VUE Cladogram

[jlind11]

I tried to pull up the full image on the wiki, but it wouldn't show.

[Hydromancerx]

I tried to pull up the full image on the wiki, but it wouldn't show.

Hmm. Yea it might just be too big or corrupt.

[AnguaNatalia]

The current picture works for me, but it loads very slowly. I think the entire history of Sagan 4 would be a bit too large for the internet to have in one picture...

[Vivus]

I'm thinking of experimenting with javascript to see if I can create a (simple) Cladogram  web utility? If successful I'll post results here. Is there anyway you can host smaller versions of the species images on the wiki? Thats those that  are suitable for Cladograms and food webs so that if I do manage to create any utilities I can just link to it instead of faffing about with resizing and all?

[Hydromancerx]

Make a prototype and then i can see what we can do.

[Elerd]

I'm thinking of experimenting with javascript to see if I can create a (simple) Cladogram  web utility? If successful I'll post results here. Is there anyway you can host smaller versions of the species images on the wiki? Thats those that  are suitable for Cladograms and food webs so that if I do manage to create any utilities I can just link to it instead of faffing about with resizing and all?

Can't you tell the picture to be a certain size in the script itself?
I'll try to help too if I can. Maybe use flash's actionscript to somehow call images from an .xml file

[Vivus]

I'm thinking of experimenting with javascript to see if I can create a (simple) Cladogram  web utility? If successful I'll post results here. Is there anyway you can host smaller versions of the species images on the wiki? Thats those that  are suitable for Cladograms and food webs so that if I do manage to create any utilities I can just link to it instead of faffing about with resizing and all?

Can't you tell the picture to be a certain size in the script itself?
I'll try to help too if I can. Maybe use flash's actionscript to somehow call images from an .xml file

Oh cool that would be great. The image resizing in javascript works with the original image size loaded up by the browser so your still working with the same file size. So 10 x 500k images @ 600 x 600 reduced to 100 x 100 will still use 5Mbs regardless of rescaled size.

[Elerd]

I'm thinking of experimenting with javascript to see if I can create a (simple) Cladogram  web utility? If successful I'll post results here. Is there anyway you can host smaller versions of the species images on the wiki? Thats those that  are suitable for Cladograms and food webs so that if I do manage to create any utilities I can just link to it instead of faffing about with resizing and all?

Can't you tell the picture to be a certain size in the script itself?
I'll try to help too if I can. Maybe use flash's actionscript to somehow call images from an .xml file

Oh cool that would be great. The image resizing in javascript works with the original image size loaded up by the browser so your still working with the same file size. So 10 x 500k images @ 600 x 600 reduced to 100 x 100 will still use 5Mbs regardless of rescaled size.

That doesn't sound like fun at all...

Photoshop has action protocols to allow you to do automated batch changes (to multiple photos together), allowing you to change file and pixel sizes automatically and easily.

you can get to it by pressing Window -> Actions (Alt+F9). just add a new action with the "Create new action" button, then do the change you want repeated (image ->image size) on one photo and press the "Stop Playing/Recording" button when done.

Later go to File -> Automate -> Batch. Choose the action you want repeating, the source from which to take the photos, and the destination to save to. And press ok.

[Vivus]

I don't use photoshop (Linux machine). The idea I had in mind was to create something that standardizes how we use the images rather then anyone just downloading stuff and editing on a willy nilly basis. Its safer and less work to just ask people to submit two images once their submission has been approved. Hydro is right in requesting to see a prototype. Been working hard on one that allows you to just click click with mouse to create a cladogram (and if all goes well even other chart types such as food webs). Once you make your design your click on a button to create a webpage and also a script that can be shared on the forums...back to work on prototype.

[AnguaNatalia]

I could write a php script that can automatically resizes pictures to a given size, if it's of any use...

*Thinks* But doesn't the wiki already do that? Random thumbnail picture

[Elerd]

I don't use photoshop (Linux machine). The idea I had in mind was to create something that standardizes how we use the images rather then anyone just downloading stuff and editing on a willy nilly basis. Its safer and less work to just ask people to submit two images once their submission has been approved. Hydro is right in requesting to see a prototype. Been working hard on one that allows you to just click click with mouse to create a cladogram (and if all goes well even other chart types such as food webs). Once you make your design your click on a button to create a webpage and also a script that can be shared on the forums...back to work on prototype.

That's way beyond my knowledge, but I'll be glad to help anyways.
I know a bit of HTML and Action Script 2.0 (Flash). I don't know if that's helpful.

[Vivus]

@ Angua.

I don't have much experience on the server side and dynamic languages like php and perl so I'm sure that would be very helpful for the standard size of 50 x 50 that I'm looking for (or perhaps 100 x 100 ). This is because if I want to upload images (by the 100's), via hyperlink, into the "Cladographer" (the prototype's name) their sizes will need to be smaller. It will be entirely javascript based. I'm hoping the utility can handle atleast 1000 images in its Biota Palette (all your taxonomical images for the cladographer - a mouse click in  an empty palette cell and a pop will request the URL and hey presto the cell is updated with your image for later use). The screenshots below should give you a feel for the kind of look I am aiming for (well cosmetically at this stage, appearance will definitely change as I develop it). The idea is to make it a very user-friendly clickety-click experience where most of the desiging can be done with the mouse alone by anyone (to make caldogram collaborations as smooth as possible). One-click to make the webpage and another to store design template as a simple text (the 'cladoscript') that can be re-loaded in by simple cut and paste into a text field (Text Area or text box thingy, lol). The best way to demostrate it is to ultimately tproduce a prototype itself (will take some time - alot of things to clear up  but all verry much within reach, just need time ).

@ Elerd
Thanks for the offer! I don't really want to relie on anything besides just Javascript so that the utility is accessible by (virtually) anyone, yet remain simple as possible to update and manage. It will be made more clear where I need additional help once the prototype is up and running.

SCREENSHOTS (will be re-adapted during development).

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/Vivus1/Cladographer/Cladographer_Screenshot-1.png

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/Vivus1/Cladographer/Cladographer_Screenshot-2.png

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/Vivus1/Cladographer/Cladographer_Screenshot-3.png
 

[AnguaNatalia]

So if I understand this right the ideal script would be one where you can upload a load of images at once, which can then be easily accessed by anyone to copy-past the URL into your script?

I think I already got half of the script somewhere, only need to modify it so it can handle multiple images at once. I could make one input page (password-protected I think, otherwise it'd need to have lots of virus protection), and an overview page where you can view all the uploaded pictures and their URLs.

I don't know how quickly thousands of small pictures would fill up my web space. Would it be possible (also in long term view) to put it on the Sagan 4 domain?

[Hydromancerx]

I am confused. So how big of a cladogram can you make it with your program? Because Making small ones is not a problem with VUE or Photoshop. Its when you get to the huge ones that its a problem especially with hybrid species. How do you deal with species that have more than one ancestor?

I don't know how quickly thousands of small pictures would fill up my web space. Would it be possible (also in long term view) to put it on the Sagan 4 domain?

If it worked I think maybe LadyM might allow it. However I once used this domain for my portfolio website I needed to graduate from Art school. And I could not directly access the website. She would not let me and I had to e-mail her my files to even get it up. So direct upload to the domain doesn't look good.

[Vivus]

@ Angua
I think your talking about something much more advance then what I have in mind. By script I just mean a simple comma delimited file to store the status of my cladogram program (all the images, designs, etc...). So that, say in  seven months time, you can just upload your design back into the cladgrapher and add the new biota and stuff.

Would it be possible (also in long term view) to put it on the Sagan 4 domain?

It would be very easy to incorporate because all it needs is the webspace and the images will be automatically linked  anyway.

I am hoping to have the prototype ready for showing in 2 weeks time (...ish ). You'll get what I am trying to do then.

Ooh... just show your new creature submissions, very cool.

@ Hydro
It would be cool if LadyM could host it on the sagan domain but all I really would need is 50x50 image versions available to hotlink to. This is just to avoid the snail pace browsing of it and all.

Regarding size: I am exploring how much it can do. Basically, there is a viewport which shows you part of the cladogram and you navigate to see different parts. All this while your designing your cladogram but when you actually make it into a webpage (automatically when you click an icon) you will see the full cladogram.

You might not even like it but any how its fun to do and I loose nothing and you get to see something that might just be useful (or not - laughs).
Post Merge: June 11, 2009, 12:17:53 PM@ Hydro
More than 1 ancestor? The Cladographer is just that a pictorial representation. There are no rules to how you can link things you just put the interlinking branches anyway you want them.