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    Invelos Forums->DVD Profiler: Plugins Page: 1 2  Previous   Next
Tool: ContribLookup
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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As some of you may know, I have been critical of copying cast and crew from other releases. I like to go back and check the contribution notes from those earlier releases to see who made them and how they are documented. It is, though, not always easy to find the original contribution. For one thing you need to know how to look up contribution notes for profiles that are not in your own collection. And furthermore even if you do know, you need to know what locality they are and what the locality suffix is for that locality - if it's not a US profile.

This is why I wrote this tool. It lets you search for contribution notes even if you don't know the locality. And it uses an integrated web browser, which I find easier to work with when you need to follow contributions in several steps to find the original.

Note: Because of the web browser component that I have chosen, this program only works on 64 bit Windows. If anyone should need a version that works on 32 bit, I can create a "light" version that opens the contribution notes in your standard web browser instead. Just let me know.

ContribLookup 1.0.0
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
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United States Posts: 6,396
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Hey if you have found an interesting embedded web browser other than the standard MS IE component, I sure would like to know about it. 
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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CefSharp
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
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United States Posts: 6,396
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Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
CefSharp

Interesting. As I was stripping CLTBoss out of BulkEdit, I noticed that I had that package installed. I forgot what it was even for.

Have you done enough with it to know whether it would solve my scraping issues?
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Quoting mediadogg:
Quote:
Have you done enough with it to know whether it would solve my scraping issues?

Afraid not. I just use it to load the webpage. I tried the MS webbrowser control, but I just got script errors. Not really happy that CefSharp comes with so much baggage (lots of dlls and what not) but at least it works and seems relatively fast.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
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Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
Quoting mediadogg:
Quote:
Have you done enough with it to know whether it would solve my scraping issues?

Afraid not. I just use it to load the webpage. I tried the MS webbrowser control, but I just got script errors. Not really happy that CefSharp comes with so much baggage (lots of dlls and what not) but at least it works and seems relatively fast.

Thanks.

By the way, just in case, not knowing your code, this usually takes care of script errors for me:

            this.webBrowser1.ScriptErrorsSuppressed = true;
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
 Last edited: by mediadogg
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Updated to version 1.1.0.

- Fixes a bug that could cause a crash on program start.
- Adds two requested features:
- - Last locality settings is remembered for next run.
- - Highlighting an UPC/EAN/DiscId in the browser text and pressing Ctrl-c copies it to the search field.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
Posted:
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Quoting mediadogg:
Quote:
By the way, just in case, not knowing your code, this usually takes care of script errors for me:

            this.webBrowser1.ScriptErrorsSuppressed = true;

Thanks! I was looking for that property and couldn'tfind it. As it turns out, MS has two different web browser components. The one for WPF does not have ScriptErrorsSuppressed, and I could find no corresponding property.

I probably could have used the Forms web browser, but since I now have a working program ...
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
United States Posts: 6,396
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Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
CefSharp

Please check the CLT thread for a message. Don't want to go off-topic here.
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
Posted:
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Argh! This has been one of those days! I was working on a major upgrade of ContribLookup when I ran into a problem. Fixing that problem caused another problem. Working around that problem caused a new problem. And so the day went, until I finally threw my hand in the air, restored everything to the backup from yesterday and decided to give up for today. 

Oh well, things will work better with a fresh approach tomorrow. It better, or else ... 
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Things did work better, so here is ContribLookup 2.0.0

My original reason for creating ContribLookup was that when I saw a new contribution that copied cast and crew from another contribution I wanted to be able to track the original contribution, even if it was several steps away. And version 1 would let me do that.

But then I thought it would be nice to be able to track not only from new contributions, but from any contribution notes for profiles in my own collection. You can, of course, open the contribution notes from within DVD Profiler, and that works fine ... for a single profile or two. But if you want to check many profiles it's a bit cumbersome. So I created the contribution note browser, as shown below.



Just select a title and the contribution notes are shown. It even searches for "cast" to make it easier to see if there is a reference to another contribution. Just highlight the profile id and press Ctrl-C (or right click and select "Copy"). The id is automatically copied and pasted to the search field. And in Settings you can configure if you want an automatic search of all localities when an id is pasted there.

Going through the contribution notes is as simple as selecting one title in the list and then just pressing down arrow to select the next and the next and the next ...

Of course, if you only want to check a new contribution you don't have to load your collection export file. You can just use it like before.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
United States Posts: 6,396
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Very clever. Looks useful.
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWigram
Don't blink!
Registered: June 6, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
Canada Posts: 949
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Very, very nice indeed! Yet another useful tool 

I was wondering if you considered going back also to the old Intervocative contributions? Some older profiles have been created on Intervocative before 2007 and, generally, the details are not reproduced on Invelos.

Take The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) (UPC=012569517424) for instance:


The contribution notes on Invelos do not show the source and contributor of cast and crew. Those details are on the profile notes on Intervocative.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Quoting Wigram:
Quote:
I was wondering if you considered going back also to the old Intervocative contributions?

I hadn't thought about it, but now that you planted the seed ... 
I'll see what can be done.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
Posted:
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Version 2.1 is in the works and should be ready soon.

I have added Intervocative lookup as Wigram suggested. I have also added checkboxes in the browser list so you can flag profiles that you think may need auditing. Checked titles can be saved as a flag set in Profiler so it's easy to find the profiles in question after you have finished with ContribLookup.

The checkmarks are remembered between sessions, and the place in the list where you left off is also remembered, so you can continue where you left off.

I have a couple of minor items left on my todo-list, and I probably should take the time to create a help file. But we're close ... 
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
Posted:
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Ugh! Writing documentation sucks! But nevertheless I do it. I feel like I owe it to myself and to the users of my programs.

I often see software, mainly code libraries, that seem really interesting but that come with no or just bare bones documentation. And I think to myself "Why did they bother to write complex software and not tell users how to use it?" One has to figure it out by trial and error, if one has the patience to do so. Which I often don't have.

Do people actually read help files? Do guys read help files? Or is that the same as asking for directions when you're lost? At least no one else knows you're reading the help file (unless they're looking over your sholder). I try to make my help files easy to read, so I hope someone reads them, or I'm punishing myself in vain writing them. 

Hint: There is at least one important feature in ContribLookup 2.1 that you'll need to read the help file to figure out. So there! 

Progress? Well, I keep thinking that I'm done, and then while I'm testing things come up that make me think "Oops, I should fix that little cosmetic error" or "Hm, it would be nice if ... ." But eventually I'll be bored and say "Oh heck, it is what it is!" and I'll release it.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
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