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Browser Accelerators for Set Numbers

sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
edited March 2012 in Brickset.com
I have one helpful solution to the problem when you're reading a page/post and the content contains a set number you're not familiar with. Instead of opening another page and doing a search, I've implemented what Internet Explorer calls an "accelerator" for Bricklink and Brickset. You simply highlight the set number and you get a popup menu which provides shortcut ways of searching on Bricklink or Brickset.

With the Bricklink accelerator you also get an image preview. See the attached image for what it looks like for the Bricklink accelerator.

image

To make this available to others I need to host the files (an html page and a couple of xml files) on a website. I don't have one myself which is publicly available. Can anyone volunteer this (or convince Huw to host on Brickset.com?)

Comments

  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    The preview image can work with Brickset as well, but I need Huw to make a couple of changes on Brickset.com. It can actually be extended to provide shortcuts to reviews, news, instructions, part inventories (when we get there), etc. Below is a screenshot of what it could look like (graphic designer help needed).

    image
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    I believe there is an add-on to Firefox which enables IE "accelerators" in that browser as well.
    https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/accelerators/
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    Seems like this would be quite useful. I'll bring this thread to @Huw's attention.
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    Sounds interesting. I used to have an ie accelerator that someone wrote but I don't think it was as sophisticated as what's being proposed here.

    I'm happy to make any changes needed, let me know what they are.
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    Very useful indeed, sounds good. Any solution for chrome?
  • bluemoosebluemoose Member Posts: 1,716
    ^ Chrome here too; would love this functionality.
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    Sounds interesting. I used to have an ie accelerator that someone wrote but I don't think it was as sophisticated as what's being proposed here.

    I'm happy to make any changes needed, let me know what they are.
    Perhaps it's the one I sent you last June? :)

    I'll follow up with you in email.
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    Chrome users *might* be able to use this to incorporate the IE accelerators. I'll try and test it out.
    https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hmcgifbelcmjecmkapejifljephjabjd#detail/hmcgifbelcmjecmkapejifljephjabjd
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    ^^ LOL, yes that will be the one :-)
  • MorkManMorkMan Member Posts: 913
    @sidersdd Can I add the plug-in on my side?
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    MorkMan said:

    @sidersdd Can I add the plug-in on my side?

    By "my side" do you mean your client/browser, or do you have a web site to host the files? IIRC (it's been a while since I've worked with this), the only way to get the "plug-in" working within your browser is by hitting them through the browser. And I'm pretty sure it needs to be http, so you can't just point the browser to a pile of files on your desktop. Thus, we need the files hosted somewhere.

    And to really get this working for Brickset, I need Huw to add some redirects/passthroughs on Brickset.com to 1000steine.com for the images. I've been promising the details on this for a while. :P
  • MorkManMorkMan Member Posts: 913
    edited April 2013
    @Sidersdd. I meant the client side. I don't have the hosting ability. @Huw. I'm bumping this up since its been about a year since it was last broached... Any word?
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    Happy to pick this up again, LMK what I need to do...
  • Si_UKNZSi_UKNZ Member Posts: 4,179
    keen to see this, any and all browser integration's very useful.
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    Ok, details have been emailed to @Huw. Sorry for the one year delay. FWIW, it's a better track record than my honey-do list at home.
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    Some test set numbers

    6876
    10000-1
    8800
    70001-1
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    It's sort of working, I think...

    The XML is at http://www.brickset.com/miscellaneous/accelerator/brickset.xml

    and the button to install it is at http://www.brickset.com/miscellaneous/accelerator/

    I did have the search working earlier but not the preview, but now, after spotting a mistake in the XML to do with the preview, correcting and re-installing I don't seem to have an accelerator menu any more :-)

    I'll persevere. LMK if you have any success...
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    Right, I think it's working, see image. I've disabled the preview on the link because it seemed to stop working and upset the accelerator menu when I enabled it.
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    Oddly, it's disappeared again! Something weird is going on but I know not what. I'll be interested to hear how you all get on.
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    Looks good @Huw, thanks. It's working for me. Are you setting it as the Default? I've noticed that setting it as the Default accelerator for the "Search" category causes the whole accelerator menu to stop working (perhaps only if you have search providers installed and it gets confused when you have a default there). Thus, we may want to place it into its own Category - like "BrickTool" or something.
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    I've also noticed sometimes the "replace" functionality doesn't always work. So if you install it, then make changes/fixes to the XML, and then install it again (where it asks you to replace), then it can act rather odd. So best to just uninstall it (Tools->Manage add-ons) before installing the update.
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    More tests

    #6876
    #10000-1
    #8800
    #70001-1
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    I had added the "link" section to support right-clicking links that the site is autogenerating, using the # pattern, such as these:

    #6876
    #10000-1
    #8800
    #70001-1

    In order for this to work, you'll need to change your code to trim the leading # (%23).

    Otherwise it will only work on roll-your-own links such as these:
    6876
    10000-1
    8800
    70001-1
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    edited April 2013
    You're right, it's making it default that breaks it. I've re-enabled preview for links and it now seems to be working.

    # is now stripped.

    I think the preview page needs to handle the case of no matches better and it'll be good to go.
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    ^ Looks good, thanks.

    What might be nice (and I don't know how your code works exactly) is modifying /detail to have a ?search parameter, where it will return the results of /detail/?set (like it does today) if there is a single result match, but fail over to /search/?query otherwise. This would allow the accelerator to work with sets like it does today, but also support highlightitng set names, minifigs, themes, etc.
  • paul_mertonpaul_merton Member Posts: 2,967
    This may be useful for anyone who doesn't want to use an accelerator, or who isn't quite so careful at highlighting the set number :)
    http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/103445/#Comment_103445
    sidersdd
  • MorkManMorkMan Member Posts: 913
    edited April 2013
    I downloaded the accelerator at <blockquote class="Quote" rel="Huw">
    http://www.brickset.com/miscellaneous/accelerator/
    </blockquote>

    And I think it is working. But is this the right way it works:
    | Highlight the numbers,
    | right click,
    | mouse to All Accelerators,
    | mouse to "Search on Brickset"
    ? If so, then yes it's working and it's great!
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    Spot on.
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    edited April 2013
    MorkMan said:

    I downloaded the accelerator at

    Huw said:


    http://www.brickset.com/miscellaneous/accelerator/

    And I think it is working. But is this the right way it works:
    | Highlight the numbers,
    | right click,
    | mouse to All Accelerators,
    | mouse to "Search on Brickset"
    ? If so, then yes it's working and it's great!
    Yep, that's correct. It also works by right-clicking hyperlinks like these:

    #10000-1
    #76006
    #42000-1
    #5001121
    10000-1
    76006
    42000-1
    5001121
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    Rather splendid, isn't it :-)
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    Looks really good, great work guys. Is this IE only at be moment? Any hope of it ever working in Chrome?
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    So I've installed it, how do you get that neat preview to come up then?
  • HuwHuw Administrator Posts: 7,087
    As described 4 posts above :-)
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    That just opens the brickset set details page in a new tab for me.
  • atkinsaratkinsar Member Posts: 4,258
    oh ok, got it cheers, just hover over the search on brickset link, don't click.
  • MorkManMorkMan Member Posts: 913
    this is great. Now if only we could do the same with the user names here at the forum - use it to see: country/location the user is from/# of posts/if they are logged in or not/etc.
  • MorkManMorkMan Member Posts: 913
    edited April 2013
    Here's a new goal...
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/8673815084/
    sidersdd
  • sidersddsidersdd Member Posts: 2,432
    ^ interesting. Definitely could be done. Would need @Huw to write some code to parse the HTML on a profile page.
  • JosephJoseph Member Posts: 629
    edited April 2013
    ^^ I like the layout of but fail to see it's usefulness; couldn't the person's profile page be loaded in the time it took to get to/use the accelerator?
    On a side note: is it actually possible to see if a person's currently online via their profile page (aside from calculating based on when they were last online)? I suppose you might be able to use the who's online now feature, but I'm not sure how.
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