The Clockwork Mansion

Village Square => The Lost Lake Inn => Topic started by: AndersW on November 08, 2007, 09:20:50 PM

Title: DMFA Text Search
Post by: AndersW on November 08, 2007, 09:20:50 PM
My Dad and I put together a search of all of the text in DMFA.

The search site is http://www.littlelevers.com/dmfa/dmfasearch.php (http://www.littlelevers.com/dmfa/dmfasearch.php)

What do you all think of it?
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: AnizInDisguise on November 08, 2007, 09:24:38 PM
That is quite useful!
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Faerie Alex on November 08, 2007, 09:51:29 PM
Neat. The formatting seems a bit rough yet, but the core seems to work rather well.

One thing that might be of issue: In regards to this strip (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_688.php), when I searched "lazy bug" it didn't turn up anything, however "bug" and "lazy-bug" both found it. Just thinking it might be nice to make sure that the punctuation isn't affecting the search, or else it would be a bit harder to use.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Naldru on November 08, 2007, 11:20:11 PM
Quote from: modelincard on November 08, 2007, 09:51:29 PM
Neat. The formatting seems a bit rough yet, but the core seems to work rather well.

One thing that might be of issue: In regards to this strip (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_688.php), when I searched "lazy bug" it didn't turn up anything, however "bug" and "lazy-bug" both found it. Just thinking it might be nice to make sure that the punctuation isn't affecting the search, or else it would be a bit harder to use.
That's where regular expressions come in handy.  If you enter the item
lazy[ -]bug
and click on the box for regular expressions, it will find both "lazy-bug" and "lazy bug"

Entering
lazy.bug will find the words "lazy" and "bug" with any single character between them.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Sienna Maiu - M T on November 08, 2007, 11:46:32 PM
This is quite cool. I especially enjoy your choice of set-up.

I wonder about one thing though... when it says "Use regular expressions", what exactly does it mean?


So, from now on, my searches will be so much easier... *glee*
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: RobbieThe1st on November 09, 2007, 12:50:19 AM
Quote from: Sienna Maiu - M T on November 08, 2007, 11:46:32 PM
This is quite cool. I especially enjoy your choice of set-up.

I wonder about one thing though... when it says "Use regular expressions", what exactly does it mean?


So, from now on, my searches will be so much easier... *glee*
http://www.regular-expressions.info
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 09, 2007, 05:23:21 AM
Quote from: AndersW on November 08, 2007, 09:20:50 PM
My Dad and I put together a search of all of the text in DMFA.

Where'd you get the data from? Manually fill them all in yourself or something?

Particularly character names, since the radio scripts could use any that they might be missing...
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: AndersW on November 09, 2007, 09:15:40 AM
Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 09, 2007, 05:23:21 AM
Quote from: AndersW on November 08, 2007, 09:20:50 PM
My Dad and I put together a search of all of the text in DMFA.

Where'd you get the data from? Manually fill them all in yourself or something?

Particularly character names, since the radio scripts could use any that they might be missing...

We used the radio scripts for the text.  We changed the formating a bit, like adding full names, and when they are turned into something else.

for fun try putting "as" into the character box to find all the people that spoke in another form.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Sid on November 09, 2007, 09:38:59 AM
Quote from: RobbieThe1st on November 09, 2007, 12:50:19 AM
http://www.regular-expressions.info

Here's a helpful disclaimer when getting started with regular expressions:
QuoteSome people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use regular expressions." Now they have two problems. —Jamie Zawinski, in comp.lang.emacs

:P

On-topic: Nifty, could come in handy!
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 09, 2007, 09:42:17 AM
ah. You know they update, on an irregular basis (ie, when I get time) ?
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: AndersW on November 09, 2007, 10:44:20 AM
Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 09, 2007, 09:42:17 AM
ah. You know they update, on an irregular basis (ie, when I get time) ?

Ya, that is the only problem.

Well, not the only problem, but one of the few.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 09, 2007, 11:32:15 AM
Well, we -could- come to some arrangement about hosting it on my end... ;-]
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: AndersW on November 09, 2007, 03:16:06 PM
We can keep it updated now that we have all the text.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Darkmoon on November 09, 2007, 04:14:05 PM
Has anyone asked Mab if she's okay with this?
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 09, 2007, 04:54:10 PM
Good point. I know I've got semi-approval for the radio scripts...

Ah, Anders - the idea I had was rolling this functionality back into the radio script page, where it'd get the most use. Which may mean me changing the scripts, which I can live with. Just depends on how your code managed it...

However, as D says, we should probably check with the copyright holder - although she -has- said she doesn't have any objections to people -using- her work as long as they don't make a profit, it's polite to check. ;-]
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: RobbieThe1st on November 11, 2007, 06:11:36 AM
Well, AndersW, this is quite good. A while ago I had been thinking of doing the same thing, however, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to do it nearly as well. This is quite useful.
:3

-RobbieThe1st
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Aurawyn on November 11, 2007, 11:04:19 AM
Nifty. If you added info to it on what "Use regular expressions" means it would be great.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 11, 2007, 12:58:15 PM
Quote from: Aurawyn on November 11, 2007, 11:04:19 AM
Nifty. If you added info to it on what "Use regular expressions" means it would be great.

"If you are a geek, you can select this box to show how truly amazing a geek you are" ;-]
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Sienna Maiu - M T on November 11, 2007, 08:02:55 PM
Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 11, 2007, 12:58:15 PM
Quote from: Aurawyn on November 11, 2007, 11:04:19 AM
Nifty. If you added info to it on what "Use regular expressions" means it would be great.

"If you are a geek, you can select this box to show how truly amazing a geek you are" ;-]

I'm not a geek :<
But I'm not dumb (or at least not particularly so) either. I guess that makes me.... AVERAGE!!! :U :U :U

Or perhaps better, I should certainly hope so.  To be on the safe side, we'll view this as a mathematical average between genius and idiot, rather than the country's average.
:3

(On the other hand, what does me posting this say?)
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on November 11, 2007, 09:15:21 PM
At least the Canadian average is better than the U.S. average (I'm sure). :B
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: AnizInDisguise on November 11, 2007, 10:04:12 PM
Quote from: xHaZxMaTx on November 11, 2007, 09:15:21 PM
At least the Canadian average is better than the U.S. average (I'm sure). :B
That's probably true.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Sienna Maiu - M T on November 12, 2007, 01:48:05 AM
That reminds me of back when I was a kid in grade three, we had this little thing going around "Are you a Dumb Canadian or a Smart American", nobody knew which to pick! (no offence meant people) So I think it was supposed to be one of those succession of questions things that was always going around, but nobody ever found out, because nobody wanted to answer the (first?) question.
So there's your media at work. Or perhaps even just patriotic values, instilled by who knows what.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: AndersW on November 12, 2007, 09:01:56 AM
Part of this thread is an attempt to see what people think of it, and to get more ideas.  Another part is to try and see what Amber thinks of it.

We will also be going through and marking comics as canon and non-canon.  Most of the "What makes a comic great" arc will be marked non-cannon, as well as strips like this one. (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_204.php)

One thing I would like to ask is what you think the Janus Bond story arc should be classified as?  Is it canon, non-canon, or some category all its own.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 12, 2007, 09:55:56 AM
Option three, I think. :-/

BTW, you've be better advised asking Amber directly. She doesn't respond to threads all that much.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Darkmoon on November 12, 2007, 12:35:35 PM
She doesn't actually read this forum all that much.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 12, 2007, 01:40:43 PM
That would explain the lack of response. ;-]
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: CameronCN on November 12, 2007, 02:09:33 PM
Quote from: AndersW on November 12, 2007, 09:01:56 AMOne thing I would like to ask is what you think the Janus Bond story arc should be classified as?  Is it canon, non-canon, or some category all its own.

Well, it's obviously canon in that it's what Wildy actually wrote in her book. None of it really happened except in her head, of course. :U
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Sienna Maiu - M T on November 12, 2007, 04:10:33 PM
Yes, I would say canon/all it's own.

Quote from: Darkmoon on November 12, 2007, 12:35:35 PM
She doesn't actually read this forum all that much.
It's hard though to take anything you say for face value though :<

However, it would make sense, in that she wouldn't want to get too involved in the theories and speculations of her fans, and besides that, I would imagine that Miss Amber's time is far too valuable to be reading on average three pages of comment for every update.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Darkmoon on November 12, 2007, 05:57:47 PM
I don't lie.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: xHaZxMaTx on November 12, 2007, 06:04:00 PM
... :U
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: llearch n'n'daCorna on November 12, 2007, 06:16:04 PM
Quote from: Darkmoon on November 12, 2007, 05:57:47 PM
I don't lie.

Much.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Naldru on November 12, 2007, 10:52:28 PM
Quote from: AnizInDisguise on November 11, 2007, 10:04:12 PM
Quote from: xHaZxMaTx on November 11, 2007, 09:15:21 PM
At least the Canadian average is better than the U.S. average (I'm sure). :B
That's probably true.
Actually, what I heard was that so many of the brightest Canadian engineers and programmers went for higher paying jobs in the United States that it lowered the Canadian average if you looked at those who were left.  (The infamous brain drain.)

In comparing the two countries, my understanding is that the University of Waterloo is the equivalent of any American school, including MIT.

I'd say that both countries have their fair share of incompetents and fanatics.  Furthermore, judging by some of the political cartoons, I don't think the Canadians have a much higher regard for their politicians than we Americans do for ours.
Title: Re: DMFA Text Search
Post by: Sofox on November 14, 2007, 03:58:45 PM
Quote from: Naldru on November 12, 2007, 10:52:28 PMFurthermore, judging by some of the political cartoons, I don't think the Canadians have a much higher regard for their politicians than we Americans do for ours.
Show me a country who's political cartoons don't lambaste their politicians to an incredible degree, and I'll show you a good example of a country under state censorship.