Re: best way to store checkbox + text-entry fields
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 21:41:29 GMT
Message-ID: <3DAB3A14.590FB765_at_tnlcNOSPAM.com>
Jonathan Leffler wrote:
> Eepē wrote:
> > Jonathan Leffler wrote:
> >>Eepē wrote:
> >>[...major snippage...]
> >>>http://tnlc.com/eep/compare/gameform.html
> >>>http://tnlc.com/eep/compare/relations.jpg
> >>>http://tnlc.com/eep/compare/relations3.gif
> >>>http://tnlc.com/eep/compare/relations4.gif
> >>The stuff in relations.jpg appears to be trying to capture different
> >>peoples views of the same game; the stuff in relations3.gif and
> >>relatsions4.gif appears to be trying to present a single
> >>(authoritative) view of the game. You need to decide which is the way
> >>you want to progress - both designs are plausible, but they are very
> >>different.
> >
> > Well, that's just it: I don't know HOW to decide which is the way I
> > want to progress since I keep getting told different things by
> > different people and have never created a database before so it's all
> > VERY confusing and contradictory!
>
> I suspect that it is confusing in part because you have not yet
> clearly articulated to yourself exactly what you are after.
Not sure how more clearly I can articulate it.
> And on
> that point, no news goup can help you -- you have to know what you are
> seeking to do. My impression from poking around some of the other
> links you have given is that you will largely be presenting one view
> of a given games, albeit with information provided by multiple
> sources. I may be completely misreading this, of course. Now, I can
> see that there are two types of external source of information: those
> that are qualifying an already described game and those that are
> describing a new game. You may have to provide alternative input
> systems, and possibly alternative sets of data tables, for these types
> of description, which are then used to populate (modify) the single
> authoritative view of each game.
>
> What do you want to happen if someone tells you "Balderdash - Tomb
> Raider doesn't use XYZ engine; it uses PQR. Further, it does this
> special effect and not that one or that other one as you claim." You
> probably don't want this information placed on your site
> automatically, certainly not as a definitive statement, until you've
> had a chance to review what was said. Or would you?
Yes, I will review everything before it's integrated into the database. Hence why I need assistance designing the database.
> So, you need to think very carefully about what you really want done,
> and how much of it will be done automatically versus how much will be
> manual. I guess the existing system is all manual.
Yep--all manual HTML done by me; hence the desire for a database.
> You need to think
> how information will be submitted to you,
via form
> and how it will be processed.
via the database
> You should look at how the information is currently
> submitted and how it is currently processed.
It's not.
> All those steps where
> you take a wild leap of the intellect to divvy up the comments have to
> be tamed and made systematic.
Hence the reason for the database.
> > If you look at http://tnlc.com/eep/compare/table.html you'll see
> the end result of what I want to achieve, only allowing people to choose
> which games/features they want to compare. It's all explained on the
> main page at http://tnlc.com/eep/compare/. I just don't know how to
> proceed. :/
> >
> I've looked - I see after a fashion what you have (but I don't play 3D
> games, so I'm not much the wiser). I wouldn't particularly want to
> put that lot into a database - especially not with the features that
> span multiple versions of the game. Ouch! That's not to say it can't
> be done; it can. But it won't be easy.
Some simple PHP should take care of multi-span columns/rows, but I'll worry about that later.
> > Genres are only ONE (1) thing I want people to be able to add to.
> Just look at the game form (see above for link) to see everything I
> want to allow submission to. I need help designing the database
> accordingly.
> >
> It will be harder. Don't forget, people misspell things, for example,
> so if someone decides to enter a genre 'stimulation', something has to
> decide whether this is a valid genre or should actually be treated as
> 'simulation'. Issues like this can send you screaming on your way if
> you're not careful.
Hence the reason I will be validating everything before it is a part of the "full" database.
> > Thanks for your response, but I really need more detailed information.
>
> OK; and that is unlikely to be directly available from a news group.
Rest assured, this isn't the only forum I'm seeking assistance from.
> We will help by proffering advice on alternatives you present, but you
> still have to know more or less what you want to be able to
> discriminate between the options presented.
>
> Pure gut feel: you need to create a relatively simple system that you
> would regard as incomplete by comparison with what you'd like, but
> something that is attainable. It needs to be open-ended enough to
> allow for significant adhocery in the data entry, but you will
> manually clean this data to start with. As you get more experienced,
> you'll add more to the system, gently reorganizing what you already
> have. In half a dozen iterations, you'll get close enough to what you
> currently have to be temporarily content. But you'll also have enough
> experience by then to know your limitations and your system's
> limitations, and you can add the extra features you really wanted from
> the start. As things stand, you are a bit like a 15-month toddler
> trying to run a marathon - you simply don't know enough about it all
> to know what to do. So, you need to start with some baby steps, and
> then as you become more experienced, you can get the results you want.
> Or you can buy in the experience you are missing - consultancy or
> whatever. OK; I'm pretty sure that's completely untenable, so you will
> need to obtain the experience yourself. And I think you're trying too
> hard to do everything from the start.
Thanks for your comments. This IS my first database and I have no previous programming experience so it's all quite a challenge to me, which is why I'm trying to get help with it. Unfortunately, no one seems particularly interested. :/ Received on Mon Oct 14 2002 - 23:41:29 CEST