Posted on Fri, 14th October 2005 at 21:56 under Software, On-line Dive Log
Two major changes to the on-line dive log.
- I can put external links against people and places e.g. dive 32 on the SS Yongala. Click the » to link to a relevant page. I’m still working on entering the actual links into the database though!
- Although I don’t have any pictures, the U/W Pictures page now at least lists the marine life I have logged and on which dives.
I’ve done a lot of refactoring on the code which has been fun and has taught me a lot about PHP, a tool for which I have increasing admiration. I am also endebted to the original developers of the dive log, terong.com, whom I wholeheartedly thank for producing such a wonderful base on which to build. I hope that they will choose to incorporate some of my work or ideas into their future releases.
I plan to spend some time adding links to my log before making further changes to the code.
My next task is to adapt the visuals of the dive log to better match my blog. Time for all that studying of CSS2 to pay off. I plan to add links against marine life and dive courses. There’s some minor polishing left also.
Beyond that I’m not sure. But it’s the web. Somebody will think of something. I welcome suggestions. 
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Ali said: October 16th, 2005 at 21:51
Paul,
How about adding a link back to the blog site? I see that you have added names of sealife to the U-W Pictures section but can you also add comments? I also noticed that the home link takes you to a boilerplate statement, does that have to be there as part of the source agreement?
How about adding a listing for gear used? You could list what gear you used and comments on how well you thought it worked. This is something I put in a few of my log notes as a reminder for when I begin purchasing my own stuff.
It’s probably a bit too anal but in the dive experience section, can you break down the dives further with extra categories like, boat dives, shore dives, drift dives, cave dives etc?
When will I be able to purchase this new and improved version and add it to my blog?
ReplyLiberta said: October 17th, 2005 at 08:04
Hi Ali, glad you like the look of whats been done so far! If you look at my dive log you will see that I have stripped off the supplied formatting, the boilerplate statement and added link to my blog. Thats all just styling - the way you want it to look.
Now as for gear and dive “types” I have given these some thought. They often appear in other software but I have never seen them handled well. Dive categories might appear to be general but there are many types of divers so they might as well be viewed as personal. That means the user builds his/her own list. That can be done in this software but would take a little time becuase its adding a completely new dimension.
My problem with categories is that often dives would fall into 2 or more categories - e.g. deep and wreck and night. If you have some ideas of how you would like to see and use categories then please let us know and we’ll see what we can do.
Gear has a similar problem. It starts off easy - wetsuit 3mm/5mm/7mm etc but then starts to get very complicated with all the combinations of kit, weight, weight distribution, tank type and size etc. I know why you want to keep it, but I am reluctant to attempt something other than free format notes to store that at the moment.
No comments on the pictures - but thats a great idea and I think a fairly simple one that even PHP newbie like me might be able to handle. Watch this space! Check out my pictures from Turkey!
As for purchasing - the basic code is available from www.Terong.com . Enhancements from Liberta and Libertus available by private negotiation
ReplyLibertus said: October 17th, 2005 at 10:12
Al,
How about adding a link back to the blog site?
I also noticed that the home link takes you to a boilerplate statement, does that have to be there as part of the source agreement?
Such changes are coming. I’ve avoided making aesthetic changes to the code this far primarily because I care more about function than style but also because end-user customisation needs to be thought through and implemented properly.
I see that you have added names of sealife to the U-W Pictures section but can you also add comments?
The sealife names were already part of the product - I just enabled that listing when no pictures are avaiable.
There’s an update coming to the marine life section very soon that shall add an external link (such as is available for people and sites) and an automatically generated link to FishBase. I’m not convinced of the utility of further textual commentary against marine life. What kind of information would you store against a fish that cannot be linked to?
Liberta covered your gear and category questions. I would like to have both formally recorded much for the same reasons as you I expect. Getting both right will take some thought so any help you can offer is welcome.
When will I be able to purchase this new and improved version and add it to my blog?
Bottom line is that we cannot legally or ethically share what we have with you unless you purchase the original from terong.com (that is, you need to have the same rights as we do). Do that and we’ll give you the enhancements for free so long as you agree to help the development by using, testing, giving feedback and being patient with us while we work. Evangelisim is entirely optional! Sound reasonable to you?
ReplyAli said: October 17th, 2005 at 19:33
Hi Both,
I’ll give the gear issue some thought, I agree it can get very complicated but if I can think of an interesting but simple way to present the info then I think it would be a useful feature
I like the idea of linking the pictures to fishbase, saves a lot of typing. I also see that Liberta has links with her pictures to the dive site and dive where was seen (very nice touch) and I guess that covers my needs for pictures.
I also see that Liberta has added her qualifications to the Dive Experience section, also a nice touch. A small recommendation would be creating a hotlink from the date back to either the web site of the dive school you did the qualification or a page that lists where you did it and your thoughts on how good or bad you thought the place was.
How difficult would it be to link the same dive with multiple categories? Making the list customisable would be good.
I have no problem with purchasing the original code from Terong but as I know nothing about this stuff, I’ll need your help in getting it uploaded and up and running. I’ll set up an ID for you as editor on my blog site.
For sometime in the future another very useful feature will be linking this software with dive computers so that rather than having to type a lot of this information, it can be retrieved from the watch and added automatically. Thee are prabably far too many makes and ways of getting at the data to make this a quick or easy task but it would give it an edge over most of the other stuff out there.
ReplyAli said: October 17th, 2005 at 19:35
Also I’ll need your phone number so I can tell you what the password will be.
ReplyLiberta said: October 17th, 2005 at 20:38
>I also see that Liberta has added her qualifications to the Dive Experience section, also a nice touch.
There was lots of free space that needed to be filled
I was thinking also about linking dive qualification with the certifying dives - rather like the links to dives with particular dive master or instructor. I have got links to dive operators’ websites which are visible next to the dive op in a dive or on dive friends page. Comments about a person or dive op would be a future enhancement.
Anyways, you’ve kicked off a good conversation over our wine this evening. Great feedback Ali, Thankyou!
ReplyLibertus said: October 17th, 2005 at 20:59
Al,
On gear, simple but interesting is what we’re aiming for. Easy to use also. Once you’ve used the administration side of the dive log software, you’ll have a better idea of what that means in this context. I’m impressed with the approach the developers have taken.
On FishBase, I’ve got an initial implementation working. It’s cool. Except for having to type in all those scientific names!
On qualifications, I agree it’s a nice touch but it’s just static text at the moment. We’re giving thought to making it automatically generated and with links, like you want.
On categories, we’re thinking it over and the feeling is that we can do it right. Watch this space (but no holding your breath, of course).
On installing your dive log, I’m happy to help. I would need FTP access to your site. The server has to be running at least PHP 4.3.10 and MySQL 4.1. The program needs security credentials to be able to create and access MySQL tables. I don’t think any of this will be problematic since you’re already running a blog which likely needs the same. I’m just giving you a heads-up. I appreciate it might be difficult for you to do much checking from where you are though, lucky git
Oh, be sure to mention us to Erwin when you buy the program. You won’t get a discount but we could use the kudos hehehe. Well, actually, you can get an automatic 17.5% discount but you’ll have to guess how.
On dive computers, that’s for the distant (i.e. > 6 months) future. This phase is mostly about transcribing our own paper logs and keeping photos. Importing from existing dive log software (such as comes with dive computers) would be a great marketing feature as it’s a huge time-saver. I have ideas on real-time access to dive computer data but that’s for a bigger, later project.
ReplyLibertus said: October 17th, 2005 at 20:59
Likewise, thanks Al!
ReplyAli said: October 17th, 2005 at 23:57
I’ve emailed squarespace to find out how to get the access required and I’ll purchase the terong software in the next few days provided I can get appropriate answers from squarespace.
ReplyLibertus said: October 18th, 2005 at 00:05
I look forward to browsing your on-line dive log in due course.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be hosted by SquareSpace.
Replyali said: October 19th, 2005 at 15:26
Hi Paul,
It can’t be hosted by squarespace, apparently they do not support server side code. I’m going to look into possible alternatives. If you have any suggestions then let me know.
ReplyLibertus said: October 19th, 2005 at 17:46
Umm… we host one for you? I’ll discuss it with Lucy when she gets back and see what level of service we can offer. If we can’t do it, I’m sure we can enlist the help of someone who can.
In the meantime, feel free to drool over the latest changes.
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