imply limited to Plone, but including Plone. The fact that
Zope by default supports xml-rpc means that we can write all sorts of
tools to add/manipulate data that are not just web browsers. I will
probably write a python/GTK+ client for fun and personal use fairly
early on. I think what I'm asking is for buy in to the idea that by
exerting a small amount of additional effort I can make HG compatible
with Plone so that we can have comments, news items, discussions,
etc. without having to write those features separately.

I understand. This is a great plan. So the UI to the DB would _include_
Plone plus some custom written "clients". What is a client in tthis context.
I'm used to that meaning user side software, i.e. email client.

> On another subject, a suggestion: Every record in every field in
> the DB should be appendable to an alphabetized Index hotlinked
> (hyperlinked or the Zope/Plone/whatever equivalent) to the search
> form wherein the item name is autimagically inserted in that form
> ready for the user to initiate the search.

I'm not understanding you here, explain more...

I meant to say that you could make a list (create a text index) of all the
items in the DB
and append any newly added items to that list dynamically. Mark up this list
with some kind of code (html?) so that user can click on any item and have
that item's
name whisked off and dropped into the DB keyword search form waiting for user
click GO
to initiate the search that will produce results for review.

Another cool idea: when reviewing search results, allow user to click on any
item
name returned (that is actually represented in the DB) and be taken to a
snapshot of a segment of the item index where that name resides;
allow user to dynamically expand or reduce the number if items viewed at that
time (like see _all_ acer varieties in the index/in the DB)
to get an accurate appraisal of range of info on a particular item (for example, see all eleagnus varieties in the DB or all clovers, etc.) When you search for clover, would you get a list of all varieties in the DB? If so could you select one and get detailed info on that variety? and relationship info?

I'd enjoy revisiting concepts for retreiving and displaying item and
relationship data if that would be worthwhile at this time.

> I think a lot of users will want to see some sort of table of
> contents and index that mirrors the DB content, just the individual
> items, no description or other reference data. They may want to see
> graphically (text) the scope and content of the DB.

This is easy, and even with PFAF data sort of mind boggling as I've
occasionally selected every item in the db

LL
--
L.F.London
lfl@intrex.net
http://market-farming.com
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech




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