Movie Database - personal edition

[netmaestro]

I'm developing a Movie Database application for shareware release. Many of the people I know have movie collections numbering in the hundreds of titles and sorting through that many discs for ideas can be pretty inconvenient. It occurred to me that many people might find a use for an application like this, and so here goes. If you can help me by trying it out, I'd appreciate it. It's not ready for sale yet, but it's coming. Of course anyone here helping get the kinks out will get a full version without charge when the time comes.

http://www.networkmaestro.com/MovieDB.zip

It's got a unique tool for adding data to the records, I'm rather proud of it. It gets the Year and IMDB number from the imdb site, and in the process it eliminates three common steps in the process: Copying, closing the window, and pasting. It's all automatic and lightning fast. At first you'll think you made a mistake, then you realize you're back at the edit with both fields filled in. It may take a couple of records to get used to it, let me know what you think. I don't think I've seen any other software do this before.

Current latest version date: Jan 21, 2007 - added easter egg

[srod]

Looks nice netmaestro.

Love the way it automatically fills in the Imdb when you drag across the year etc. (Scratches head trying to figure out how this was achieved?)

The help manual is great. (I'll be using HelpNDoc from now on!)

Noticed one thing so far: if you have the 'browse database' window open and then you click a toolbar button; you get a message 'Close the window first'.

On my system, the 'Close' is mostly obscured by basically being off screen, i.e. it is positioned too far left!

Also, could you not arrange for this window to close automatically if you do require it to be closed first? In fact, does it really need to be closed when adding a new record?

Anyhow, great work.

[netmaestro]

Thanks for the feedback, it's appreciated. The thing is still in development, so it's possible I'll revisit the auto-closing idea, it's a good one. It should be doable without too much grief. I know I'll look at the arrow again, it should position itself a bit smarter, for sure. The copy thing is a slice of the wonderful world of COM, I don't know if people will take to it or not. It is unusual, afaik.

[srod]

The copy thing is a slice of the wonderful world of COM, I don't know if people will take to it or not. It is unusual, afaik.

I tihnk it's great. I'm not sure what would be involved in entering this info manually (i.e. acquiring the Imdb etc.) but this has got to be easier.

Noticed another (minor) thing: when editing records, the title field gets a background colour which seems a little at odds with the rest of the dialogue!

Also, try this. Bring up the edit records window and maximise it. Then close it whilst the dialogue is maximised. The background changes and you can no longer drag the floating toolbar around.

[netmaestro]

The title field isn't editable, that could be why. It's bold blue against buttonface, is what's intended. Is that what you're getting or is the background colour buggered up?

[netmaestro]

Also, try this

Sheesh, I'll have to fix that. That's a bug no question.

[srod]

[Derek]

If you click on browse current database without one loaded perhaps you should bring up a requestor asking for a database to be loaded.

[srod]

It always loads a blank one at startup: 'MovieDB_main.db'. Although an option to load the last open database would probably be useful.

[Derek]

If you load a database and then browse it and move its window partly out of the parent window then the parents scroll bars don't get properly sized until you hover over them, only cosmetic but I thought I would mention it.

[Derek]

If I'm browsing a database file and I bring up the help window over the top and then start moving the help window around, I sometimes get bits of the underlying windows not being drawn. Probably WindowsXP's fault.

[ricardo]

Your app is nice, i will give you my modest suggestions:

1.- When you want to create a new database, its unneccesary to ask to chosse a path and then you get a "you must specify a valid filename" and after 2 attempts discovers that must have an extension.

Why not better choose a save file requester?

i think that apps must be very intuitive.

2.- When you create the db, it dont opensa, you need to go and open it, and even there its not showed, you need to choose browse. Too many steps to get to the browser feature. But then if i choose "add records" from menu i see a small arrow that tells me to close the window (?)

The addrecord to database window are nice, works fine. Intuitive and the help splah is nice too.

Continue the great job and very good luck!!

[NoahPhense]

very nice.. i too like the way you save the url and lock it down

- np

[zikitrake]

Nice! it looks like my 'buscapelis' (spanish) personales.ya.com/zikitrake/varios/buscapelis.exe

[netmaestro]

Thanks so much for the help & comments!

No point in repeating them here, but all bugs and concerns mentioned to this point are fixed.

Zip for download is updated, you can get it in the first post.