Page Translation Form Access Data Online Record

Hey man, don't sweat it. even if I did think it was an error you made, which I don't, I wouldn't be mad because I would know it was an honest mistake.

Well, if it was an honest mistake, that's definitely no excuse and I should fix my own mistakes. It's part of the deal. But I refused to spend time on it because you really do ignore a lot of the stuff I say, and I know I said it many times (I sent you a few samples), and I clearly remember you giving me the goahead, which I was specifically waiting for before working on the online Form file. I think it is a classic example of, "Oh, I'll just deal with it later", and then later it ends up costing you so much MORE time than if you would have dealt with it properly at the time. I learned my lesson many times, running my business over the years, and perhaps putting some piece of paper in a drawer, when I did not have a special place for that piece of paper. Then, when I needed it some 6 months or years later, I spent hours tearing apart my flat cursing myself for not spending a damn two minutes or something organising it properly. Sometimes I wouldn't even find it, after hours of uprooting everything, and I'd have to spend many more hours getting a replacement for that stupid piece of paper. Over time as I migrated more to the computer, I would do the same thing on the computer. Or there are other examples. Anyway, I've learned to be meticulous about things and now I don't waste my time like that anymore. I spent enough time repeating myself to you that I got fed up and refused to redo that form for you. But I'm learning and now I have a good idea how I'll deal with new customers. I assume their secretaries will just think to shuffle all sorts of work on me, not wanting to do it and figuring I'm like free because I already worked out a flat price. NOOOOOOO way.

And, just so you know, it was not the realigning of the fields into a long, clear column that was causing the problem! that worked right off, reordering them from the three column thing out of Access into my nice table. That's not the problem that worked right away. It was when I added the style sheet and the menu and the ads etc etc that things went wacky. and that was because I had a couple of mistakes:

Well, you should have told me you were using a style sheet - that makes sense. But how would you know? I havent started using style sheets yet but it does have an effect. Actually, in the Search page there are styles within the page. I hope to go that direction eventually, or at least with much larger databases. I've been learning a lot about css and hope to dabble more in that direction in the future.

the selection bar "--select mill or company--" was inside the table which freaked out the code (no indication of error in DW unfortunately) and at the very top the $sql = 'SELECT * FROM mills ORDER BY Nameofmill'; $result = $db- query($sql); $rowarray = $result- fetchall(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC); $rowno = 0; foreach($rowarray as $row) needed to be fiddled with, moved about and reordered, for some - to me - still unclear reason.

Well, the above is pure php code and should definitely be in the <?php ?> section. Also, it draws data from the database, so it's definitely important where its located. $<something> are variables. Anything with a $ in front of it. For example, you would go

$sql= select FROM - is the sqlite command drawing data FROM the table

Then you define the data using the $

Then you use the variable ($something..) inside the page, such as

Obviously, if you use the $name somewhere before it gets defined or drawn from the database, the computer will just look at you and say, "Excuse me, what the hell is this variable?".

It was through going back to the initial .php form with no .html and my form.html and back and forth and back and forth until I got it all straightened out.

Yah, that's what I told you to do, and doing a Compare Documents in Word would probably have saved some time, instead of analysing things to death between two files. But I do that too. Many times I find myself glaring intensely at a page and talk to it, "What the hell is your problem? Why are you not working?", until I eventually find the ridiculously small little glitch, and breath a sigh of relief.

Good for you on the search thing, and also good for you on asking so much about future expansion, because BABY, now that this is all sorted out we can keep adding countries and I can monetize this thing to basically unlimited.

Yup, exciting times indeed. Will take a break, cause I've been neglecting so much of my own stuff, and then get working on the babyfication, to help with expansion. Tried to get this done yesterday but took a lot more of my time than I expected. Now I got about 6 people who have expressed interest in my treeplanting software, and decided the next best approach is to create online youtube video tutorials, because people just don't have the patience to read my instructions, just to be sold. And besides, as a few have already mentioned, they are simply not computer saavy enough to grasp da shit. So I'm trying to make things as clear and easy as possible. I guess just another skill which will help me compete against the big companies and not require me to have some big bloated and expensive company hiring all these people, and film editors etc. Hope I'll throw something online on Monday. Maybe you could consider doing something for the help files for your search form??

yayayayayay! look at my web provider site at their testimonial section http://jammicron.com/ "featured clients" at the very left, I will do a testimonial for you, we can take screen captures or whatever to show your customers what we did.

Right on and coolness. Will try to get my demo site of your dbase soonish. Exciiiiiiiiiiting tiiiiiiiiiiimes. Was fun working on my treeplanting software and I must say I've learned a lot with the sqlite thing that now I'm even better at Access. Realing that they all use sql code, as does mysql dbases. I guess .asp is MS's version of sql. Was imagining that eventually I'll be making Access databases that will seemlessly operate online as well, I guess through visual basic and all that. All the languages are similar, but php is definitely a hot and popular one, and good cause its free and you can find tons of free help for it on the net. Would be real cool to go more and more into this, and charge a pretty penny. adio!

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look at my web provider site at their testimonial section http://jammicron.com/ "featured clients" at the very left, I will do a testimonial for you, we can take screen captures or whatever to show your customers what we did.

hmm, don't seem to be there anymore. Perhaps they got some rotating script thing going. Easy to set up.

SMS payment for internet came through and checking out your Form now.

- is definitely free, so you need to add the Require login code at the top.

- on my bitty screen the dropdown menu is a bit long and scrolls off the page. It is as wide as the longest record. Perhaps you could scroll down to find the longest record and decide what you want to do with that one. Perhaps abbreviate part of the name or something. Then the dropdown menu will automatically adjust and get shorter.

- obviously erase "this space will be used for the login " I don't know what it's doing there. Remember that anything after // in php is for commenting only. If that accidentally ends up in the html section, it will display on the page. The free program I use colours the html section differently. I found the colouring in DW a bit confusing and not so clear.

- in IE the background is an ugly grey. Perhaps you could override the background colouring and give it something, instead of allowing the Default.

- perhaps you could highlight the "Go to list view" link more clearly, like yellow background or something. Or reword it. People might not understand what it means.

Oh, before I forget, maybe you can leave the user Kenaxx. I use that to login. You can erase the rest, once you start handing out logins to people. You should test that out today as well, so that you do not have any questions on Monday and can go live pronto, instead of delaying until Tuesday again. Test it on yourself, as I already suggested twice.

My "Database designed by KENAX" looks nice and visible, thank you. But if you like, you can make it a bit smaller if you like. Usually such ads are more discrete. It seems kind of big and clunky to me, but the extra marketing push is certain appreciated!

Looking forward to your dudes' feedback. You said the first one will be some Canadian Forestry company? Which one? I wonder if I've emailed with them already concerning my treeplanting site. adio

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> > SMS payment for internet came through and checking out your Form

> now.

> > - is definitely free, so you need to add the Require login code at

> > the top.

done! it was there but there was an extra // which made it not work. finicky, finicky!

Nope, it's standard php code which turns everything after it into a comment, which php therefore ignores. Refer to my "Ketaformatting" comments in the Search file. Seems you were drawing from php code from an old file instead of the one I had on my server. When I develop the page on my computer I turn the login feature "off" by turning this particular line of code into a comment, because the login script is not running on my computer. Since we were still in testing mode I kept it off on your server as well.

> > - on my bitty screen the dropdown menu is a bit long and scrolls

> > off the page. It is

> > as wide as the longest record. Perhaps you could scroll down to

> > find the longest

> > record and decide what you want to do with that one. Perhaps

> > abbreviate part of

> > the name or something. Then the dropdown menu will automatically

> > adjust and

> > get shorter.

that's so funny, I just realized that was the problem! or, not problem but that its taking the looooongest name to make the scrolly bar. Now, I don't know if I can just edit it in DW or if it needs to be done in Access? (again, forgive the seemingly dunce questions, as you can see I am muddling my way through this). I'll just try it now . ..

Simple logic. It takes long for the dropdown list to load because it is loading data from some 2000 records! From three columns, actually. You obviously cannot edit this in DW anyway. One possibility is to tell the database to only load lets say 100 of the records, but that would be pretty useless. Or go to the raw data, create a new field with an abbreviation of the company names, to reduce the data size. But unless someone is on a 33 kb/sec prehistoric modem, I cannot see this as a problem. It's always only taken me a few seconds for this to load. What concerns the longest record, you/we'd need to go to that record and shorten the name of the company or something, then the width of the drop down list would get smaller, down to the second longest record (remember that it includes the province and mill type, so three fields altogether, if I remember correctly.

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> > This is part of the data and needs to be done in Access with S&R,

> > then converted

> > to sqlite and uploaded overtop of the existing online database,

> > simple as that.

question about this: since I did my updating one company, Buchanan, has gone out of business and another has announced an indefinite long term closure. so I should take it out. What do I do, download the access.db to the PC and change it, then upload it again? Did you ever do the show/hide thing, because that's what I would need to do. Hide them both, until someone buys the Buchanan mill and opens it under a different name, and the other one until the announce a re-opening in the middle of next year probably. ??? updating database itself, I expect I do in the database and then re-upload it but maybe not???

Once I finish the babyfication (a longer term project it will seem), then I can complete your input form (for your eyes only, which I will hide in the password protect "dbase" subfolder) and you can make all the changes you want online.

Yes, I can also add a Show/Hide field, which you will be able to see in your admin account and only you will be able to change. Then I'd have to make the change to each sql statement. SInce you're sorta becoming a programming guru, I'll tell you how. Think it might be good for you to know to help you grasp this dbase stuff, since you'll be working with it so much from now on.

Basically its something like

sql = SEARCH * FROM mill WHERE hide=0

* means "everything"

mill is the name of the dbaase

"hide" would be the new field, =0 would mean "no", -1 would mean "yes".

But since none of this is set up yet, as I already mentioned, if you want to change any of the data in the dbase, we need to follow this procedure:

- I send you my Access version, cause that's the latest data

- I do not touch the data while you are working on it, and vice versa

- you do whatever changes you want and send it back to me. We decide who has "rights" to make changes on it, and only that person does (total pain in the ass to "merge changes" and I'm not even interested in going that direction)

- I convert it to sqlite and upload it. If we decide you have the "rights", I do not tough the dbase data and you occasionally send me your Access file for me to convert to sqlite and upload. Not a very painful operation, but painful enough, so please only do it once in a while when you deem necessary.

> > You keep mentioning that

> > DW did not mention any error codes. DW is certainly not set up for

> > that.

no, no, I said DW didn't give me any error codes for that one thing, it certainly does let you know when there is a problem with the code. You have to be clicked right on where the problem is and it puts a big ? inside a diamond shape etc etc.

I know DW gives error messages concerning html codes, but I doubt it sits there and tries to figure out what the hell php is doing, especially if it is drawing data from a dbase. Perhaps on some very basic level, but I wouldn't depend on DW at all to give you message warnings concerning to php code.

> > On that note,

> > please go ahead and send some horrid pdf section as a sample, so I

> > can include an

> > explanation of the conversion process. Preferably some section

> > which I can show

> > in my online finalised version as well. I'm thinking 100 records

> > total should be

> > enough. I can always change some of that data if you don't want it

> > available

> > online for free. If you ignore this request I'll just end up

> > choosing something

> > myself, and if you disagree with it later, you can spend the time

> > changing it.

um um um what what what? I remember you asked for a horrid .pdf, sorry it took so long. 100 records?? that's many, many many page! are you sure you want that much? I was thinking like three pages from different sections, like Quebec Reman, BC Mill and NB Pulp and Paper or something. Noone needs to download a mega-huge .pdf with tons of stuff on it as a sample. I'm sending you what I thought you meant, if you want more its not a problem. Not sure what you mean by online finalized version, but I'm sure it will be OK. If you give them a time limited password, I don't see a problem. go ahead and send me a link when you're done!

Okay, will take a look at these attachments once i get around to working on my demo version. It will NOT be password protected. It will be like a sample of your dbase, including your admin account (once I finish the babyfication and your input/edit page) to show potential customers all that I have accomplished with your dbase. I don't need 100 records of pdf, but I'd like 100 records in my dbase demo, where the Search page might be limited to show 30 at a time, to show how that feature works.

Concerning the pdfs, I want to have a separate section explaining the hell we had to go through what concerns conversion of the pdf to the final sqlite dbase. Explaining each and every process, including my Serbian programmers special code. Cause I assume a lot of such cases in the future will include a similar hell conversion process, and this is where a lot of my genius gleamed, so I want to show that I'm capable of this while showing them what might be required for their own dbase (warranting my final price etc.).

BCMill.pdf , I picked a page with one of the big companies on it, so people could understand there are multiple listings to deal with QCPanel.pdf , so they can see the transition to different mill type, and also a couple of big companies with multiple mills are there AtlWhole.pdf , same idea, also its the third last page of the listings and they should for sure be impressed by the page number!! If you want something else just ask. lalallala

Coolness. Will take a look at all this once the babyfication is done, and your input/edit form. This is quite important and would definitely wanna show this on my demo site. k

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> >> oh, now it's picking the next longest, guess I have to do some

> >> editing.

> >

> > Well how on earth are you editing it?

I went to that record in the super huge long list in DW and took the company name down from Canadian Forest Products Ltd. - Howe Sound Pulp & Paper Limited - Northwood Pulp Mill Division to something shorter, like Canadian Forest Products Ltd. - Howe Sound - Northwood Division

Yah but that totally does not make any sense. This drop down menu is filled directly from the dbase and nothing that DW can edit. I cant image DW to be able to edit the sqlite file. I really don't know how you accomplished this.

when the full listing comes in the company name is there in its entirety (the first instance) however within the actual pull down bar it is indeed shortened. I expect this wont last though, because as soon as we update the access file all the company names within the .php for the pull down bar will update. No? if it doesn't then it should, because people are going to be buying up old mills and changing the name.

What you should be doing is shorten the name in the Access file, then I'll convert that to sqlite, upload it, and then it should be shorter.

For now its fine, I changed like three or four that were really long. I will obviously have to go into the access file and shorten the name a bit.

> >> . .. .ok it still works. I realize it is drawing from the ID

> >> number, not the name of the mill. I still need to fiddle with

> the

> >> font size, it is pretty small in Safari but kind of huge in

> Firefox

> >> which is making the box wider. good enough for now though!

> >

> > Perhaps somewhere can be punched in a command for the font size of

> > this

> > dropdown mene. Not difficult but just needs to be put into the

> > right place. I can

> > figure this out if you cant.

I think it must be, because I played with it in the style sheet yesterday and the rest of the fonts on the page changed but not within the bar.

It should be basic html or use class or something. Try what you can, and I'll take a crack at it if you fail.

> >> hmm, there's no grey in my style sheet. will look at it on the

> PC

> >> next. again, this is not enough of a problem to delay the

> release.

> >> lalalal!

> >

> > My IE is set to grey (I think it is IE's default setting, but can

> > be changed) as a

> > default if the website does not specify what the background colour

> > is. That must

> > mean that the Search page did not specify the background colour,

> so

> > to "resolve"

> > this simply state the background colour. k

ok! I am going to have to include, in the instructions to new customers, a notice "Like the rest of the internet, Madison's mill listings work best in Firefox. Download it free here" and send them to the site. Because Explorer just makes a mess of it, as it does with other sites as well.

Yes, but still 60% of people use it, and most people just don't like switching, or downloading and installing etc. It's an ugly evil and all programmers bitch about it while I read their forums. Funny stuff, but a necessary evil. I think once IE and the rest go CSS 3 things should be a lot better. k

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oh man, thanks so much! *phew* yeah, I was preparing a reply, when I thought you were going to yell at me for - once again - uploading over a file, that I will indeed mirror everything on the server to my computer. Best to be safe!

Yes, especially since I doubt I'd do everything over again for free if you screwed up all the files AND some catastrophe like my harddrive got fried etc. I keep a backup, but I don't have double redundancy and sophisticated stuff like that. You should try to store good backups. Whenever I upload to my server I'm very careful cause my server is my main backup. I've even paid for them to make a special backup of it. But that's gone if you overwrite things.

and it does indeed now work once again. This is a real customer, he is having trouble logging in. I think its his browser though, that must have some security thing on . . not cookies but the other thing. Anyways he's in Ottawa so hasn't tried the new username yet, I will sort him out tomorrow.

What other thing? Yah, we'll definitely be finding out quirks, and updating the help files. Generally it should work for most I'd say, if they use the usual browsers. We'll find out. I think they may need to allow cookies for the site.

This weekend I am going to go on a major blitz, email everyone IN the database, plus everyone in my Madison's database. I will also tinker with the search form (we're going to lose Services because it is filled out with a total bunch of random stuff, so every search will only bring up very few companies, while Mill Name really should be on there can't believe I didn't think of that! good thing for the gineau pigs).

Don't forget that I set up a great script to send out emails to a lot of people. I can limit the number per hour so as not to overload the server, and each email gets sent out separately.

So early next week there should start to trickle in more real customers signing on, we'll see if they crash your server hahahaha *cough*

I highly doubt that, cough, heh heh.

I'm curious about one thing: remember how I asked about a "log out" before and you said something about it being complicated? well I was testing this new username I just made and signed in as him, but was able to go to the signup page! http://translationstop.com/keta/dbase/ signup.php but maybe I was still signed in as me? I used his name and password though. It's probably not likely that anyone would figure out how to get there, but for the future - super low priority - maybe we should check the permissions to see how much regular users will be able to do.

The dbase folder is password protect, so no one should be able to get into that unless they know the username and password. The only reason you jumped into it was cause of "sesssions". Each browser remembers that. Yes, I guess i can make a logout link, but it's basically useless and unimportant. Only useful in internet cafes where someone can login into your email account after you leave the machine, for example. You kill all sessions whenever you shut down a browser. Sessions are not transferrable between computers or through the internet. I guess you can test it by restarting your browser, logging in to the user search page (it doesn't matter which user account - that has absolutely nothing to do with the dbase folder, which is password protect by an entirely separate issue), and then try to go to the Admin search page. I don't even have to try this I'm so darn confident.

Writing a story about the pine beetle for my newsletter now, dying for some food food and a cup of tea!!!

okay, go eat some bugs then, heh heh.