Hello! I need some help ...

[sellotapequeen]

Hello all!

I'm so glad to see others who love books as much as I do. It's always refreshing ... not enough people read now-a-days.

I'm trying to create a better book cataloging program for the computer. I need some help in defining what is most important for the program.

If anyone could please help me out and tell me what would make it easier to find their way around a program or would make them more interested in a program I would really appreciate it. I think that it's going to be free so when it's up and running I'll post a link on here!

Thanks!

 

[Stewart]

Hi,

Regarding your program...the first thing to consider is what tools do you have? Possible tools are Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Visual Basic, HTML, ASP, PHP, mySQL, etc.

For a book catalogue you are most likely to need a database. (i.e. MS Access, mySQL, SQL Server, etc.) and something for the frontend. This is determined by where you intend on having the catalogue - on a server or a desktop?

Once you know your tools then the beginning process is to consider all your entities. An entity is any object in that can have properties. i.e. a book is an entity as it has properties (these being such things as Title, Author, ISBN, Price, Pages, Chapters, Genre) where an author is also an entity as authors have different attributes such as forename, middlename, surname, pseudonyms). There are also more abstract objects to consider which can be categories i.e. genre, book type (novel, anthology, novella, picturebook, gamebook).

The correct process is to consider database normalization. Break your objects and their properties down to the lowest possible level so that each solitary piece of information is indivisible.

I won't continue just now as it really needs more information from yourself.

 

[Stewart]

And now I realise I may have misread your post.

 

[Kookamoor]

Hello - this sounds wonderful!!

Here are some of the things I would like:

1. The catalogue must be able to be subdivided from the main list. That is, books must be able to be put on different lists: to-be-read, read, likes/dislikes, authors, top 10/20 in each genre, listing by genre, etc. I guess this is sort of like a playlist in a music collection. I can play all music that is rock, or I can play a selected playlist.

2. An 'easy print' option so that I can print off my entire to-be-read list, or just a collection of 5 or so books so that I can take this with me to the library or the book store. There should be a space next to each book on the list when it is printed so that the price/library barcode can be added.

3. Space for comments, quotes and favourite passages from the book.

4. Space for 'Recommended by' for each book, so that I can note who gave me the title. I like to tell people what I thought of the book they referred me to.

5. Date recommended, date started, date finished.

6. Maybe if people have kids they would like a separate database for their childrens books so that they can keep a record both for their children in later life (this would have been awesome, "Here's all the books we read to you as a child"), and a record of books that might be good for children. Books should be able to be referenced by the child's name, as well as catalogued by age group (this would be easy enough - just have another category (like 'genre') for each book with an age-group specification).

Hmm... that's all I can think of for now. But as I said, this would be wonderful!!! Look forward to hearing more from you!

 

[Halo]

I don't have any suggestions for you, but I just wanted to say Welcome to the forum!