The GCA Repository (GCA file archive)

[Bruno]

I have a request/question.

I can link to a search based on a given tag

http://www.motoslave.net/gcarepo/sea...tags=equipment

and I can link to a search based on a given UserID

http://www.motoslave.net/gcarepo/sea...earch&userid=4

I'd like to create a static link to a combination of BOTH these searches (so it only shows results for me, that are tagged with equipment.

I've tried using a comma and a semicolon to chain those arguments togeather but it just does the userid and ignores the tags

http://www.motoslave.net/gcarepo/sea...tags=equipment

and

http://www.motoslave.net/gcarepo/sea...tags=equipment

Is there a way to do this? Can there be? :D


EDIT Never mind. I just randomly tried using an & to chain them together and it worked.

http://www.motoslave.net/gcarepo/sea...pment&userid=4

[tmedwards]

Originally Posted by Bruno

EDIT Never mind. I just randomly tried using an & to chain them together and it worked.

Yes. The ampersand is the standard conjoining character.

Related to this, I suppose it might be a nice feature if I were to expose a URL for the current search, so you don't have to make one yourself. I'll look into that.

[tmedwards]

I'm wondering, is anything I can do to make the repository more attractive to potential users/authors?

[Bruno]

I've posted my Necromancer, and one of his perks has gone AWOL from the preview.

The last perk on the list (both alphabetically and as per the trait list in the file), Focused Fast Caster (Frostbite), is missing. It seemed a little odd.

[tmedwards]

Will check on that. It almost has to be a parsing problem of some kind.

[ClayDowling]

Set it up to allow easy browsing without searching. That's my biggest beef with the archive.

[tmedwards]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Could you elaborate a bit?

[ClayDowling]

Right now the GCA repository only lets you view the contents that match search criteria. But I want to see what's in there that I wouldn't even think to search for.

An example from this morning's shopping trip:

I went to Harbor Freight looking for a paint sprayer. If it had been the sort of store where you walk up to a window and ask for what you want, I would have gotten my paint sprayer a lot more quickly. Instead, at Harbor Freight you walk around the store and pick up your items from the shelf. So in getting to the paint sprayer, I walked past the bin with bicycle lifts (a pulley and hook arrangement for easily hanging your bicycle from the ceiling in your garage or shed), and I have two of those now. I also walked past the bin with multi-bit screwdrivers, and picked up one of those for a friend. And I happened to see a good deal on motorcycle jacks, so I bought that too. Before I left, I also grabbed the paint sprayer I was looking for.

In other words, by making their products browseable, instead of just getting one item to me with great efficiency, they managed to get 6 items to me. That meant that instead of getting $14 out of one customer, they got $125 out of that same customer, just by having the right interface.

BTW, if you're looking for a paint sprayer, you might want to hit Harbor Freight today. Good prices.

[Woodman]

Just dont enter anything in the search engine and it will list all items in alphabetical order

[ClayDowling]

I did eventually stumble on to that. As an interface though, that stinks. Better to make that the default, and have searching be an option. Search is an appropriate interface for very large databases. A list I can browse is an appropriate interface for smaller databases. In fact, I wouldn't even bother with a search feature until you have more than a hundred entries in that database.

To continue my example, you're not going to sell me a motorcycle lift that way. All you're going to sell is a paint sprayer.