Export template: HTML List (English + German)

[svenne]

Ok, the error shown when switching tabs has nothing to do with the export template and I don't think it has an effect on it.
Try to reload the exported HTML page and see if there are errors in the error console (don't mind two or three warnings showing up). If there aro no additional errors the javascript part seems to work.

By the way, "Show newest 25 entries" would have no effect if "Date Added" (including the time stamp down to the second!) is the same for all exported database entries.
I changed the export templates now. With the new versions, even in this case, only 25 entries should be displayed. Try it. Can the list be trimmed down to 25 entries, now? Than at least the javascript does it's job. But the main problem (the javascript function still being not able to discriminate between newer and older entries) would persist. If you want to you might send me a PM with the exported list (for smaller size leave out the images folder) and I will try to identify the error.

[arj0n]

If you want to you might send me a PM with the exported list (for smaller size leave out the images folder) and I will try to identify the error.

Uploaded the result of the template that doesn't work with showing the 25 newest here.

By the way, "Show newest 25 entries" would have no effect if "Date Added" (including the time stamp down to the second!) is the same for all exported database entries.

For most of the records the timestamp is the same except for the 'seconds' part of the timestamp.

I changed the export templates now. With the new versions, even in this case, only 25 entries should be displayed. Try it. Can the list be trimmed down to 25 entries, now?

Yes, the new version does trim down indeed to 25 records being shown.

[svenne]

Ok, got it!
The date's format seems to be dependent on system settings.    The template could only handle the format...
dd.mm.yyyy hh:mm:ss
...but not...
m/d/yyyy h:mm:ss [AM/PM]

Just saw that my templates also will not process the timestamp down to the second, but to the minute. But I think that should be sufficient.

So, here are the new versions. Hope it works fine now.

[arj0n]

Ok, got it!
The date's format seems to be dependent on system settings.    The template could only handle the format...
dd.mm.yyyy hh:mm:ss
...but not...
m/d/yyyy h:mm:ss [AM/PM]

That's quick!
So the template now can handle 'multi date formats'?

Just saw that my templates also will not process the timestamp down to the second, but to the minute. But I think that should be sufficient.

Down to the minute will be enough indeed.

So, here are the new versions. Hope it works fine now.

Works like charm, THANX!

[svenne]

So the template now can handle 'multi date formats'?

No, only the two formats mentioned.
It is too difficult to determine wether the format is dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy... 
I will see if there is a possibility to read out the system's settings or to get the date from PVD as seconds since 1970 or something like that...

[arj0n]

mmhh, my region setting is:
Short date: d-M-yyyy (and long date: dddd d MMMM yyyy).

Still PVD seems to use: m/d/yyyy. Can't seem to find a setting within PVD to change it (maybe there isn't any?)

[svenne]

Yikes... the firebird database (PVD uses this) seems to have it's own set of standard date formats:
http://www.firebirdfaq.org/faq137/

So, if I would support the third one, too, would the template work all over the world then?

Nostra might know more about that... Nostra? HEELLLLLP! 

[arj0n]

What format does your PVD uses?

So, if I would support the third one, too, would the template work all over the world then?

Well, we'll find out in the next "Export template: HTML List (English + German)" episode, stay tuned folks :-)

[svenne]

There are at least two... on my computer it's
dd.mm.yyyy hh:mm:ss

[arj0n]

There are at least two... on my computer it's
dd.mm.yyyy hh:mm:ss

This is odd, I'm 'your neighbour' (if you are german, which is so by looking at the name "Export template: HTML List (English + German)", from the netherlands.
My region is set to dutch/netherlands, so why should I have a different date format in PVD?
Or is the date format changeable within PVD?
(When installed I set the language in PVD to English.)

[svenne]

Yes, I'm from germany.

When installed I set the language in PVD to English

Me too.
Which PVD version do you use? 0.9.9.21 or Beta? Perhaps there's a difference? Elsewise it might be the Windows version or the Windows language version?
For now, I will have to do lots of other work... but soon I will test different system settings to see if they have an effect...

[arj0n]

My settings:

PVD: v0.9.9.21
PVD Language: English

OS: Windows 7 professional SP1, 64bit
Windows language: English
Region: Dutch/Netherlands

PVD date format: American (e.g: 2/29/2012 3:56:16 PM) (not adjustable?)

[svenne]

Update...

HTML Frames:

- new feature: pimpHTMLframesExport.exe will scan the tag fields, too, and add a tag cloud now (which afterwards can be reached by a link "navigate by tag cloud..." on the initial HTML page of your exported data). Genres and categories are incorporated into the tag cloud as well. Additionally the most frequently appearing actors and directors will find their way into the tag cloud.
There are some options for tag cloud generation. You may alter them in file "tags.ptx":
processtags - if 0 then tags are ignored and not incorporated into the tag cloud
processgenres - if 0 then genres are ignored and not incorporated into the tag cloud
processcategories -  if 0 then categories are ignored and not incorporated into the tag cloud
numberofmostprominentactors - tells pimpHTMLframesExport.exe how many actors should show up in the tag cloud
numberofmostprominentdirectors - tells pimpHTMLframesExport.exe how many directors should show up in the tag cloud
prefixforpersons - you can add a prefix for actors and directors, default is "Person: " (so Alfred Hitchcock would appear as "Person: Alfred Hitchcock" in the tag cloud).

- bugfix: an unwanted ">" appeared with languages of audio streams (at least in the english template)

- bugfix: the menues sometimes did not disapear as they ought to (when clicking somewhere else)

HTML List and HTML Frames:

- date problem fixed (I hope so ): resorting by "Date added" or "show newest 25 entries" could have unexpected results (since date format in Personal Video Database depends on your system settings and the export template could not handle them all). A better approach for recognizing different date formats is used now. Should be quite reliable, but if you still encounter some kind of strange sort behaviour, please let me know. By the way: Even with previous versions of the templates, if the exported HTML files work well on your computer they will work fine even if transferred to a computer with different regional settings, no matter what. Problems occured due to the regional settings at the time of export, only.



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[arj0n]

It is probably asked before but I can't find it anywhere:

Is it somehow possible to use (something like) line breaks in fields like Description and/or Comments?

[rick.ca]

- new feature: pimpHTMLframesExport.exe will scan the tag fields, too, and add a tag cloud...

Awesome!

You might want to add a link to toggle between the cloud and movie info panels. It seems the only way to get back to the cloud is to navigate Back, which isn't very convenient or intuitive.

[svenne]

@arjon:
- bugfix : newlines were treated as white space...

@rick.ca:
- new feature : when navigating on a list filtered by tag cloud a backlink to the tag cloud will appear on the upper right corner. It will disappear if tag cloud filter is not active anymore (after "show all entries", for example)

[rick.ca]

when navigating on a list filtered by tag cloud a backlink to the tag cloud will appear on the upper right corner.

Thanks!

[rick.ca]

Oops. I hate to say it—the backlink seemed so clever—but it's not a complete solution. Yes, now you can select a tag from the cloud, see a list of those movies, select a movie to see its details, then use the link to return to the cloud. But sooner or later, you'll want to return to a full list. To do that, you have to refresh or select 'show all entries'. After doing so, the link and tag cloud are gone for the session. The only way to get them back is to reload the page.

Wouldn't it be simpler and easier just to provide fixed radio buttons or links that force it one way or the other? Selecting the one that's already shown would do nothing, but I can't imagine anyone getting confused over that.

[svenne]

Ok, I just made the "tag cloud" backlink permanent...

[rick.ca]

Ok, I just made the "tag cloud" backlink permanent...

That was fast. Thanks.

BTW, I'm now using this to create lists for a website. Nothing fancy, but maybe something I can direct a friend to for choosing a movie to watch. Or so they can see the movie they were going to suggest I've already seen and rated a 3. Anyway, while doing this I realized the 'Wish' tag was of no use, but what I really needed was a 'Bookmark' tag. I could use that for anything, including just marking items temporarily for the purpose of the list (e.g., to mark 'recommended' movies or 'chick flix'). I was surprise to find all I had to do was change 'wish' to 'bookmark' in HTML Frames.ptm.

So I'm happy, but you might want to add a green dot for bookmarked items, and support all three flags. Any categorization not available by other means could then be handled by bookmarking the items before exporting (and then changing the caption in empty.html). If you care to take that a step further, maybe get user input for the bookmark caption, and then place a legend under the list panel. Third party users (like those visiting my website) aren't likely to remember what the dots mean, even if they do read the explanation at the beginning.

Sorry, I have to make suggestions when something is this good.   

Thanks again—I appreciate your work.