Scratch

anyone have an idea for the library's 3-part slogan? (Like imagine, program, share)

I've also updated the home page with the new look!

Last edited by sparks (2012-04-16 16:21:44)

ProgrammingFreak wrote:

sparks wrote:

Okay, thanks for the input!

How about http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22935223/woody2.PNG

Hmm, I'm not sure that I agree with Trocket that contrast is a bad thing... Then again I'm not really an artist, so what do other people think? Should I reduce it? I basically did it cos I wanted a width for the site that most screens can fit (I didn't go 800*600 but went up to the 1024*768). Then I needed some sort of background to that fitting box 

I like the look of this. And yes, sometimes contrast is bad, but I don't think it applies here. 

+1 to the design and ProgrammingFreak's statement.  I think it looks amazing!   

sparks wrote:

Magnie wrote:

sparks wrote:

I'm going to [...] try and find a way of open-sourcing the pages as I develop them (minus any passwords).

I would suggest using some source code repository then have an install.php file which creates the config.php file. So then you upload the source to the repository and the website after each update, but when you update the website, it'll just replace all the files on their, keeping the config.php file safe from any overwrites and prying eyes.

Could you explain in a little more detail what you mean? I'm a little confused. I already have database connection code in a connect.php file. I was going to work out a way to write code to allow direct-editing of files on the system, but then limit that to certain files by hand.

I suggest you store the content in a mysql database, through experience I have discovered this is an effective way of doing this - then again, they both have their pros and cons.

On an unrelated note, I made a little mock up for the kind of thing that I could imagine the site looking like (I took into account the wood idea).


Click for a larger version
Any thoughts and feedback are appreciated.

I also followed your advice of setting the width of the centre section where the content would lie to 1024, the sides would just be a tileable image and would obviously scale depending on the user's monitor size.

Last edited by rookwood101 (2012-04-16 17:45:11)

sparks wrote:

Hmmm In general I like it! I think it's a little too dark, a lighter wood might look friendlier but it's a good design!

Of course storing the page code in an SQL database is an excellent idea! Oh, wait, now I remember why I didn't do that; SQL isn't working!

But then again for the site to work as intended at all, SQL would need to be working so the end product could hopefully do this.

sparks wrote:

That's true. I really need to get it working. So far I have been using arrays for things like librarian lists, which is fine, but not writeable 

It's getting late here, but I'll see if I can devise a test thingy to check how well the SQL database is working now... give me 5 mins....

Have you tried to connect to another mysql database? I could give you a test mysql account on my server if you want.

sparks wrote:

Magnie wrote:

sparks wrote:

I'm going to [...] try and find a way of open-sourcing the pages as I develop them (minus any passwords).

I would suggest using some source code repository then have an install.php file which creates the config.php file. So then you upload the source to the repository and the website after each update, but when you update the website, it'll just replace all the files on their, keeping the config.php file safe from any overwrites and prying eyes.

Could you explain in a little more detail what you mean? I'm a little confused. I already have database connection code in a connect.php file. I was going to work out a way to write code to allow direct-editing of files on the system, but then limit that to certain files by hand.

Like the install.php file would create the connect.php file. So this is what happens: You write some code on your computer > It gets uploaded to blocks.scratchr.org and a source code repository (where we can see the code) > You run the install.php on the blocks.scratchr.org website and then use your site a bit then find an error > You write a fix on your computer then upload the fixed version to your website and the repository, keeping the database info hidden but still being able to give out the code.

FINALLY!
So it turns out javascript functions can't have the same name as an element on the page...

anyway, please take the test now installed on the http://blocks.scratchr.org/index.php!!!!!

I've tried it a few times and it worked fine. The button uses AJAX to increment a database value and then report the result, checking with the user to see if it worked.

21:20 error   

Last edited by Greenatic (2012-04-16 19:06:37)

I just got an error:

29:28

Just so you know, the first number is the number taken from the database beforehand + 1 and the second number is the number read from the database after the update. So if it's less, the update hasn't happened.

So, I may have dreamed of a solution last night to this problem... Well, I say solution, it's not much better but we could effectively do what I did for this test.

Using AJAX, a javascript code can try to update the database, then check for success like this one does. If there is an error it can try again, with a max of say, 5 tries. After that it displays an error message to the user saying the database couldn't be reached (with a try again button) and a button next to it saying "email instead". This would send us some SQL code we can put directly into the database, adding their block manually.

However, that's gonna be picky, a pain and not tidy at all. Rookwood offered to let me use one of his databases, considering mine failed to connect altogether, so I want to give that a try too first...

Last edited by sparks (2012-04-17 04:45:51)

Okay, got it, thanks    have you set up external permissions for the database? It it will need to allow external access from blocks.scratchr.org

How about an infinite loop until the update works?  From what I've heard here, it will work eventually 

sparks wrote:

I want to avoid an infinite loop, but certainly several tries is possible and may solve the problem...

Does anyone have any ideas for a library-themed login box? There are a few ideas I have but IDK how good they would look. You could just have a normal login box with a wood background, you could have parchment and hide the text boxes above dotted lines on a piece of paper so it looks like you're signing in... The login details could be entered into the string fields of a block... suggestions, thoughts?

IMO, first let's get it working, then worry about design.