Surviving Garments Database Online!

[hrj]

Yes, it's finally ready for people to try to use it. This isn't quite even a "beta" version -- more like an alpha-and-a-half version. What's online at this moment is the ugly simplified fall-back version that I knew I could get to work. Tomorrow morning I hope to upgrade this to the slightly more elegant and more flexible version that SK worked up for me (while I was finalizing the fall-back version). The main difference is that the more elegant version allows for multiple selections in some fields that the fall-back version only allows single selections in.

And, of course, there are all sorts of upgrades and improvements that I have on the to-do list. But at least I have something functional to debut for Kalamazoo.

Oh, right, the link. Here it is: The Surviving Garments Database.

Comments

[hrj.livejournal.com]

One quick observation having run a garment parameter search -- would you consider placing at the head of each returned record a short descriptive "name" of the item

That's something that's really been bothering me as well. There isn't an easy fix, since it will involve adding a new field and then populating it individually. (None of the existing fields would really serve the purpose.) But I agree that the current layout makes it hard to figure out at a flash exactly what garment is being described. The other identification-related feature that's on the to-do list is to add a simple line-drawing of each item. Again, this will take a bit of work to create, but would immensely improve the user-friendliness.

Fellow Database Creator

[folkmew.livejournal.com]

Wow! Cool! The mind boggles just looking it over. :-)

I have NO idea if it is even remotely helpful but your project reminds me in scope of Ed's organ stops database (http://organstops.org/). Which is pretty famous in the small pond of organists. He even got written up in the acknowledgments of a book! :-) So if you want to natter at him about database and web stuff I'm sure he'd be happy to. :-) ed at mewsic dot com if you want to contact him (though it's probably also on the database).

Anyway good luck! It certainly looks ambitious and useful to people who are far more costume geeky than I.

[liadan-m.livejournal.com]

I'm currently amused at the "More specific date information, if available: date is a wild-assed guess" on the early irish skin cloak.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Um ... yeah ... there are a few reminders in the contents that this was originally designed as a private resource.