I like it. That is what I was getting at, but it is even better with your additions. Thanks, James Spinti jspinti at dartdist.com 952-368-3278 x396 fax 952-368-3255 |-----Original Message----- |From: tclug-list-admin at mn-linux.org |[mailto:tclug-list-admin at mn-linux.org]On Behalf Of Chad C. Walstrom |Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 2:35 PM |To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org |Subject: Re: [TCLUG] Free -- Linux Journal Back Issues | | |On Tue, Nov 20, 2001 at 11:08:40AM -0600, phil at rephil.org wrote: |> I'm thinking about how to handle these things without letting them |> become burdensome. Not that LUG members couldn't do it all on the |> honor system, but someone's going to borrow a Perl book and get lost |> in their coding and forget that they forgot to return it. I don't |> have the answer yet, but if I think of something, I'll let you know. | |I think James was hinting to creating a database and web interface to |the TCLUG Media Exchange. Might I suggest PHP and PostgreSQL? ;-) (BTW, |what's the best way to use php on the command line? I'd love to do a |getopts style of application so that I don't have to rewrite my PHP |scripts into another language. Otherwise, I'm dumping PHP entirely and |going for mod_{python,ruby} and {Python|ruby}.) Hell, I'd even do C, |just because. | |Anyway, procmail is definitely the shit when it comes to handling email. |I used the procmail-lib/commands.rc as a template to create a bunch of |email accessible command/replies. (send email to me titled "get info" |to see what I mean). | |Anyway, as with any database or application, you can write a cron script |that generates an email report to send off to the lender or the |borrower. | |Also, this discussion of a Media Exchange intrigues me. I'm referring |to it as a media exchange instead of a library for of a copule reasons: | | * Centralized libraries require space, staff, and management. | * These requirements cost money and time. | |We don't necessarily want to limit ourselves to writing an application |to only manage a centralized library. Instead, we could write an |application to centralize the exchange of media between two parties. |One party could certainly be the TCLUG Library, but why not provide a |way for me, as a user, to catalog my books for use with the exchange. |The application could keep track of the lenders, the borrowers, and |media, and the exchanges thereof. | | Tables you might need for a normalized DB: | | Data Tables Relational Tables | ------------------------- ------------------------------ | contact (users) contact_address (relational) | address (addresses) address_phone (relational) | phone (phone numbers) contact_phone (relational) | uri (URI's) contact_uri (relational) | media (book, tape, etc.) contact_media (relational) | media_exchange (relational) | | Lookup Tables | ---------------------------------------------------------- | contact_status (missing,active,inactive,unknown) | address_category (home, work, etc) | media_category (cd, tape, dvd, book, magazine, game) | media_status (missing,checked out,reserved,available) | exchange_status (pending,approved,declined,inroute,active) | exchange_type (checkout,return,possession) | |If you use PostgreSQL, you can set up triggers to update many of the |lookup fields for records as well as trigger email updates and reports. | | Joe Smith reserves the Camel Book from Jane Doe for Dec 12, 2000. | | INSERT INTO media_exchange (media_id, exchange_type, date, | contactid_from, contactid_to, reason) | VALUES (1002, 0, '2001-12-12', 234, 237); | | Joe Smith receives an email from the exchange on behalf of Jane with | two URI's, one for approve, and one for decline. | |ETc etc etc...I have to get back to work now... | | |-- |Chad Walstrom <chewie at wookimus.net> | a.k.a. ^chewie |http://www.wookimus.net/ | s.k.a. gunnarr |Key fingerprint = B4AB D627 9CBD 687E 7A31 1950 0CC7 0B18 206C 5AFD | |_______________________________________________ |Twin Cities Linux Users Group Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, |Minnesota |http://www.mn-linux.org |tclug-list at mn-linux.org |https://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list |