User talk:Jamie

Character Template and other
Hey Jamie... there's something wrong with the character template... the CurrentAlias/Title logic (that makes the current alias automatically become the title) leaves the CurrentAlias field empty, even if the CurrentAlias/Title thing is overridden by the Title tag. Joker and Batgirl are a pretty good examples. Another things, there are some templates on MDB that are updated frequently/recently and are not (or doesn't even exist) on DCDB. Examples: the character template, thumbnav, disambig, to name a few. Thoughts/Solutions? The Clever Guy (Talk &bull; Contribs &bull; E-Mail) 16:15, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
 * By the way, is there any character template logic for characters who have died but been resurrected? The Clever Guy (Talk &bull; Contribs &bull; E-Mail) 16:40, 13 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I think I fixed the CurrentAlias/Titled logic... but one problem remains:
 * If you use any punctuation such as a, or a ; it seems to break the field. :(
 * That is a strange limitation and I can't figure out why it is happening...
 * As for the other templates, those are a priority to get adapted over to the DCDP. (Tonight I hope to move a few, at least)
 * --Jamie 19:48, 13 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Okay, so I updated the DCDP Character Template to match the MDP.
 * That is the biggest one out of the way...
 * I will do Thumbnav, Disambig, comic/team/item/race, etc tomorrow, I hope.
 * Tired... must sleep now. :)
 * --Jamie 06:09, 14 September 2007 (UTC)


 * You're doing great! Way to go! The Clever Guy (Talk &bull; Contribs &bull; E-Mail) 11:47, 14 September 2007 (UTC)


 * See Joker (Earth-Two). The CurrentAlias field is looks blank, but it's not. Maybe we should just skip the CurrentAlias/Title/Disambiguation stuff, since it only seem to complicate matters. In other meaning:
 * The Title could be placed in Empty Syntax (Standard Options).
 * CurrentAlias would just be, as it sounds, a label filled with the character's current alias.
 * Editors can type the disambiguation links manually. (In the Distinguish1 etc tags)
 * I think that would make lots of things easier, since it's quite complicated right now. Thoughts? The Clever Guy (Talk &bull; Contribs &bull; E-Mail) 16:31, 14 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I think we might need to revert this new functionality.
 * There are simply too many possibilities which don't allow for simple templating.
 * This was a recent feature request on the MDP. I will go back to the requester to discuss further...
 * Thanks!
 * --Jamie 17:23, 14 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Thumbnav and Disambig have been updated now as well. :)
 * More to come...
 * --Jamie 04:05, 15 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I think I have fixed all that CurrentAlias jazz now.
 * --Jamie 16:08, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Bots
Hi. Would you mind if I begin to run a bot? This far, I'm not sure how to make one, but PeteParker did offer some help with that (if you approves this, of course). The Clever Guy (Talk &bull; Contribs &bull; E-Mail) 14:44, 19 September 2007 (UTC)


 * You can MOST CERTAINLY run a bot!
 * Actually, I'd love to know if you get it running... I tried earlier, but couldn't for some reason. I will try again soon...
 * PeteParker will be more than happy to work with you to get it going. He seems to be a pro now. His bot has done 10x as much as mine! hahaha
 * If you two can't figure something out, let me know and I will try my best to help. :)
 * --Jamie 16:08, 19 September 2007 (UTC)


 * PeteParker's Bot explaination says something about 'family', well, let's just quote:
 * The 'family' that you are referring to is a file Jamie will give to you when you ask him. It'll also need to be moved to the same folder everything else is in once you've downloaded it.
 * What's this exactly? The Clever Guy  ( Talk  &bull;  Contribs  &bull;  E-Mail ) 13:01, 25 September 2007 (UTC)


 * The family file is a perl script that contains the wiki connection parameters for the bot.
 * Basically, it tells the bot which database to connect to. :)
 * Email me at jamie at marvel database dot com and I will send you the file.
 * --Jamie 04:29, 28 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I just can't get my stupid bot to work. What made your bot work? The Clever Guy  ( Talk  &bull;  Contribs  &bull;  E-Mail ) 11:08, 1 November 2007 (UTC)


 * I will be done work soon, come on #irc and I will try my best to walk you through it. (I am jamie_hari on freenode)
 * Basically, make sure you have the latest python installed... and it is all configurational from there.
 * I will just copy/paste my bot for you, if you like. :)
 * Cheers,
 * --Jamie 22:52, 1 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Still need help with this?
 * Sorry I have been so naughty lately... Life keeps getting in the way of things I want to do. :(
 * --Jamie 04:15, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

DCComics.com link in the character template
I noticed a new function of directly linking to a dccomics.com/marvel.com profile of a certain character. While I think that the Marvel.com function may work sometime, I'm not that sure on DC, since Marvel has a wiki, while DC has 52/Countdown origin stories. When it comes to the DC link function, I think this could be quite usefull (Black Adam is used as the example): Code: Usage: | DC = black_adam Thoughts? The Clever Guy (Talk &bull; Contribs &bull; E-Mail) 14:44, 19 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Black Adam's origin at DCComics.com


 * I suppose you'd know better than me on this one.
 * I think the DC Comics site is pretty, but not terribly informative on character bios.
 * Not compared to Marvel.com and CERTAINLY not compared to us! ;)
 * I can look into it further for you if you like, but if you recommend it, that is okay.
 * My only concern is that 'black_adam' isn't intuitive, so we might have to scrap the DC link altogether until DCComics.com gets their act together!
 * What do you think?
 * --Jamie 16:08, 19 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I'd hate to wait until DCComics.com gets their act together... Another alternative would be to type in the WHOLE adress in the "| DC =" field, which would feel like... y'know, unnecessary. Is there any script that can change certain characters in a variable (like this: "| DC = 'Black Adam'")? For example: "Black Adam" would become "black_adam". Is there any such scripts? If not, you can always type "black_adam". I mean, it's not THAT hard. The Clever Guy (Talk &bull; Contribs &bull; E-Mail) 16:44, 19 September 2007 (UTC)


 * No such script to the best of my knowledge.
 * black_adam it is, I suppose. :)
 * Cheers!
 * --Jamie 17:20, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

Naming conventions
Hey Jamie. Are the naming conventions done yet? The talk page for them hasn't been changed since May and the page hasn't been changed since 4th September. (Although I've got some new small ideas which I think I will post pretty soon.) The Clever Guy  ( Talk  &bull;  Contribs  &bull;  E-Mail ) 07:00, 28 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I suppose it is 'done', yeah.
 * Of course, as with everything else, it is a work in progress.
 * Please let me know if you seen any problems with it...
 * If not, feel free to ensure the DCDP page of the same name matches up with the MDP updates.
 * As always, if you have any suggestions, nothing is writen in stone. (Cuz we use computers, not chisels)
 * Cheers,
 * --Jamie 07:04, 28 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Please see my latest post here.
 * I would have updated the DCDP page if it hadn't been protected.
 * So, if the naming conventions are done other than my little suggestion I linked to, can you/I/someone else begin to move pages according to them now? (If so, the move template might need to be rewritten.)
 * The Clever Guy ( Talk  &bull;  Contribs  &bull;  E-Mail ) 07:18, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Sweet Irony
Does it strike either of you as ironic that DC's multi-Earth names are easier to keep track of than Marvel's now (being only 52 of them now) seeing as how DC's been the one to catch flak from nerds about multiple Universe's being confusing?
 * --Roygbiv666 23:57, 7 October 2007 (UTC)


 * You bet I do!
 * All I know, is that we should 'enjoy it while it lasts'. ;)
 * Knowing DC (and Marvel) it won't last another 52 weeks before they mess things up again...
 * --Jamie 04:30, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Article bar
Hey Jamie, Yeah, we're trying something a little different to see if these tabs make the article controls a little more visible.

BladeBronson 22:05, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

Can you help me out on a template?
I've been mucking around with episode templates, but I've hit a snag. If you go to the bottom of this page, you'll see that I've made an actor/character table. Is there a way that this table can be included inside the actual template itself? For some reason, I guess the formatting won't allow me to place it inside the template, so I had to drop it at the bottom of the page outside of the template parameters. Ideally, I think it might work as a good substitution for the "Appearing" field. THANKS a bunch! --Brian Kurtz 18:28, 18 October 2007 (UTC)


 * I am working on it tonight.
 * It's a high priority. :)
 * --Jamie 20:18, 18 October 2007 (UTC)


 * WOO-HOO! You da man! --Brian Kurtz 21:05, 18 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Done! Whew!
 * This was a tricky one, but I learned some neat things along the way!
 * It will support up to 20, but if you need a 21st, it should be easy to increase the capacity.
 * Also, I assume you won't like the place I put it, so feel free to move it up or down in the template. :)
 * Cheers!
 * --Jamie 02:41, 19 October 2007 (UTC)


 * AWESOME! This makes my beer taste that much sweeter. Thanks again! --Brian Kurtz 03:41, 19 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Oooo
 * BEER, you say? Don't mind if I do!
 * --psshht-- --glug glug glug-- Aahhh!!
 * Great idea! ;)
 * --Jamie 03:48, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Minor Characters
We seem to be accumulating a decent size of Minor Characters. I think we should have a Gallery of them. What do you think? Would it serve a purpose? My thought is that it would tie all these otherwise freefloating images together in one place. Of course, I'm too lazy to check out this whole tagging images thing you kids are into these days.
 * --Roygbiv666 19:00, 22 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Actually, I hate image tagging. :)
 * Instead, every image will now have its own image template which, when filled in correctly, will auto-categorize our images for us...
 * Further, since minor characters barely deserve their own article (or not), we (the Marvel Database) are just including them on the disambig pages like so.
 * What do you think?
 * --Jamie 22:10, 22 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Umm ... yeah. I like templates, provided they are filled in properly - there alway seems to be a lack of explanation on some of the less obvious fields - you know, things programmers like to call stuff - "ClvDap4 = " and so on. Also, the characters I've done have mainly been one offs, not necessarily variations on other characters (like Hyperman and some others under Category:Kalelogues and so on).


 * Will the image template put it in a Gallery too? That'd be cool.
 * --Roygbiv666 22:48, 22 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Actually, yes! They will be automatically put in a gallery, but it won't be sortable or organizable in any way.
 * It is simply an A-Z alphabetical gallery, but better than nothing!
 * Those galleries would be located at Category:Character/Images.
 * This is populated by the  field in the image template.
 * --Jamie 22:59, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

America's Best Comics
Seeing as how the Wildstorm line is on here, what's the status on it's imprint, America's Best Comics that Alan Moore was doing? Is that something we can/should be adding here? I don't know if it would have a Universe designation (Earth-234) or not though. We could call them "Filename (ABC)" for now, then replace names later with Jamie's bot.
 * --Roygbiv666 14:16, 24 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Man, its like you're reading my mind. I was just thinking about this exact same quandry yesterday! Unless something's changed, I'm practicaly positive that the ABC line will never be a part of the DCU proper. Alan Moore has more or less divorced himself from DC Comics altogether. That being said however, I see no reason why we shouldn't include ABC info on the DB. Like you said, we've already got Wildstorm, not to mention some of the pre-DC publications like All-American, Quality, Charlton and so forth. Since ABC only has a handful of characters anyway, I can't see how it would hurt to have them here. (Plus I'm a big Tom Strong fan, and I would lurrrrve to play in that sandbox). I guess we should call the reality designation Earth-ABC for lack of a better term. You might also wanna pm Jamie, see what he thinks. Personally... I'm on board. :) --Brian Kurtz 14:31, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Universe Designations/Multiverse
Have an odd situation. I have started entries related to a DC Comics imprint called America's Best Comics. For lack of an official name, I have called files PAGENAME (Earth-ABC). At the moment, comics published by ABC are entirely unconnected from DC Comics and, in-universe, the DC Multiverse. In fact, the ABC comics have their own multiverse.

To make it even more fun, Earth-ABC (let's say it's the mainstream Earth/Universe for ABC) has a parallel Earth in the same universe located on the far side of the Galaxy (kindof like I thought Marvel's Counter-Earth was on the other side of the sun) called Terra Obscura.

Yeah, so like I say, I've been using PAGENAME (Earth-ABC). But, Earth-ABC and Terra Obscura (TO) have vastly different histories/timelines. Right now I have a Category:Terra Obscura for all the TO entries. Would PAGENAME (Terra Obscura) make more sense?

Oh, the horror, the horror.
 * --Roygbiv666 15:36, 31 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Call the whole thing off! This is getting too complicated.
 * I am shutting down the DC Database Project...
 * Just kidding. :)
 * I have no idea, I suppose PAGENAME (Terra Obscura) would make more sense since they have a separate history...
 * I defer to Brian Kurtz and yourself in these matters. ;)
 * --Jamie 04:18, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

Image Galleries
Say we have  /Covers . You stick in the Gallery template, define it as "Cover Art Gallery" and put in all the covers, links etc. Why do we then have to go to the Letter page and enter the title. Couldn't we make the "Cover Art Gallery A", for example, like a category that automagically (you should trademark that term) lists all of the Cover Art Galleries that start with A. Insert something about computers here.
 * Roygbiv666 02:30, 9 November 2007 (UTC)


 * You are most definitely right. We need to rework this.
 * The more automagic, the better!
 * It is on my todos. :)
 * I love galleries... they are so pretty!
 * --Jamie 02:45, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Template question
Jamie

I set up a template called "ABC Staff" (blatantly ripped off from "DC Staff") but it don't work (doesn't seem to autocategorize stuff - like Peter Hogan.. and stuff ... Is there some code I'm missing? Teach me, oh Great One.

--Roygbiv666 18:21, 14 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Sorry dude, I haven't forgotten about this... I am just getting so far behind in my todos.
 * I fear I may never catch up. :(
 * Keep pestering me about this, one of these days I promise to have a look!
 * --Jamie 04:15, 30 November 2007 (UTC)


 * I assumed you had, cause it works now. Maybe it was some .. uh ... propagation delay (?).
 * --Roygbiv666 04:19, 30 November 2007 (UTC)


 * No propagation delay, I am just that awesome.
 * I just have to THREATEN to look at something and it will fix itself! ;)
 * (Probably a cache issue, give it 60 minutes and clear your browser cache. That is what I usually do... :)
 * Cheers!
 * --Jamie 04:27, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Heroes (NBC)
Hi... I'm sure you know the Heroes TV serie from NBC... DC bought public rights of Heroes Novels from NBC.. You can see here.. So.. Can we create Heroes pages? --Akadirgun 10:16, 29 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Why bother - there' an entire wiki site devoted to it. Maybe the novels/books could/should go there. .

--Roygbiv666 13:08, 29 November 2007 (UTC)


 * As I stated on the forums: I don't have a problem with the comics themselves, provided they are published by DC.
 * Character profiles, perhaps, should be inter-wiki linked to a more appropriate site.
 * (We are having the same discussions with 'Transformers' on the Marvel Database...)
 * --Jamie 04:15, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Batman (Bruce Wayne)/Batman (New Earth)/Bruce Wayne (New Earth)
Copied over from Brian Kurtz's page... Hey Brian. Have a look at the numbers of moves and redirects on the above pages. Aren't we supposed to get the naming conventions stabilized (which I think they have been), then have one of Jamie's 'bots handle all the changes? "I'm telling", but seriously ... WTF? --Roygbiv666 01:23, 29 November 2007 (UTC)


 * GAAAH! I just shot Salubri a message, so hopefully that'll clear everything up. Admittedly, its pretty easy to "miss" the changes in naming convention policy what with the forums being down as often as they are. Though, as the self-professed reigning king of "edit first, ask questions later", I suppose I can't criticize too harshly. Haw! --Brian Kurtz 01:47, 29 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Maybe it should have been "WTH". I think the naming conventiosn stuff has pretty much been finalized - is Jamie going to set up a bot on the DCDP as on the Marvel one to take care of these changes? I'll copy this over to his page.

About the naming conventions, isn't the point to have the proper pagename for each entry, and not have a billion redirects? My understanding is that there should be, say, a "Bruce Wayne (New Earth)" page, and everything applicable links directly to it - no "Batman (Bruce Wayne)", "Batman (New Earth)" redirect pages, just one page that stuff links to. Am I misunderstanding the goal?

Anyway, I can mindlessly go thru and tag stuff as Move|Pagename, but redirects are kind of self-defeating.
 * --Roygbiv666 13:15, 29 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Bot?
 * What is a bot??
 * Seriously, I will help you out if you get behind...
 * Let me know what you need, or if you need help creating/running your own bots (a la CleverGuy above).
 * --Jamie 04:15, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Forum Bug
I can't register to forum. when i try there is an error. Can you help me? CGI Error The specified CGI application misbehaved by not returning a complete set of HTTP headers. --Akadirgun 18:09, 29 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Looks like you were finally able to register.
 * Please post again here if you are still having problems...
 * --Jamie 04:15, 30 November 2007 (UTC)