Recent updates doesn't show Cat-eLog updates?

[MatsP]

Jools - what is the rule for "Cat-eLog Recent updates"? It seems that the current list doesn't include the approved changes from me in the last few days, for example.

Wouldn't that be helpfull for people to realize that the content of this fish has been updated...

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Mats

[MatsP]

On a related note: It seems like "New Species" isn't quite accurate - two "new species" in the Cat-eLog are "Ancistrus ranunculus" and "Akysis similis", which I doubt that either is really "new species", based on the amount of data and pictures (I definitely know that A. ranunculus isn't new, as I've seen it several times in the Cat-eLog over the past few years!).

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Mats

[Jools]

On a related note: It seems like "New Species" isn't quite accurate - two "new species" in the Cat-eLog are "Ancistrus ranunculus" and "Akysis similis", which I doubt that either is really "new species", based on the amount of data and pictures (I definitely know that A. ranunculus isn't new, as I've seen it several times in the Cat-eLog over the past few years!).

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Mats

New species appears if a new image is entered in #1 position (seq no) for a species. So, it's a side effect of me getting a considerably better image for any species as I will tend to put that in position 1 (used for thumbs etc).

Open to suggestions on how to better do it.

Jools

[Jools]

Jools - what is the rule for "Cat-eLog Recent updates"?

It's the date updated on the images table. If you're talking about species table info. (let's leave genus and common names etc aside) then I could do a few things.

a) Produce a separate list perhaps as a link from the from page of updates.

b) Add an image in for an updated species (bear in mind this would often mean many new images would be missed as there are quite often loads of changes).

c) Randomly show (on the right hand column) a list of recent species updates (text) or recent image updates (text + images).

What do you think (everyone?).

Jools

[MatsP]

Ah, oh... Ok, so now that I understand how it works, I wish I'd had a say in how it should work in the first place [On a more serious note: I do appreciate that,
a) you have to do things by yourself - doing things by committee can be too slow a process.
b) I was probably not even on the forum when you introduced this feature.]

I guess updates in the form of pictures and such is a good way for most people, so two lists, one with "image updates" (based on recent new pictures) and one with "data updates" (based on "updated" entry in the species table) would be my preferred choice.

Maybe we can also add a "introduced" field to the species table, and if introduced == updated, it's a new species.

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Mats

[Jools]

Maybe we can also add a "introduced" field to the species table, and if introduced == updated, it's a new species.

Yes, that was the flaw. It's a real shame but for some reason I never stored the species date created - even in the old access 1.0 database in place since the late nineties. So, I have added this field to the species table.

When someone accesses a species that has no created date, it is set to whenever that species was last updated. From today, when a new species is added to the catelog, it sets the date created to the current date.

So, it all works going forward.

Jools

[Jools]

DONE!

1. The main page randomly shows either species or image update lists. As before each of these extracts is updated every 15 minutes at 00,15,30 and 45 minutes in the hour.

2. The link on that main page to the "full" list links to either full list. Each full list pulls data in real time.

3. The catelog main page links to either list

4. The drop down menus link to either list.

5. Either list links to the other.

6. RSS feed ONLY exists for the image update.

A nice way to spend an afternoon...

Jools

[Jools]

When someone accesses a species that has no created date, it is set to whenever that species was last updated. From today, when a new species is added to the catelog, it sets the date created to the current date.

It occurred to me this morning that, in this instance, I can assume that the species record is the same age as the oldest image record. It's not watertight (not all species have images), but it is pretty good and is now in place. i.e. if the species created date is blank or later than the oldest image, the species created date is set to the oldest image created date.

Jools