I don't get much feedback when I post in this section, so I'm not too sure how many people notice these announcements.
Anyway, here is a new feature that I just built. Functionally it is pretty well finished, but I've got to add instructions for use and bring some more details out on the results page.
I just thought you forum regulars might have some fun with it in the meantime:
http://www.cactiguide.com/mastersearch/
Go ahead and play around with it!
Advanced Search Feature...
Advanced Search Feature...
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
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diamondstate
- Posts: 132
- Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:58 am
- Location: Milford, DE
It will allow me to create a diverse yet specialized collection of cacti, without extensive reasearch. I think it's good for the beginner and seasoned collector.I wish I could get the forum search to work more narrowly. I haven't mastered how to enter search terms yet, to get the most out of the search feature. Often when I am looking for an old thread it takes me way too long. But I think I just don't know how to search very well.
This new feature is very cool! I don't spend nearly enough time just browsing the amazing collection of images that has started to accumulate here. Thanks Daiv!
peterb
This new feature is very cool! I don't spend nearly enough time just browsing the amazing collection of images that has started to accumulate here. Thanks Daiv!
peterb
Zone 9
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CoronaCactus
- Posts: 10421
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- Location: Corona, California USA [Zone 10]
- Contact:
Re: Advanced Search Feature...
Sorry man, didn't mean to be silent. I do read all of themdaiv wrote:I don't get much feedback when I post in this section, so I'm not too sure how many people notice these announcements.
Great new feature! Me likey.
I like the new stuff. But how do you get there when you don't have this thread displayed? (I haven't had time to search for the search yet...)
Will you be adding a link on the page headers? (Even if you supersize a link, make it glow, and put signs around it that flash the message "Press here to search", I'd probably miss finding it...
)
Will you be adding a link on the page headers? (Even if you supersize a link, make it glow, and put signs around it that flash the message "Press here to search", I'd probably miss finding it...
)It’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the end.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)
Hi guys! Thanks for the feedback.
This line...
@Peter - i'll make a seperate post for the forum question.
@luddhus - amazonicus was listed as flower color "red". I've changed it to "blue, purple, red" so it will match any of those three. Color is a very difficult thing to get right. I have an explanation here about how it is used on the guide: http://www.cactiguide.com/php/explain.html
@Harriet - I won't be placing the link anywhere prominent until it is complete. I posted here as a preview. This also means that you might get errors as I am working on it.
This line...
...wasn't meant to be cynical. Though I fear it came across that way. No obligation to respond, I just wanted to make sure it was "visible" to everyone.I don't get much feedback when I post in this section, so I'm not too sure how many people notice these announcements.
@Peter - i'll make a seperate post for the forum question.
@luddhus - amazonicus was listed as flower color "red". I've changed it to "blue, purple, red" so it will match any of those three. Color is a very difficult thing to get right. I have an explanation here about how it is used on the guide: http://www.cactiguide.com/php/explain.html
@Harriet - I won't be placing the link anywhere prominent until it is complete. I posted here as a preview. This also means that you might get errors as I am working on it.
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
OK, as mentioned, this feature is still under construction. Even when finished there will be a want for more criteria - spine descriptions, ribs vs. tubercles, body color, and so on.
These other features would be quite simple to add, but accurately entering the data is the challenge. If the data is there, it can be manipulated endlessly.
But as it stands, with the data we have, it should still be helpful. Just randomly selecting values doesn't yeild good results, but here are three possible scenarios where it can come in handy:
1. A person has a yellow flower on a Mammillaria, but doesn't know the species.
They can check the box for "Globose", then the flower color of "Yellow", and then select the region "North America".
This give a list which contains just 27 Mammillarias instead of the 200 that are found without narrowing the results by yellow flower.
It isn't a key to pinpoint a single plant, but to eliminate variables. How many pink-flowered Mamms Must somebody search through otherwise?
_______________________________________
2. A person has an Echinocereus reichenbachii, which they bought at home depot and have no idea of the genus or location data.
They know it is cylindrical in growth habit, has pink flowers, and is common. They aren't sure just how common so they check both the "common worldwide" box and the "common locally in some areas" because it was purchased at Home Depot.
By just entering these three (technically 4) criteria the user now narrows a list of 1807 taxa down to just 26!
_______________________________________
3. Someone takes a trip to Chihuahua, Mexico and finds a "pink-flowered Coryphantha"!
Using the distribution search alone, they find 8 Coryphantha species from Chihuahua. But none of them have pink flowers. well there are 7 pages to look through to see what else it could be.
On the other hand, they enter "Globose", "Pink", "North America - Mexico - Chihuahua" on the advanced search page and they get a list of 14 plants to choose from and not one is a Coryphantha. However, Thelocactus conothelos is listed and it is a match. I guess it wasn't a Coryphantha after all!
These other features would be quite simple to add, but accurately entering the data is the challenge. If the data is there, it can be manipulated endlessly.
But as it stands, with the data we have, it should still be helpful. Just randomly selecting values doesn't yeild good results, but here are three possible scenarios where it can come in handy:
1. A person has a yellow flower on a Mammillaria, but doesn't know the species.
They can check the box for "Globose", then the flower color of "Yellow", and then select the region "North America".
This give a list which contains just 27 Mammillarias instead of the 200 that are found without narrowing the results by yellow flower.
It isn't a key to pinpoint a single plant, but to eliminate variables. How many pink-flowered Mamms Must somebody search through otherwise?
_______________________________________
2. A person has an Echinocereus reichenbachii, which they bought at home depot and have no idea of the genus or location data.
They know it is cylindrical in growth habit, has pink flowers, and is common. They aren't sure just how common so they check both the "common worldwide" box and the "common locally in some areas" because it was purchased at Home Depot.
By just entering these three (technically 4) criteria the user now narrows a list of 1807 taxa down to just 26!
_______________________________________
3. Someone takes a trip to Chihuahua, Mexico and finds a "pink-flowered Coryphantha"!
Using the distribution search alone, they find 8 Coryphantha species from Chihuahua. But none of them have pink flowers. well there are 7 pages to look through to see what else it could be.
On the other hand, they enter "Globose", "Pink", "North America - Mexico - Chihuahua" on the advanced search page and they get a list of 14 plants to choose from and not one is a Coryphantha. However, Thelocactus conothelos is listed and it is a match. I guess it wasn't a Coryphantha after all!
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
OK, I'm satisfied enough with the advanced search to move on to something else now.
http://www.cactiguide.com/mastersearch/
There is a link on the home page to it.
And as always, you can access pages through the site map: http://www.cactiguide.com/site_map/
(Link at the bottom of the left nav-bar, below the "Hosted by Cactus-Mall" bit.)
If anyone runs into errors or has other feedback, I'm always ready to hear it!
http://www.cactiguide.com/mastersearch/
There is a link on the home page to it.
And as always, you can access pages through the site map: http://www.cactiguide.com/site_map/
(Link at the bottom of the left nav-bar, below the "Hosted by Cactus-Mall" bit.)
If anyone runs into errors or has other feedback, I'm always ready to hear it!
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
That brings up a good point. If you randomly select values, it is easy to get results that are too big, too small, or meaningless.
The best way to test it is to take a real plant that you already know the answers too and search on it as if you didn't know.
The best way to test it is to take a real plant that you already know the answers too and search on it as if you didn't know.
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
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king_hedes
- Posts: 903
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:16 am
- Location: Aransas Pass,TEXAS