The Greenie board comes back

[Paddles]

Ok, guys
Let's talk about the Greenie board again and here's how I see it could be done.

Usually in a virtual squadron there's a person assigned to carry out LSO duties, including maintaining the Greenie board. The procedure is simple: virtual aviators send their vLSO logbooks (or selected parts) to their LSO and he then processes them, fills a greenie board and uploads it to a squadron's web page.

There are many possible ways to maintain the Greenie board.
Generally speaking a greenie board is a plain table where rows and columns represent each pilot's record with graded passes, or landing attempts, for a given time period. The LSO could draw this table on paper, then scan and upload it. Or he could use a software such as Excel to fill the table... Many ways to do it manually. ;-)
Any web page is a HTML, or hypertext, document. The hypertext format has a number of tags specifically designed for tables, so the table paradigm could be easily implemented in HTML format.

Again, there are many ways to create a greenie board HTML table. Some advanced techniques like PHP or CGI, especially using SQL servers, would require certain skills and knowledge from the LSO, so I think the easiest way would be to use a static HTML file, which would require some basic skills only.

To start off here's my quick and simple Greenie board sample:


The sample source files are attached for your convenience, so you can play with this sample to grasp the idea. What is what:
sample.htm - the main HTML file
greenieboard.css - the sample cascading style sheet, or CSS, file
\images - the images folder
\images\*.png - sample pictures of grade badges (the PNG format supports transparency)
\images\*.jpg - two background images for the sample

Both HTML and CSS files are plain text files, so you can use Notepad, or whatever text editor, to edit them.
Doubleclick on the sample.htm to open it in your default browser.

I think the part of this file between the <!-- Start of the greenie board --> and <!-- End of the greenie board --> comments (or even the whole file) could be created programmatically. How? I don't yet know 

Any ideas, suggestions and feedback from virtual squadrons are welcome 

[Wood]

Hi Paddles
Got your email/ Thank you. We will definitely put something together with this.

Wood

[GOONIE]

Very nice!

GOONIE

[Reject]

Hey guys, new here but i have some ideas, if the logbook is formatted in xml or json, its not all that hard to have a php file read the document and either upload it to a database or even to a text doc that gets read out as html?

The php file could be included, and could be handled by people without much knowledge of the language?

I would be more than happy to write it up as well.
Regards Nick.

[Orion]

I had asked a while ago if it was possible to read the logbook format, but I was linked to this forum post:

At the very beginning of this project I've spent a lot of time evaluating suitability of various logbook data formats, and no viable solutions other than a binary format were found. This binary logbook format is kind of proprietory, or 'closed', format which is specific to this program. Due to its binary nature it is very uneasy to modify and tweak or fake one's stats. I don't mean it's impossible, I mean it's quite difficult, to say the least.  Thus, anyone claiming he's a super-duper-hooker would have to present to the community his RAW logbook data to prove that. 
Should I think about some additional 'anti-cheating countermeasures'?

However, the other side of this binary nature is versions incompatibility, because some data being added, some data being removed from the data structure. For example, the upcoming 0.7 beta will not be compatible with any previous versions....

I guess XML serialization isn't an option?

[Paddles]

I guess XML serialization isn't an option?

Nothing is impossible 

if the logbook is formatted in xml or json, its not all that hard to have a php file read the document and either upload it to a database or even to a text doc that gets read out as html?

The php file could be included, and could be handled by people without much knowledge of the language?

I would be more than happy to write it up as well.

Ok guys. The XML format is good for data exchange, which is it's main purpose I believe. So, I attached a XML test table with some fictitious logbook data just to show you how these data look like in XML form. I decided to use MS Office schema so that this file could well be  parsed by a PHP script or loaded right into MS Excel.

However, the XML is no good to store the raw logbook data, mainly because of its text nature. That's why I have chosen the binary format which is the fastest...

[Reject]

However, the XML is no good to store the raw logbook data, mainly because of its text nature. That's why I have chosen the binary format which is the fastest...

How much of a task is it to convert from binary to XML "on-the-fly" so to speak

[pyroperson87]

So circle on the greenie board means you're a qual, and square means you aren't yet, right?

[Paddles]

How much of a task is it to convert from binary to XML "on-the-fly" so to speak

Not much, actually. But if you mean using the XML format to store raw data, there are a number of drawbacks/weaknesses which prevented me from using this format. At the very beginning of this project I did seriously consider the XML, but had to stay with the binary.

So circle on the greenie board means you're a qual, and square means you aren't yet, right?

They mean nothing  These are there just to demonstrate various forms, backgrounds etc. The shape, color and all that stuff is completely at your squadron authorities' discretion.

[Reject]

Not much, actually. But if you mean using the XML format to store raw data, there are a number of drawbacks/weaknesses which prevented me from using this format. At the very beginning of this project I did seriously consider the XML, but had to stay with the binary.

Being able to click a button to export to a clear text format (XML or other) would be a massive start, from there the only task is getting it on a server and formatting it.
I know i could write up the php(and or mysql) to place it all nice looking on a page and even write the ability to commit the file to a database, but i'm not sure how that works for the community at large.

Also, if an "Upload" feature was avalible this would make the above even more hands free, again not sure how others like this?

I (or someone else?) could come up with an easy format to write this particular data, maybe even in XHTML, I'm not all that great with javascript, but that would be another option that could avoid playing with databases by just committing every new logbook to a text file "on server" (A Sort of global Greenie board)

[Paddles]

With the upcoming beta 0.8 you will be able to export and import logbook data in XML and vLSO native format. So, you just send your logbook, or a part of it, to your friends, or to your LSO. For example, the LSO loads and reviews your passes and then exports them to a XML file to compose a greenie board, using a PHP (or whatever) script.

I think that there are certain drawbacks in sending data directly to a greenie board server. The server could be down or inoperable, the pilot could have no Internet connection at that time... Not mention tweaking NAT, firewalls etc both on server and pilot side... Besides, in reality no one expects an LSO rushing down to a ready room and updating the greenie board after each landing attempt. 

So, I think, much more easier and convenient would be to export data to a file, attach it and email to the LSO (or other person in charge). Or upload the file to a given server... Or LSO could request his pilots' logbook data for a given date or date range.

The new version will also keep info on pilot's currency, as you can see on the updated stat board. This feature would be useful both for pilots and LSOs.

[GOONIE]

I like the currency addition, BZ