IconBuffet | Free Icons, Stock Icons, Custom Icon Design

miranoriel on Jan 28, 2008

Woohoo!

i'se in ur dashboards, editin ur profilez

LOL

Darkneo on Jan 28, 2008

I just added all 124 of my friends.

bjendrick on Jan 28, 2008

Wow... that's cool, Darkneo.

louiemctool on Feb 07, 2008

if'n you didn't see the other post...

have a small error in URL (in bold):
http://www.iconbuffet.com/people/bjendrick/blogs/blogs/ib-dashboard-enhancements

:)

bjendrick on Feb 07, 2008

Thank you. I was having issues with determining the source of the URL. I fixed it, and all should be well.

lifecruiser on Feb 08, 2008

Thanks for all the work with it, it really looks promising :-)

senorgooner on Feb 08, 2008

is there an 'idiots guide' to the ib dashboard

bjendrick on Feb 10, 2008

@senorgooner: Not as yet. I've been trying to put together an FAQ section, but it's fallen behind some of the other enhancements that I've been trying to put into the system. You can always ask your questions, and I'll gladly respond here or in e-mail. You can reach me at: bjendrick(at)timelydbs(dot)com

iamback on Feb 14, 2008

Wow. I just signed up and went through setting it up with my data (easy, since I only just started here) and I'm really impressed! Now I can throw away my messy little orange notes!

Thanks for making a really helpful tool.

miranoriel on Feb 14, 2008

omigosh! Now you can track your deliveries! :o

Wait, was I napping when that feature was rolled out? Whatever, I just noticed that you can keep track of deliveries you've sent: to whom, what set it was, when you sent it, what the status is, and even make a few notes if needed.

This. Is. Awesome. *happydance*

bjendrick on Feb 15, 2008

@iamback: I'm glad that you found the tool to be so helpful. For the longest time about 5 months ago, I was using an Excel file with a ton of extra things that I was tracking, but got tired of the hassle. So I threw together the Dashboard & was amazed at how it was received. Feel free to send questions or ideas to my box.

@miranorial: LOL, yes, I think you might have been slightly asleep when I rolled this out, but the latest changes with the 4 statuses & such hasn't been announced on my blog yet. I've been a bit busy with some other paying work, so I've been a bit remiss on spinning the marketing. ;)

I'm glad you enjoy the new feature, and be sure to spread the love to those that may not know.

miranoriel on Feb 15, 2008

Dang, sorry about that! LOL

Better late than never, and you can be sure I'll spread the IBD love far and wide! :D

bjendrick on Feb 21, 2008

I'm not always a fan of increasing the complexity of a site, because sometimes, more is just more. But with the Dashboard, I felt that the combination of Friends AND Deliveries made the page a bit too busy & cluttered. I hope you like the new navigation changes. Let me know your thoughts.

iamback on Feb 21, 2008

I looked today, and the layout seems to be all messed up suddenly. Reload of the page didn't help. Was the stylesheet changed or something? The home page is now all one column on the right and a lot of white space on the left (apart from the menu bar and the login form which are now both on the left).

Using Firefox 2.0...

iamback on Feb 21, 2008

BTW, I liked having friends and deliveries together on one page - makes it easy to reference them to each other.

iamback on Feb 21, 2008

Hmm, I'm also getting JavaScript errors:

Error: field.elements[i].tagName is not a function
Source File: http://www.timelydbs.com/iconbuffet/user_icons.asp?type=need
Line: 2436

Error: field.elements[i].tagName is not a function
Source File: http://www.timelydbs.com/iconbuffet/user_set_edit.asp?id=34031&type=need
Line: 149

bjendrick on Feb 21, 2008

Oy! Okay, working on it now. Sorry for the mixup.

bjendrick on Feb 21, 2008

Alright, and just to give a more credible response to user's choices, please take a poll here: Friends & Deliveries Poll

bjendrick on Feb 21, 2008

@iamback: I haven't seen the javascript errors that you're talking about in either IE or Firefox, but it's possible that I'm not making the right changes to have them display. Let me know more detail if you can, and I'll be certain to look into it.

In addition, I've fixed the font sizing issue in IE... but for the record IE is a s&^% product!!!. Whew! Thank you.

iamback on Feb 21, 2008

As to the JavaScript errors: I have Firefox set to pop up an error console when there's an error. I copied the error messages straight from there so there's really very little else I could tell you: each message gives you the error text, URL and line no.

Actually, I'm getting even more now:

Error: field.elements[i].tagName is not a function
Source File: http://www.timelydbs.com/iconbuffet/user_icons.asp
Line: 199
-------
Error: tooltip is not defined
Source File: http://www.timelydbs.com/iconbuffet/javascript/tooltip.js
Line: 38
-------
Error: [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x804b000a [nsIDOMNSHTMLAnchorElement.hostname]" nsresult: "0x804b000a (<unknown>)" location: "JS frame :: http://www.timelydbs.com/iconbuffet/javascript/external.js :: anonymous :: line 31" data: no]
Source File: http://www.timelydbs.com/iconbuffet/javascript/external.js
Line: 31
-------

(I'm getting the same "tooltip is not defined" also here on IB...)

The layout seems to be fixed though, thanks! :D

louiemctool on Feb 21, 2008

interesting.

i have never had that error, in Opera, Safari, IE6, IE7, or Firefox2...

odd...

:)

anti on Feb 21, 2008

Looks great to me, Ben, no problems at all. Great work!

bjendrick on Feb 21, 2008

@iamback: Are you getting all of these errors from the same page of "user_icons.asp", or do you get them from actions in & around that page?

iamback on Feb 22, 2008

The "field.elements[i].tagName is not a function occurred both on user_icons.asp and on user_set_edit.asp (see above).
When I went to "Icons" just now I had to log in again, and as soon as the icons page comes up after that, the error appears (that's user_icons.asp); choosing "edit set details" from one of the icons brings up the error in user_set_edit.asp; "back" and the error pops up for user_icons.asp again. It does not occur on icon_list.asp.

The "tooltip is not defined" is reported as being within the file tooltip.js - there's not a reference to where that is being used - somewhere with a tooltip? Not on the Friends/Deliveries page even though every friend/recipient has a tooltip.
Is it possible you copied "tooltip.js" from iconbuffet.com? On the user_icons.asp page I also cannot trigger it (same type of tooltips - I actually prefer the standard tooltips over the JS-styled ones).

The "Exception" error occurs within external.js on line 31 - I have no idea what triggered it. Line 31 contains:

if (all_links[i].hostname.search(rexcludedomains)==-1 && all_links[i].href.indexOf("http:")!=-1)

so that seems to match the "nsIDOMNSHTMLAnchorElement.hostname" in the error message -- that's as far as I get.

soprano on Feb 22, 2008

@bjendrick: Looks like external.js tries to get the hostname of each link, but I'm pretty sure that links don't have a hostname property.

iamback on Feb 22, 2008

unless they're external links?

(I just added a delivery without any errors popping up. :))

bjendrick on Feb 24, 2008

Okay, now I have a better idea of what is going on. Sorry for the delay in my response, but today is my first day being up and about after getting a flu bug from my son.

The external.js file is an ingenious bit of javascript code that I found online to open any external links on a page into a new window or tab. Based on my borrow-fication, I don't have the coding chops myself to figure out what the error pertains to without some concerted effort. Based on that, I offer two options:
1. If someone is willing to try & figure out the error with their highly evolved javascript skills (i.e. better than my own), and offer a solution, case closed, or
2. Find a way to kindly ignore the error until such time as I can develop a remedy.

Thank you for your patience, and for your excellent helpful pointers iamback & soprano.

anti on Feb 24, 2008

No 3. Let the user decide how to open the links? :)

The site works fine with JavaScript disabled, and my browser settings override the JS, so we are cool! :)

bjendrick on Feb 24, 2008

@anti: Good point. I guess I always preferred to stay on the site I'm linking from & loathe when I have to middle click or Ctrl-click to force it into a new tab. I guess I could always just remove that javascript entirely. Thoughts?

I must admit, it's a much more graceful solution. ;)

iamback on Feb 25, 2008

<soapbox>I, on the other hand, hate it when 'forced' by a website to open a new link in a new window or tab - I can do that myself if I want or need to, but please don't force it on me (and you don't need JavaScript for the forcing either, plain transitional (X)HTML will do it). Of course Firefox can override a lot of that, but there should not be a need for overriding in the first place: power to the user!</soapbox>

:)
So yes, I'm with anti on this (that sounds contradictory but isn't ;))

bjendrick on Feb 25, 2008

LOL Fair enough. I'll work on disabling that script this evening.

And when you have a chance, I'd love to know your alternate method of window "forcing" as I'm pretty new to this game.

bjendrick on Feb 25, 2008

You'll be happy to know that I have disabled the "external.js" script in the Dashboard, and iamback, you should no longer see errors. :)

BTW, I don't like to toot my own horn (much), but I must admit that I tend to have moments of brilliance. It's nice having included files in my "header" file, so disabling something like the script mentioned above takes all of 2 minutes. Most of which is devoted to the opening & saving of the file.

IE still sucks though. :) (Threw that in there for argumentative reasons.)

louiemctool on Feb 26, 2008

since we're stating the obvious, i'd like to add that the sky is blue and the grass is green.

i kid, i kid!

:D

bjendrick on Feb 26, 2008

LOL Yeah, I know. I'm beating a dead horse. :D

anti on Feb 26, 2008

< a href = "example.com" target = "blank" >

I think that works. Never tried it. :)

louiemctool on Feb 26, 2008

yes, it works. i've done that before.

:)

bjendrick on Feb 26, 2008

OY! Okay, I'm familiar with THAT method. *sigh* I guess I asked for it.

soprano on Feb 26, 2008

@anti: I think it's target="_blank" with an underscore.

Darkneo on Feb 26, 2008

I believe soprano is righ with that

louiemctool on Feb 26, 2008

si

rowan6894 on Feb 26, 2008

Just using it for the first time and it works great!

bjendrick on Feb 26, 2008

Glad you like it, Rowan.

miranoriel on Mar 03, 2008

I heart IBD. ^_^

bjendrick on Mar 04, 2008

Thank you, miranoriel. And now that I'm back & in front of a computer after 3 days of the flu, I apologize for my absence.

miranoriel on Mar 04, 2008

Ack! I hope you're feeling better. Thanks for adding the Group indicators -- I finally figured out what group I'm in! :D

So! Eat your vegetables, drink lots of juice, take it easy, brush your teeth, and wear clean underwear whenever you go out. We IBD-aholics need you to be okay. LOL

/leaves the thread, still yammering...

"...and what is that on your cheek? Comb your hair! Oh, and there's a tuna casserole in the fridge if you're hungry when you get home! And take out the garbage! Who left their shoes in the hall again? Blah blah blah..."

rofl

bjendrick on Mar 04, 2008

LOL I'll be fine, now that I'm over the worst of it. Stay tuned for some more updates, and hopefully I'll get to a point of being "done" soon. ;)

miranoriel on Mar 04, 2008

Woo. Yay for more updates! :D

MrDee on Mar 04, 2008

tuna casserole? do you deliver?

miranoriel on Mar 04, 2008

If you're willing to factor in the International Dateline with the delivery time, sure! LOL

louiemctool on Mar 04, 2008

tuna broccoli rolls...

hmmm...cheezy.

:D

bjendrick on Mar 05, 2008

Somehow the Dashboard blog devolved into a food discussion...............................

Okay, carry on! (I am after all, a foodie myself.)

miranoriel on Mar 05, 2008

Oops. Sorry, Ben!

Aha! Since you're here, your two cents on whether the new badge being discussed is the one for Amsterdam deliveries would be greatly appreciated, and will we be seeing it on the IBD badge list soon? :D

Also, ya hungry? LOL

a2 on Mar 05, 2008

Thanks for all your hard work on the dashboard. I love the new features!

bjendrick on Mar 05, 2008

@a2: Glad you're enjoying it, and there's more to come, but many of them are more "polish" to existing features instead of "newness".

@miranoriel: Well, I'm of the opinion that the new badge icon is for Amsterdam, and I've added it to the Amsterdam family badge accordingly. Of course, I've been known to be wrong & reserve the right to hastily remove it. ;) So for now, it's on the badge list, but it's permanency could be temporary. In addition, as soon as it appears to go "live", I'll be setting the Dashboard code to show it accordingly.

bjendrick on Mar 05, 2008

Oh, and hungry? Almost always. :D

iamback on Mar 06, 2008

Hungry? Food? Try this! It's still fresh.

Oh, and while target="_blank" is one of the standard "magic" targets, and will open the page in a window, target="anyname" will open the page in a window named "anyname" and create that window first if it doesn't exist. The difference is subtle, but once the window by that name exists, a next page with the same target will open in that same window, not another new one: it saves the user from a proliferation of new windows and possible resource problems. So both 'target="_blank"' and 'target="blank"' will work but they won't do exactly the same thing; a more descriptive name than "blank" may be helpful for the coder. ;)
Don't forget that the target attribute may be used only with the "Transitional" DOCTYPEs.

^ That was from the web standards department. ;)

@bjendrick, I'll test later - I'm a tad busy tweaking my My Opera site right now!

elnitido52 on Mar 06, 2008

Well done Ben...

bjendrick on Mar 06, 2008

@iamback: Thank you for the info on the target attribute. I never quite read fully up on how that worked, so "_blank" was the only version that I was aware of, but VERY good to know. And no worries on testing. Whenever you can is fine.

nickpixel on Mar 06, 2008

RE: iamback

You can still use the "target" attribute with a strict DTD as long as it's not present in the markup (set it via the DOM). That's how I got around it on my site. A script attaches [target="_blank"] to any link that has a "rel" attribute with a value of "offsite" (rel="offsite"). I know it's hackish but it works and degrades nicely.

iamback on Mar 08, 2008

@bjendrick: sorry, I just went to the Dashboard and I'm still getting a (one) error:

~~~~~~
Error: field.elements[i].tagName is not a function
Source File: http://www.timelydbs.com/iconbuffet/user_icons.asp?type=have
Line: 311
~~~~~~

Repeatedly, in the icons list (both "need" and "have"). Referenced line numbers vary; so far I've seen 2398 (2x), 2384, 327, 311. Also seen in user_set_edit.asp on line 149.

Don't let that spoil your weekend!

(Back to writing up My Opera tweaks.)

iamback on Mar 08, 2008

...and: (apparently after my session had timed out) clicked on an iconset name and was transported to the home page, while this now-familiar error came up:

~~~~~~
Error: tooltip is not defined
Source File: http://www.timelydbs.com/iconbuffet/javascript/tooltip.js
Line: 38
~~~~~~

That's this line in tooltip.js:

~~~~~~
if (this.tip) document.onmousemove = function (evt) {tooltip.move (evt)};
~~~~~~

miranoriel on Mar 08, 2008

That's odd. I've never had a problem with IBD, except for the spot of downtime. *blink*

bjendrick on Mar 09, 2008

@iamback: Thank you for the heads up on the javascript errors. I'm probably not going to worry about it, and just leave it for the time being. I have more pressing concerns with adding functionality, but I'll add it to my list.

Yes, miranoriel, every once in a while, I bring the IBD down to compact the Access database to ensure speedy response times & such. I figure that by the time we get to 1000 members, I'll have gracefully moved the database to SQL Server. Until then, Access should be fine, and the downtime is ALWAYS minimal. ;)

louiemctool on Mar 09, 2008

works on my machine.

:D

miranoriel on Mar 09, 2008

All in all, I'd say that IBD is an incredible piece of work. The totally negligible amounts of downtime are nothing compared to how much use I get out if it. I haven't encountered any problems with it so far. :D

chii on Mar 09, 2008

Reset Password on IB Dashboard Account

Really missing that feature :)
I was able to login after i tried 10 possible combinations.

bjendrick on Mar 09, 2008

@chii: Well, getting a reset password feature is on my list of things to do, but you can always e-mail me or put a message in my box, and I can reset it quickly. Sorry you had to make so many attempts.

iamback on Mar 09, 2008

@louimctool: oh, it works - in spite of the errors (with the tooltip error being exactly the same as I get over here as well (down to the line number - 38).

Of course if you configure your browser to ignore JavaScript errors you'll never see them, but I have my Firefox set to show them to me (not warnings, only actual errors). And I get to see a lot of them during each and every day... :(

@chii: check out KeePass: free Password safe that works on both Windows and OS X on the same database (which I have on a USB stick so I can just move it from one machine to another).

iamback on Apr 04, 2008

@bjendrick:
hehe... I looked at new icons in the master list, and wanted to have a look at Shanghai UV so I clicked through on the list - which lead to a page saying sorry, we can not find that page.

??? (I said)

Then I looked at Orange Team, and saw that Shanghai UV was "next" so I clicked through on that... and found it to live at this URL:
http://www.iconbuffet.com/freedelivery/packages/shaghai-uv

No wonder, if you spell the URL properly in IB Dashboard it cannot be found! :p
I'm afraid you'll have to (mis)correct that link!

iamback on Apr 05, 2008

Hmm - buglet:
Suddenly nearly all my "deliveries" show a checkmark for "notes". Which there aren't, in most cases (only a few).

iamback on Apr 05, 2008

Ah - looks like any note that is present causes anything below it (chronological order) to show a checkmark as well.

bjendrick on Apr 05, 2008

@iamback: Fixed the URL for Shanghai UV. Doh! on the buglet. I'll give it a look-see soon. Thank you for the heads up.

bjendrick on Apr 05, 2008

@iamback: Okay... just fixed the buglet. Sorry about that, but fortunately it was a quick fix.

iamback on Apr 05, 2008

Fixed! Thanks :)

bjendrick on Apr 23, 2008

FYI: I've added the 2 new sets from yesterday to the IB Dashboard.

miranoriel on Apr 23, 2008

Thanks, Ben! I was looking for them in the master icon list yesterday. :D

louiemctool on Apr 23, 2008

i think i'm gonna make some avi "badges" for people i feel have contributed truly useful tools to the IB landscape. and benny, you're getting the first one!

:)

MrDee on Apr 23, 2008

for he is a jolly good fellow
for he is a jolly good fellow
for he is a jolly good fellow
and so say all of us
and so say all of us
....

bjendrick on Apr 23, 2008

Oh, you're awesome louiemctool. Honestly, I feel humbled. Sure, I built this tool called the IB Dashboard, but it wasn't for acclaim or prestige. I just built the darn thing because I was getting tired of updating the Excel file originally from Dyar.

Never would I have thought that you all would enjoy it so much, nor that I would be considered someone who changed the "IB landscape". Simply... thank you.

miranoriel on Apr 24, 2008

*roar of applause*

:D

iamback on May 01, 2008

Me again - you must be getting really tired of me... :-/

1. A question: in my stats I see "-5 Outstanding Stamps" (yes, minus 5). I don't quite understand what "outstanding stamps" are, but a negative number stumps me. What does that mean?

2. Buglet: when I go edit a friend's details, their monthly token number is not auto-filled in the form. The result is that - when the person has a VIP account and I don't remember that before going to edit - the token amount of 30+ gets lost and is reverted to 10. Should be a small fix, I think!

And, um, if IconBuffet is a kind of addiction, IB Dashboard is as well: I can't really use the former without the latter any more. Thanks for such an awesome job.

bjendrick on May 01, 2008

@iamback: No worries. Your input, make that everyone's input, is valuable & encouraged. Heck, you've actually found quite a few things that I've needed to fix, etc. that has added value to the system, so no worries at all. :)

1. Please make sure that your entered stamp total on your profile page is accurate. It is entirely possible that the stamp counting bug in IB hasn't been fully resolved, and is thus causing the negative value. That's why the "offset" values were introduced into the Dashboard, but it's a long story. Suffice it to say that the IB calculation engine isn't perfect & had some issues. Check your stats, and let me know what additional issues might be occurring. You can either post it here or in my box.

2. I checked out the buglet, and it's funny how important a "value=" statement is to field codes. :D FIXED!

I'm glad that the IBD is a likable addiction. Now if we could just get more users, THAT would be spectacular.

miranoriel on May 01, 2008

"Addiction?" IBD is not an addiction.

I am not addicted.

I can quit anytime.

Just lemme check my stats one more time, and re-schedule those sets I want, and update my sets delivered, and add a few more friends...

I'm fine. I don't have a problem.

Really.

bjendrick on May 01, 2008

@miranoriel: I'm the same way with many things myself. I can quit anything anytime I want... just give me a minute to do it one last time. :D

You guys make my day so much better. You have no idea.

miranoriel on May 01, 2008

I suppose it's only fair that you get a little satisfaction out of how much we love IBD -- your work on IBD makes the 'Buffet that much more fun, and in my case, eliminates the proliferation of color-coded sticky notes that were threatening to blanket my desk! LOL! :D

louiemctool on May 01, 2008

i am jealous of your awesomeness...

:)

miranoriel on May 03, 2008

Hmm... Ben?

Remember when I had that stamps-overdue-in-the-wild problem? I think it resolved itself, but now my stats tell me I have -27 outstanding, and a 109.47% fulfillment percentage! :o

Talk about being an over-achiever... XD

iamback on May 04, 2008

Oh, yes - that "fulfillment percentage" is another thing I don't understand. Does it mean I'm not pushy enough pushing my iconsets to others?

I have a very yummy and stylish Linjiang Nutrition set that chef Etherbrian made on my special request - and plenty of stamps! Anyone interested? Just a whisper and it will be yours! :D

(But I'm keeping mine! I love the LinJiang style.)

iamback on May 04, 2008

Uh-oh, I noticed my "outstanding stamps" had gone back to zero. Fine.

Then I entered the new (Silver!) Linjiang Nutrition I received. And noticed my stamps total had not gone up - so I went to my profile to add the two stamps accepting that set earned me. And now "Outstanding stamps" is minus two. ???

bjendrick on May 05, 2008

Yeah, I'm willing to bet that it's something related to IB & how they're calculating stamps & points. I'm fairly confident with the testing done for those calculations that it's not the IBD. I had like 5 rounds of iteration making sure I was doing it right.

Regarding the "fulfillment percentage", I really need to make the FAQ page. Basically, it shows the amount of fulfilled sets against the available number of stamps that you should have received, or rather a comparison against your current point total, and your Total Possible Points.

For example, I have a 71.85% fulfillment percentage. If I were to send sets to enough people to expend all of my stamps, my point total could at or above 13750. The total possible points are calculated based on stamps * 10 points. Now, if I were an enterprising set sender, and had more diamond sets accepted than bronze, silver or gold, then it's possible that my percentage would be ABOVE 100% because diamond sets are stamps * 25 points.

I'm not sure if that is totally clear, but in essence, if you have over 100% fulfillment, then yes, you're an over-achiever.

Does that help?

bjendrick on May 05, 2008

Did Linjiang Nutrition publicly release today? I just want to update the IBD accordingly. Thank you.

miranoriel on May 05, 2008

Uh, Ben? It got released a couple days ago. Marseilles Hidden Forest has been released as well. :D

Wile on May 05, 2008

I didn't saw it yesterday ...

btw, what is the dot beside the group compass in icons list made for ?

dyar on May 05, 2008

Linjiang Nutrition on 5/2
Marseilles Hidden Forest on 5/5

miranoriel on May 05, 2008

@Wile: that tells you which group received that set as a fresh, free delivery from the chefs. For example, take a look at the compass icon for Alexandria Slam Dunk. The dot on the compass is at the bottom side. Mouse over it, and you'll see that it says "South - IB Group 3." It's a very handy visual reminder of which group received what sets, and also helps me figure out what delivery group I'm in -- I got Slam Dunk from the chefs, so that means I'm in Group 3.

Hope that helps! :)

Wile on May 05, 2008

I didn't meant about this red dot, but the gray one besides Linjiang Nutrition and Shanghai UV on that page. But thanks for trying to answer ...

bjendrick on May 05, 2008

@Wile: That is in fact a small indicator to myself that I need to fill in the ACTUAL release date of a set. I store both date fields in the IBD. When the chefs say a set was released, and it's "True Release Date", meaning it was released into the wild for people to collect.

So back to my question, what was the official collect date of Linjiang Nutrition. I know that it was marked as 5/2, but was it actually available then? It may have been, and I just missed it. Thank you.

And regarding Shanghai UV, apparently I TOTALLY missed it on that one. I have a cookie for whomever can tell me the correct date for that one. :D

Wile on May 05, 2008

really no idea 'bout that ... sorry

miranoriel on May 05, 2008

@Wile: oopsie lol :D

@Ben: I dunno the date for Shanghai UV, but can I have a cookie anyway? XD

bjendrick on May 06, 2008

Made some layout tweaks to the "Friends" page. Thought it might be nice to save a bit of screen real estate. Let me know what you think!

And with luck, I'll have some time to post this to the blog. :D

miranoriel on May 06, 2008

Okeydoke, release date for Shanghai UV: March 27, 2008.

gimme coooookieeeee

bjendrick on May 08, 2008

I found out from Dyar that it was actually released for consumption on 3/28, but here's your cookie anyway. :D

bjendrick on May 08, 2008

And after tamashii contacted me about errors on the Friends page, I've made some additional tweaks to correct situations where you only have 1 friend in your profile.

Sorry if anyone else ran into this problem. I never said I was perfect... but close. :)

debbye on May 08, 2008

i have an odd "issue!" when i update my statistics, it never saves having an avatar! when i log out/in, no more avatar … :(

miranoriel on May 08, 2008

@Ben: Hey! I love across the International Dateline! My info was correct! :p :D

coooooookieee nom nom nom &hearts

*talks through a mouthful of chocolate chip*

Perfect am boring. You is great that way. Cookie share? &hearts

bjendrick on May 08, 2008

LOL Fair enough on the date issue. :)

And sure, I'd love a bite. ;)

@debbye: I looked at your avatar situation, and I'm not seeing any issues with it. Meaning, it's showing in the page on my end, and also in the user listing page from the Admin side. Not sure what else might be going on. Please check it again, and let me know if there is something else I can look into. Thank you!

debbye on May 08, 2008

i wants cookies, too!

@Ben - it seems fine now. you must have breathed on it! i even rebooted and there it is … thanks

*thinking i scared it into submission by asking Ben*

miranoriel on May 08, 2008

*shares cookies with debbye and muses on how the IBD blog always somehow ends up in a discussion of food*

XD

bjendrick on May 08, 2008

Well, debbye, it wouldn't be the first time that computers were scared into submission by mentioning me. I can't tell you how many times someone will tell me about something weird happening, I step to their computer, and it won't happen again. What can I say? It's the magic aura that I exude. :D

Okay, before everyone pulls out their waders... I don't mind discussions on food. Particularly since I'm a foodie myself.

Cookies for Everyone (Yes, it's a gratuitous plug for my Mom's wares, but after having had Phil Keoghan of the Amazing Race eat them, they must be good.)

miranoriel on May 09, 2008

Those cookies are awesome! :o

*heads to the kitchen for a glass of milk*

*pokes head back in*

Anybody else want some milk? :D

iamback on May 09, 2008

Yum, milk! Thanks, miranoriel!

bjendrick on May 09, 2008

Yeah, my Mom is a rockstar. She actually had made 500 cookies for the TAR-con (The Amazing Race Conerence) from a few seasons back, and apparently, they were a huge hit. And she's made them for weddings (including mine & my brother-in-law's), offices, you name it.

She's pretty amazing.

Oh, and please bring some milk back for me. ;)

Amandap on May 09, 2008

@miranoriel - you'll need to buy a couple of cows to being so much milk! ;)

miranoriel on May 09, 2008

@Amandap - You're right! LOL!

bjendrick on May 12, 2008

I had no idea until I just collected Modena Gamer that the Modena 10 Set Badge was activated. I have now enabled it within the Dashboard, so enjoy the extra 100 points!

bjendrick on May 12, 2008

For cleanup efforts, the following inactive users have been removed from the Dashboard. "Inactive users" are defined by users that were added, but do not have a "Last Login Date" and their "Membership Date" is older than 1 month.

• Charlie Brown
• deaf258
• fenixdg
• Gooner
• lrainaldi
• ZsaZsa

I have a feeling that a few of these were forgotten logins or forgotten passwords, and others were for hacking purposes. Regardless, their passing from our ranks will mostly go unnoticed. Bye!

miranoriel on May 12, 2008

Just to clarify, these are accounts that were set up but never used? Or are they just dormant?

If they're just dormant, that may also be because some of them haven't logged in to IB itself for a while, Ben. The past month or so has seen free deliveries pick up the pace again, but you may wish to consider that for some time, it did seem like the icon well had dried up, and a bunch of oldtimers/regulars kind of left their accounts dormant because there was nothing much to do until new sets came out. :o

$0.02 :D

masokist on May 12, 2008

zsazsa sounds familiar...

bjendrick on May 13, 2008

They were actually unused accounts, but I definitely understand keeping in mind for those that might just be dormant. I track both a signup date, as well as a last login date. The users I removed had signed up, but never actually signed in, so they were totally unused & inactive.

I hope that clears things up, but rest assured that I don't preform any kind of data actions rashly. As it is, I left those accounts in the system for 2 weeks before deciding to remove them entirely. ;)

bjendrick on May 13, 2008

FYI, I added a few enhancements to some of my "delete" javascript functions for some added clarity. Most of this will be transparent to my loyal users. But in the event that you must click a dreaded trash can icon, the message box will offer confirmation with some included details. That way, you can delete a specific delivery record for a specific user, instead of just a generic delivery.

Basically, all of the above rambling was stating that I added some slickness to the javascript confirmation functions. Enjoy, and I apologize for my tired verbal meanderings. :D

masokist on May 13, 2008

i dunno where i'd be without ib...

bjendrick on May 13, 2008

Notes have now been added to each Icon Set either Needed or Received. And be sure to check out the hover effect for each note icon, within Friends & Deliveries as well.

Enjoy the notey goodness!

miranoriel on May 13, 2008

Wooo... :o

Thanks, Ben -- for the clarification on the unused accounts, and the Dashboard updates. :D

bjendrick on May 13, 2008

Sure thing!

MrDee on May 13, 2008

IDEA: when you click the 'received' check box, the 'wanted' check box clears and the date defaults to today.
it would make my life a little easier :D

bjendrick on May 15, 2008

Claiborne Nom Nom has been added to the Dashboard.

@MrDee: I've had similar thoughts at times. At the very least, I need to make the pop-up calendar work within IE. I'll keep you updated.

bjendrick on May 20, 2008

Tokyo Kart has been added to the Dashboard.

bjendrick on May 27, 2008

With the help of nickpixel, everyone should now be able to click on date fields within the IB Dashboard & see a popup calendar. Enjoy & many thanks to nick.

miranoriel on May 27, 2008

Wahey! Thanks, nickpixel! :D

IBD just keeps getting cooler and cooler. ^^

bjendrick on May 29, 2008

FYI, there was an issue with dates in the Deliveries section not "sticking". That was my fault from a page change. I've fixed it now. Sorry for any inconvenience.

bjendrick on May 29, 2008

Shasta Chapeau 2 has been added to the Dashboard.

bjendrick on Jun 02, 2008

Steampunk Saga has been added to the Dashboard.

Wile on Jun 02, 2008

hi there ... thanks again for your dashboard. Just one thing : since we cannot be yearly-VIP, maybe a slightly different way to fill the VIP date in the profile page should be nice.

And why not adding somewhere to put the IB sign up date ?

bjendrick on Jun 09, 2008

FYI, your requests are still being considered, and Wile's suggestion is being planned, along with many of the other improvements intended for the IBD. Thank you, and as always, feel free to offer your suggestions.

B3llit0 on Jun 09, 2008

It's cool, but it desperately needs at least a virtual instruction booklet– it's very hard to figure out what you're supposed to do with things. I'm going to try and make one, but it's going to be difficult. ^_^

bjendrick on Jun 09, 2008

Yeah, that's one of the things I've been meaning to do. I haven't applied a concerted effort to it. If you'd like, I would be delighted to work with you on creating a "help" page. And for that matter, all of you can contribute. Ideas on how best to do that?

Wile on Jun 09, 2008

maybe a contextual help, I mean one help per page (one for the sets, one for the stats, one the the profile, ...). Thus, it's more easy to understand because only the useful infos are available for the page you're in.

bjendrick on Jun 09, 2008

Excellent idea, Wile, and I agree. Now the next question might be how to provide that information. Rollover icons to then show a pop-up window, or context help in the entry forms like Wufoo does on their forms? Or just sidebar instructions?

Another thought, is whether to allow a user to change the state of the help, to keep it hidden when it's no longer needed.

Please share in the conversation.

MrDee on Jun 09, 2008

IMHO pop up / roll over help is a pain (if over 5 words)
page specific help is a better idea.
Have one master manual and have hyper links to specific points in the manual.
you may flag a specific excerpt from the manual as to be displayed on a specific page - that way you can get immediate (FAQ) type help on the current page and then drill down to more detailed information.

bjendrick on Jun 10, 2008

Well said, MrDee. Thank you. I think that might be a good approach as well.

So a full "help page", with context points to link to from the associated pages. Any ideas on how best to create those links? Meaning, should it just be a "Help" text link, or does someone have a suggestion for an icon to be used.

Currently, I'm employing the Sweetie Basepack icon set, so I'd prefer an icon from that set, or in the theme of that set.

And honestly, the IBD is about this community & all of YOU. So please contribute & have your voice heard. I'm even willing to have you assist in making the system better & more for you.

Let the ideas roll!

bjendrick on Jun 11, 2008

Durango Atmosphere has been added to the Dashboard.

misterhaan on Jun 11, 2008

i saw a blue circle with a white “i” in that icon set — i think information works well for a help icon. i didn’t see it in use anywhere else, but i didn’t look very hard either.

louiemctool on Jun 11, 2008

got a typo in the url there, ben:

correct: http://sweetie.sublink.ca/

yours: http://http//sweetie.sublink.ca/

:)

bjendrick on Jun 11, 2008

GAH! It's really rough that you can't edit comments. Oh well.

Sweetie Basepack

bjendrick on Jun 11, 2008

@misterhaan: Good call! I'm not using that icon as yet, and in fact only have a few in use throughout the site. So I'll plan on using that one.

Help Icon

bjendrick on Jun 13, 2008

Dresden Eats has been added to the Dashboard.

miranoriel on Jun 13, 2008

Wait, what? Another new set? :o

*runs to see*

bjendrick on Jun 14, 2008

Testing out some new things on the Dashboard.

First, I have a subdomain that I'm testing out. I know that certain links aren't working correctly, but if you'd like to try it out & help me identify possible issues, you can use IconBuffet.

Secondly, and most notably, I'm finally trying my hand at some charting. A page to note the first version of results is Family List.

Enjoy & please let me know what you think.

miranoriel on Jun 14, 2008

The subdomain itself works; I get to the main page fine, but beyond that, it's not working for me yet. Love the Family List! I thought Marseilles was the most expensive family, and I was a bit surprised to see that Poughkeepsie outweighs Marseilles. :D

There are a few orphan sets and I saw you've already included Montgomery and Helsinki in the Family List. Do you think it would be easier to include an "Orphan Sets" family to simplify inclusion of those sets that don't really have their own families yet?

miranoriel on Jun 14, 2008

Oh, and BTW, happy 300-users mark, IBD! &hearts

:D

louiemctool on Jun 14, 2008

as usual, ben rocks...

:)

bjendrick on Jun 15, 2008

Aw... thanks to you both. I'm not sure on how I want to handle an "orphan family", only because it goes against the groupings present here on IB, but from a data perspective, it makes sense. Hmmm. Would others like to chime in? Opinions are always welcome.

Regarding rocks, I have plenty in my yard. After all, I live in Arizona. :D

Thank you, louie. Now I just need to really integrate the charts against data, not to mention tie the data points to a color scheme borrowed from IB... I think.

Oh, another thought: Would you all please suggest some uses of charts/graphs on the site? I've been in the programming of the site for so long now, that I'm not totally certain where they would offer value.

Thanx!

Wile on Jun 15, 2008

Hum, 'bout charts, is that what I'm workin' on ? If so, maybe next week, I'll be able to send you screenshots of them ... a little more patience ;o)

For now, I'm working on those charts :
- Nb icons sets (on a time line)
- Nb icons sets per familly (on a timeline)
- Sets per familly (total)
- Tokens per familly (total)
- Sets per group (monthly)
- Tokens per group (monthly)
- Sets per group (total along a time line)
- Tokens per group (total along a time line)
- Sets per group (total)
- Tokens per group (total)
- Nb sets per chief (per month)
- Nb tokens per chief (per month)
- Sets per chief (total)
- Tokens per chiefs (total)

That's what I thought about ...
I'm also thinking about icons per set, per familly and/or per group ... maybe later ;o)

For where they would offer value, maybe on the home page, a link to them under 'Stats and links' ...

bjendrick on Jun 15, 2008

Wile, just for clarification, what are you referring to with "Nb"?

MrDee on Jun 15, 2008

1) could preferences please be extended to include preferred starting page?
I like to start in 'sets needed' (sorted by G/S/B)

2) Could you please add a family column to sets needed?

3) currently I am using the 'promised to' field to store the family name (see point 2) when I sort by this I get two promised to columns! (one has no data in it) - 'IB Firefox'.

4) any change of defaulting 'date received' to 'date released' for sets we already have? possibly a button

5) deleting deliveries: any change of check boxes next to deliveries with a 'delete all ticked' button - this would mean we do not need to do a delete - wait - redraw cycle on each delivery.

6) Please give yourself a HUGE pat on the back. IB Dashboard is brilliant.

MrDee on Jun 15, 2008

icon family growth over time.
line chart, each family a different color
months along the bottom
horizontal line at 10 sets
will show how quickly a particular set reached / is likely to reach a badge value.

Wile on Jun 16, 2008

Nb is amount or number of ...

Wile on Jun 16, 2008

@ben:Nb is amount or number of ...
@MrDee: I'm workin' on the line chart for famillies. Hope to post some samples/snapshots soon ...

bjendrick on Jun 16, 2008

Cool. Thank you.

bjendrick on Jun 16, 2008

FIXED: Sub-domain logo graphic link. Depending on whether you're in the subdomain or the original site path, it will rewrite the href path accordingly.

Please keep trying out the subdomain, and if you find additional issues, I'll make sure to correct them. My goal is to have everyone using the subdomain in the near future since it will keep the URLs shorter & more manageable.

Thank you!

misterhaan on Jun 16, 2008

hooray for subdomains and charts!

here’s a few suggestions:

1. link “# outstanding stamps” to deliveries.

2. link “# stamps,” “# tokens,” and “# bonus tokens” to profile.

3. link “# days until token refill” to icons needed.

4. have “auto-update profile” subtract stamps when adding a new delivery and give back stamps when marking a delivery rejected or expired.

5. +1 to the option of sets needed being default instead of sets received for the icons page.

i didn’t see any problems so far with using the subdomain.

bjendrick on Jun 16, 2008

Thank you all! I'll be working on some of these in the next week, and the others might need some more planning. Either way, I'll keep you updated, and I'm even planning on documenting things in the blog. Go figure! :D

Wile on Jun 17, 2008

Hum ... just a little thing, fast to do but really helpful for my charts : an additionnal column in the xls export (which is in fact an HTML one ;oD ) with the group the set has been delivered to. Since I parse this file to build my charts ... I had to "randomly" distribute the sets for my needs ;o)

I'm currently working on putting them onto a site so you all can take a look at them ...

Because of what I said before, the groups charts are wrong.

Last thing : what is the birth date of the new IB ? I can't remember it ... I thought this was during march 2007, but maybe I'm wrong ... can someone help ?

you can answer here or in my box, as you wish, but I'll have the answer faster if it's in my box ;o)

OK, here we are :
http://www.klasen.eu.com.

I'm waiting for your comments ;o) No need to spam this thread ... you can use my box ...

Just a comment, you'll see that the sets rate has clearly increased since IB II was born ... just a thought for the ones who think IB chefs goes slowly (PackRat and other stuff ;o) )

@ben: Is the 1st chart the one you was thinking about ?

The few latest sets are not taken into account, I worked on an export that is quite obsolete ;o)

bjendrick on Jun 17, 2008

@Wile: Added the column to the export. Let me know if that's what you were looking for.

bjendrick on Jun 17, 2008

@Wile: Not sure what chart I was thinking about. :D

They look slick though. Thank you for all of your hard work!

brannon on Jun 17, 2008

First, allow me to say that IB Dashboard rocks. :o)

Here are some features I'd like to see sometime in the near future. Sorry if some of them have already been mentioned. I didn't feel like reading this entire topic. lol

1. Encrypted passwords - I don't like the idea of my password being stored in plain text in a database.

2. Multiple Delivery Modification - It'd be nice to be able to edit/delete multiple deliveries at once, maybe via checkboxes or something. I did see this one mentioned at least once, already.

3. Extended Auto-Updating - I realize you can set deliveries to auto-update your delivery stats. It'd make things easier if they could also update your "Stamps in Bank". It'd also be pretty cool to have tokens automatically update on refill day and decrement when sets are set as received. :o)

Once again, great job on the Dashboard. It's a great tool.

bjendrick on Jun 17, 2008

@brannon: Thank you for your comments & suggestions. I have a few of those on my list, and I'll be certain to do the password encryption first. I have most of the framework in place for doing it, but I'll need to bring down the database to make sure it all goes smoothly.

So with that in mind, I'm making sure that I can carve out enough focused time to fully get it implemented. I'll let you all know in advance though, and also try to do it during late hours. As always, stay tuned!

brannon on Jun 17, 2008

Awesome. :o) I look forward to seeing the Dashboard continue to grow.

Wile on Jun 18, 2008

Woops ... I have a 404 when I try to get the file ...

brannon on Jun 18, 2008

Oh! I forgot one. I'd also like to see logins be preserved at least as long as the current session. Having to login again when I don't click anywhere for awhile gets rather annoying. :o)

bjendrick on Jun 18, 2008

@brannon: That IS a good idea... now for the question, any idea how that's done? Meaning, is it better to store login info inside a cookie, so you're always logged in like IB, or should I just default the timeout to 24 hours?

This concept is new to me as far as implementing it, and thought I would ask in case someone has done something similar. Thank you all!

misterhaan on Jun 18, 2008

a cookie option is nice because you can have a cookie that expires 30 days from now and then you can close and re-open the browser or even restart the computer and still not have to log in. that’s what “remember me” usually does.

for what brannon mentions where the browser is still open but the session has ended, you should be able to increase the session timeout. sessions are tracked browser-side via a session id cookie that’s set to expire when the browser is closed, so if you only change the timeout then it will still log people out when they close their browsers (well not technically, but that’s what it looks like). the downside is the session data sits on the server longer after people leave, but that’s not much of a downside.

also, having the cookie can automatically handle the session timing out (provided you only store the login info in the session) by silently logging the user in again.

bjendrick on Jun 18, 2008

@misterhaan: I followed some of that, but sadly not all. I get the general concept though. For now, I think I'll just increase the session timeout from 15 minutes to at least 6 hours. That way, it should cover some of the more consistent users.

And then I'll add to my list to develop this part of the site more. ;) So thank you both for the ideas, and the explanation of how to implement.

Note: Be aware that the timeout may not increase right away since it's part of the global.asa, and since it's not my box, I'm not sure how to "restart" the app.

bjendrick on Jun 18, 2008

@ALL: Okay, the value has been increased to 6 hours. Again, I'm not sure when the hosted Windows box will consider the application "restarted" for that value to take effect, but if it's still not showing an affect by the weekend, I'll figure out what needs to be done to force it.

If you have any questions, let me know!

brannon on Jun 18, 2008

Cool. Thanks. :o)

Wile on Jun 18, 2008

Hum ... some trouble with the export file ...

ADODB.Recordset error '800a0cc1'

Item cannot be found in the collection corresponding to the requested name or ordinal.

/iconbuffet/icon_export.asp, line 54

Not sure, but maybe there is an 'if' missing. Maybe if there is no group (before IB II), then the cell should be left blank, and if it's a VIP set (diamond ones for now), then the keyword 'VIP' should fill the cell ...

This is for the 1st set exported : Acapulco System

bjendrick on Jun 18, 2008

@Wile: Sorry about that! I forgot to add the required field to the dynamic query, so it was trying to find a field that it didn't know. All should be corrected!

Wile on Jun 18, 2008

OK, thanks ... Just a last question to be sure :
N = North = Group 1
E = East = Group 2
S = South = Group 3
W = West = Group 4
V = VIP = Diamond sets for now
C = ??? = Former IB

Am I right ? If so, the right charts should be published soon ;o)

bjendrick on Jun 18, 2008

Yes, you are correct. The "C" stands for classic. Enjoy!

misterhaan on Jun 18, 2008

if you have questions about sessions or cookies feel free to send them my way — i’ve written 5 separate user systems from scratch. 4 in php, 1 in asp.net. i believe all are currently in use and working well.

jconstant on Jun 18, 2008

@bjendrick: 6 hours!? That seems a bit overboard. While logging back in is a bit annoying, I don't think you should have the session timeout set higher than 30 minutes. If you set the timeout too long, you waste server resources (and since the box is not yours, that's something you should be considerate about).

bjendrick on Jun 19, 2008

@jconstant: I see what you mean, and since I posted that yesterday, I found out that my host has already limited session times for ASP applications to 20 minutes. Sadly, I could see using something that's a bit more middle-ground like 2 hours, but that's what I'm faced with.

However, the opportunity that I get out of this, is to come up with a way of letting people control their state more (i.e. cookies), and have the experience be more like IB, or any of the other sites that remember your login from day to day.

So needless to say, I doubt my change had much effect on how the IBD operates, but I'll be doing the necessary research (and contacting misterhaan) to figure this out in the next few weeks.

Thank you all!

Wile on Jun 20, 2008

for my graphs, does someone can confirm
IB II born on 9 march 2007
PackRat born on 30 january 2008

???

bjendrick on Jun 20, 2008

Kyoto Cola has been added to the Dashboard.
Nuuk Non Sequitur has been added to the Dashboard.

bjendrick on Jun 20, 2008

Can someone please confirm the date that Kyoto Cola was sent to all of us was yesterday, June 19th? Thank you.

Wile on Jun 23, 2008

new graphs (with new sets and groups ok) are available here :
http://www.klasen.eu.com

Wile on Jun 23, 2008

could it be possible to add another column with the number of icons in each set ?

bjendrick on Jun 23, 2008

@Wile: Done, and added as the last column to the export. Enjoy!

Wile on Jun 24, 2008

great ! thanks !!!

Wile on Jun 25, 2008

Tonkawa Smilies: release date: 06-25-2008, true release date is the same...

bjendrick on Jun 25, 2008

Tonkawa Smilies has been added to the Dashboard.

Anyone have a confirmed "true release date" of Kyoto Cola? Thank you.

Melkor on Jun 25, 2008

The date is in the delivery page...

Chef: Brian Brasher
Released: Jun 19, 2008
Type: Bronze
Cost: 1 tokens

brannon on Jun 25, 2008

There's an issue when sorting by columns. When you do so, the column you clicked is duplicated one column to the left, overwriting whatever was there.

bjendrick on Jun 25, 2008

@Melkor: Thank you, but that is actually when the set is posted to the site, and not always the date that it's truly released to us IB'ers & able to trade, etc. That's why the IB Dashboard tracks both dates.

@brannon: Thank you for finding that. I had made changes to that page for the comments a while back & missed something in the code. I'll correct it quickly!

Wile on Jun 25, 2008

there's a bug in IBD ... have you made something like a DB restore ? Cauz on my profile page, the deliveries are totally wrong... I'll set them again, but that's unfair ;o)

Wile on Jun 25, 2008

the last digit of my gold deliveries were missing ... 19 instead of 191 ... ;o)

bjendrick on Jun 25, 2008

Um... it's possible that when I pulled the DB down yesterday about 10 minutes after you logged in, that it somehow didn't have the changes you made or something.

I had to pull it down & compact the file since it was over double the size it should be. I need to automate the process, but haven't had the minutes to do it yet. Sorry for the mixup, and glad that things weren't really "off".

bjendrick on Jun 25, 2008

@brannon: The issue in the Icon page has been corrected, and thank you for pointing it out. It was a numbering issue in my code, and should work as expected. Please let me know if you find anything still "amiss".

brannon on Jun 25, 2008

Awesome. :o) It's been bugging me for awhile, but I never thought to post about it. haha! I'll let you know if I see anything else.

bjendrick on Jun 25, 2008

@brannon: Well, thank you for pointing it out. And I think I had seen that shortly after making the notes change, but totally spaced on fixing it. Now it's done, and no longer an issue. ;)

MrDee on Jun 25, 2008

If you move to SQL server then compacting the DB will be a thing of the past!

bjendrick on Jun 25, 2008

@MrDee: I know, and would LOVE to do that, however, my current hosting package only allows for 1 SQL database, and I have something else in development for that purpose. Until the IBD grows large enough to support a full SQL Server database (rough guess of 1000 users), I'll leave it in Access.

Sorry folks. :)

MrDee on Jun 26, 2008

OK I will stop nagging you.
Any kind soul out there want to offer free hosting for this?

misterhaan on Jun 26, 2008

i don’t understand why hosts limit the number of databases you can create. is it better for the host somehow if you store everything in one database and put a prefix on the table names to show which database they would have been in if you could have created two, versus actually creating two databases?

brannon on Jun 26, 2008

I'd like to see the friends/deliveries page split into two separate pages. Is there any special reason they are currently on the same page?

bjendrick on Jun 26, 2008

@brannon: Well, that is a situation where I had originally had them on 2 pages, and people seemed to prefer having them on one to be able to coordinate between names & their deliveries. *shrug*

Honestly, it doesn't matter to me, and I might be able to come up with a way to split them or combine them depending on what the user wanted. Let me think on it, and maybe some of you can chime in & give your opinions, good or bad.

bjendrick on Jun 26, 2008

@MrDee: I've actually been considering upgrading my hosted account so that I can have 3 SQL Server databases. So let me figure out the financials, and I might just surprise you.

@misterhaan: I know what you mean. Personally, I like to keep things segregated to make it easier on my poor brain, but I know what you mean. And that might be a good way to go for some of my smaller projects. Hmmm.

@ALL: I'm gearing up for a large scale rework in the Dashboard, including some global message announcements & such to the interface. On the surface, not much will change, but it will be infinitely easier to do certain things in the system. However, this means that I'll need a good 4-8 hours to bring the system down, do the necessary conversion & file updating, and then bring it back up. I don't have it scheduled yet, and I'll be certain to inform you all beforehand. Just stay tuned, and be aware that some major rumblings are going to start soon. Thank you!