Rampage all you like, but until you know what tables I am producing, how I’m getting the data for them and what methods I’m using to build the tables, don’t tell me that there’s a better way!
The data comes in a variety of forms but usually needs re-typing completely. At best it comes as a table in a PDF but mostly it needs significant editing and it’s easier to start from scratch and re-type. And believe it or not, it is as quick for me to type the HTML as it is to enter it into a spreadsheet. No, I don’t type the cell closing tag, press return and type the cell opening tag - I highlight that once, Ctrl+C, and then just Ctrl+V every time I want to go into a new cell … OK, that’s two concurrent keypresses, which may be infinitesimally more effort than just pressing Tab each time, but it’s negligible. Compare that with the effort of setting up an unbelievably complicated process to convert a spreadsheet into HTML, which would involve typing just as much data into the spreadsheet as it does into the raw HTML plus an inordinate amount of additional work. All to achieve … what? It certainly wouldn’t make it any easier…
no, i will not rampage. i said if i were, i would, which i’m not so… ok, enough of that but i can tell from your bitter tone that you really need to find a better way!
i have been working with data and DBs for some time now to actually know for a fact, that, for certain, there is a better way when you point to large tables of data done table cell by table cell. if you choose and maintain a completely unautomated and time consuming “solution” in building these tables, you are definitely wrong. or, in your own words, yak!. you need to learn more about etl, implement those concepts, and you’ll have then more time for your self (and, more important, with less errors in the final outcome), to do whatever you want sounds good, don’t you think ?
no. there is not that much to it. have you ever actually try it? i mean, even something as stupid as “Save as… html”? which you’ll give at least a full blown table element already finished to play with. and that’s “the idiots guide”
typing just as much data? no. your stored data (in a db or spreadsheet) actually will only hold the primary info. in your code you’ll put a kind of a template that will also contain frequently repeating forms. the same way you use a template in word or excel. or like mail merge. need i continue? insurance forms, contract forms, letter forms… you will actually type less. tables are repetitive structures, and, as such, it’s only natural you could avoid typing more by coding an algorithm to ETL your primary data. if you argue with that, you are hopeless, i’m afraid
a variety of forms? yes. your data comes from different sources. so? that’s almost always the case (by the way, that’s why you have xhtml, because xml was a solution to such a problem), i don’t see in that a reason to process it manually.
what you achieve? well, if you have to ask that, i believe your tables aren’t large enough yet! or are you bragging about things that aren’t so large in the first place?
typing just as much data? no. your stored data (in a db or spreadsheet) actually will only hold the primary info.
I dunno about Stevie’s case, but in my case, I (or the back-ender, but he would refuse) would have to manually put that data into the db in the first place.
Or how else does it get in there? Like I said, in the first two instances I had images saved as PDF, but the later ones were text of a sort. They are not in XML format or anything.
i blame your boss(es). i’d be happy to assist you with that. just give an address and a written invitation, like a contract or somethin’ you don’t need several databases, you just need one. you don’t even need multiple schemas, one will do, most likely. and all type of cars you ensure for can be fitted in a single table (primary info, at least).
let’s see: price for a scanner is starting from around 100$. if a ocr apps is not bundled with it, a commercial ocr software starts around 100$ also, but there are open source apps at no cost that do just that. after your employer buys those i’m sure he/she can find various uses to make them worth their money
going on to skills, we are looking at scripting languages, in case you don’t find some utility freeware or open source apps that are already doing what you want. for these scripting languages i’m sure code snipsets for your use case are found all over google. it’s all about a little research and getting help from forums just like SP’s. god knows, level zero beginners have come here for help and got it!
you can see above that is not true. i can only buy you a beer or a chocolate, you choose
fonts you can find free for commercial use many, you choose. DBs like PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, CouchDB are open source, free for commercial use. OCR apps are either bundled with your scanner, open source, or very affordable. well, a car, that would require fuel, like a DB or app requires a computer, so you better think twice! and all the “bugs” in it you need to pay to get them fixed! “service packs” also are not free! i don’t see a point for you to get a car!
i would also mention i’m not employed in an IT company, but in one that has to put IT to better use.
no, not manually: etl. data extracted from PDF, DOC, XLS, picture, text, xml, databases: that’s e in etl ! there is a solution for each case ! at least ! for the most data part !
i’m sure there is a better way, because i had to find a solution for something exactly like that: put in a DB data found only on hard copies. and once this data in a DB (even a spreadsheet) it will worth. you can do what ever you want with it. you’ll also have a solution for future similar problems.
with only an sql you could have the whole world at your feet! that’s the power of properly stored data (even if you have to work a little for it; but not as hard as in manually copying it) !
and in your case as in Steve’s only about 25% of the processed data will become actual data (you don’t copy but the data on the dotted line), and only this 25% will actually be incorporated in your table element, but you work 100% to make it happen. and triple that hard. when you will be faced with a large amount of data to be processed in a short amount of time, it will all start to make sense
let’s suppose you type your “usable data” in your PDFs (meaning data on the dotted line or the primary data), in a spreadsheet, 'cos you can’t use a DB. what did you do? you saved your data for use: in html, in reports, in (black)mail ( kidding ).
you have typed once, which you were about to do anyway, and get versatile info. is that bad?
I want to put another row inside p tag. When anyone mouse over to this p tag the second row will be visible through jQuery. normally 2nd row is invisible.
If I add
class="datarow"
to 1st tr tag. when I mouseover 1st tr 2nd tr appear but when I mouseover 2nd tr it disappear by LOGIC.
however, a table can have more than one <tbody> row groups
Oh, I wouldn’t have thought of that. That’s a good idea!
I’d also add ARIA attributes suggested for jQuery so users who can’t see the page are made aware of what all was going on. I recently discovered the “politenessLevel” attribute which made me go lawlz but is a good idea : )
since css is about managing how the interface looks, and since the body element acts as a window container in the classic desktop interface, i would be happy if css would be enhanced in a manner similar to objects rather than nodes.
in css you say nodes, i say containers. while css cascading is similar enough to oo inheritance, it would also be nice to be able to move in all directions, not just downstream.
html was first thought to be a simple authoring method. it’s gotten far too complicated now to be treated the same. its time to throw away command prompt and bring on night commander. its time to throw away turbo pascal and bring on turbo vision. it’s time to throw away basic and bring on visual basic.
this is what i understand from reading about the multitude of problems a web designer and developer has to tackle. no matter what is thrown in the equation, html5, css3, there’s got to be a point where something radical will emerge. like html did in the past.
but i can tell from your bitter tone that you really need to find a better way!