Re: Recommendation of a good breadcrumb program

"Fat Sam" <janetandsam@beeteeinternet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3e3o8eF10eo5U1@individual.net...
> Heh, I'd never heard the term 'breadcrumbs' before, so I looked it up
> and sicovered it's just another word for the things I call 'navigation
> trails'....You live and learn eh?....
>
> I usually create these on the fly....There's loads of methods you can
> use, but it's not too different to describing a tree structure for
> directories and folders....
Thanks a lot can you tell me where you have a example of how you create
these on a fly and how to get one working.

mick wrote:
> "Fat Sam" <janetandsam@beeteeinternet.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:3e3o8eF10eo5U1@individual.net...
>
>>Heh, I'd never heard the term 'breadcrumbs' before, so I looked it up
>>and sicovered it's just another word for the things I call 'navigation
>>trails'....You live and learn eh?....
>>
>>I usually create these on the fly....There's loads of methods you can
>>use, but it's not too different to describing a tree structure for
>>directories and folders....
>
> Thanks a lot can you tell me where you have a example of how you create
> these on a fly and how to get one working.

Are we not just talking about

Home >> Electronics >> Torches >> Maglight 2000

Top, Top level cat, second level car, product ?

Or am I missing something here (been known to happen)

Gerry for email use my name at dergal dt com wrote:
> mick wrote:
>
>> "Fat Sam" <janetandsam@beeteeinternet.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:3e3o8eF10eo5U1@individual.net...
>>
>>> Heh, I'd never heard the term 'breadcrumbs' before, so I looked it up
>>> and sicovered it's just another word for the things I call 'navigation
>>> trails'....You live and learn eh?....
>>>
>>> I usually create these on the fly....There's loads of methods you can
>>> use, but it's not too different to describing a tree structure for
>>> directories and folders....
>>
>>
>> Thanks a lot can you tell me where you have a example of how you create
>> these on a fly and how to get one working.
>
>
> Are we not just talking about
>
> Home >> Electronics >> Torches >> Maglight 2000
>
> Top, Top level cat, second level car, product ?
>
> Or am I missing something here (been known to happen)

That's exactly it.....


--
www.fixaphoto.co.uk
for photographic restorations

mick wrote:
> "Fat Sam" <janetandsam@beeteeinternet.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:3e3o8eF10eo5U1@individual.net...
>
>>Heh, I'd never heard the term 'breadcrumbs' before, so I looked it up
>>and sicovered it's just another word for the things I call 'navigation
>>trails'....You live and learn eh?....
>>
>>I usually create these on the fly....There's loads of methods you can
>>use, but it's not too different to describing a tree structure for
>>directories and folders....
>
> Thanks a lot can you tell me where you have a example of how you create
> these on a fly and how to get one working.
>
>
Have category fields in your DB...Call them Cat1, Cat2, Cat3, Cat4
etc....And of course there's your product name field....

When you dynamically build the pages for each stage in the navigation,
have them search for the relevant Category term, and the subsequent ones
below it....

So for example, to use the category terms that Gerry mentioned, You
might want to organise your Maglite into the category
Home > Electronics > Lighting > Torches > Maglight 2000
So in your database for the maglite entry you'd have the following fields:-

product = Maglite 2000
Cat1 = Electronics
Cat2 = Lighting
Cat3 = Torches

So if you bring up the actual Maglite 2000's product spec page, it will
compile a 'breadcrumb' variable with all the Category field values

<%
DisplayBreadcrumb = "Home >> <a href='" & RS("Cat1") & "'>" & RS("Cat1")
& "</a> >> <a href='" & RS("Cat2") & "'>" & RS("Cat2") & "</a> >> <a
href='" & RS("Cat3") & "'>" & RS("Cat3") & " >> "</a> & RS("product")
Response.write DisplayBreadcrumb
%>

That's ASP, but it gives the general idea...

Of course, if your not on the product display page, but are halfway
through the navigation, say on the "Torches" page, this would be "Cat3"
so you would simply display Cat3, and whatever Categorys come below
it....If you are on the "Lighting" page, you'd just display Cat1 and
Cat2....

You get the general idea?....

It helps, if you get some paper, a pencil, and an eraser and spend some
time drawing your directory tree on paper before you attempt to build
your product database, as it will make it infinitely easier to get your
categories spot on, and it will make it easier to place new products in
the correct categories at a later date....

I'm sure there are easier or more elegant ways of doing this....My code
tends to be very clunky, and not very gracefull, but the above method
has always worked well for me....

--
www.fixaphoto.co.uk
for photographic restorations

On Sat, 7 May 2005, Fat Sam wrote:

> mick wrote:
> > "Fat Sam" <janetandsam@beeteeinternet.co.uk> wrote in message
> > news:3e3o8eF10eo5U1@individual.net...
> >
> >>Heh, I'd never heard the term 'breadcrumbs' before, so I looked it up
> >>and sicovered it's just another word for the things I call 'navigation
> >>trails'....You live and learn eh?....
> >>
> >>I usually create these on the fly....There's loads of methods you can
> >>use, but it's not too different to describing a tree structure for
> >>directories and folders....
> >
> > Thanks a lot can you tell me where you have a example of how you create
> > these on a fly and how to get one working.
> >
> >
> Have category fields in your DB...Call them Cat1, Cat2, Cat3, Cat4
> etc....And of course there's your product name field....
>
> When you dynamically build the pages for each stage in the navigation,
> have them search for the relevant Category term, and the subsequent ones
> below it....
>
> So for example, to use the category terms that Gerry mentioned, You
> might want to organise your Maglite into the category
> Home > Electronics > Lighting > Torches > Maglight 2000
> So in your database for the maglite entry you'd have the following fields:-
>
> product = Maglite 2000
> Cat1 = Electronics
> Cat2 = Lighting
> Cat3 = Torches
>
> So if you bring up the actual Maglite 2000's product spec page, it will
> compile a 'breadcrumb' variable with all the Category field values
>
> <%
> DisplayBreadcrumb = "Home >> <a href='" & RS("Cat1") & "'>" & RS("Cat1")
> & "</a> >> <a href='" & RS("Cat2") & "'>" & RS("Cat2") & "</a> >> <a
> href='" & RS("Cat3") & "'>" & RS("Cat3") & " >> "</a> & RS("product")
> Response.write DisplayBreadcrumb
> %>
>
> That's ASP, but it gives the general idea...

OK, I can see people getting to the "Maglite" page by following the trail,
"Electronics > Lighting > Torches".

product = Maglite 2000
Cat1 = Electronics
Cat2 = Lighting
Cat3 = Torches

And people getting to the "screwdriver set APx583" page by using
"Work > Tools > Screwdrivers".

product = screwdriver set APx583
Cat1 = Work
Cat2 = Tools
Cat3 = Screwdrivers

But what if people can get to a product such as "screwdriver with
built-in torch, Model SC397" in more than one way,
"Electronics > Lighting > Torches"
or "Work > Tools > Screwdrivers"

Which entry in the database do you use?

product = screwdriver with built-in torch, Model SC397
Cat1 = Electronics
Cat2 = Lighting
Cat3 = Torches

or?

product = screwdriver with built-in torch, Model SC397
Cat1 = Work
Cat2 = Tools
Cat3 = Screwdrivers

Or, for another example, a site with recipies may have one recipe
listed under every different ingredient as well as a major category.

A fictitious example:

"Vegetables > Tomatoes > Soups > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
"Vegetables > Beans > Soups > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
"Vegetables > Cabbage > Soups > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
"Meats > Lamb > Soups > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
"Soups > Vegetables > Tomatoes > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
"Soups > Vegetables > Beans > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
"Soups > Vegetables > Cabbage > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
"Soups > Meats > Lamb > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"

How is something like this handled?

--
">> consider moving away from Front Page...."
">To what? Any suggestions?"
"Naked bungee-jumping. It's less humiliating <g>"
-- Matt Probert in alt.www.webmaster, March 20, 2005

Norman L. DeForest wrote:
> On Sat, 7 May 2005, Fat Sam wrote:
>
>
>>mick wrote:
>>
>>>"Fat Sam" <janetandsam@beeteeinternet.co.uk> wrote in message
>>>news:3e3o8eF10eo5U1@individual.net...
>>>
>>>
>>>>Heh, I'd never heard the term 'breadcrumbs' before, so I looked it up
>>>>and sicovered it's just another word for the things I call 'navigation
>>>>trails'....You live and learn eh?....
>>>>
>>>>I usually create these on the fly....There's loads of methods you can
>>>>use, but it's not too different to describing a tree structure for
>>>>directories and folders....
>>>
>>>Thanks a lot can you tell me where you have a example of how you create
>>>these on a fly and how to get one working.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Have category fields in your DB...Call them Cat1, Cat2, Cat3, Cat4
>>etc....And of course there's your product name field....
>>
>>When you dynamically build the pages for each stage in the navigation,
>>have them search for the relevant Category term, and the subsequent ones
>>below it....
>>
>>So for example, to use the category terms that Gerry mentioned, You
>>might want to organise your Maglite into the category
>>Home > Electronics > Lighting > Torches > Maglight 2000
>>So in your database for the maglite entry you'd have the following fields:-
>>
>>product = Maglite 2000
>>Cat1 = Electronics
>>Cat2 = Lighting
>>Cat3 = Torches
>>
>>So if you bring up the actual Maglite 2000's product spec page, it will
>>compile a 'breadcrumb' variable with all the Category field values
>>
>><%
>>DisplayBreadcrumb = "Home >> <a href='" & RS("Cat1") & "'>" & RS("Cat1")
>>& "</a> >> <a href='" & RS("Cat2") & "'>" & RS("Cat2") & "</a> >> <a
>>href='" & RS("Cat3") & "'>" & RS("Cat3") & " >> "</a> & RS("product")
>>Response.write DisplayBreadcrumb
>>%>
>>
>>That's ASP, but it gives the general idea...
>
>
> OK, I can see people getting to the "Maglite" page by following the trail,
> "Electronics > Lighting > Torches".
>
> product = Maglite 2000
> Cat1 = Electronics
> Cat2 = Lighting
> Cat3 = Torches
>
> And people getting to the "screwdriver set APx583" page by using
> "Work > Tools > Screwdrivers".
>
> product = screwdriver set APx583
> Cat1 = Work
> Cat2 = Tools
> Cat3 = Screwdrivers
>
> But what if people can get to a product such as "screwdriver with
> built-in torch, Model SC397" in more than one way,
> "Electronics > Lighting > Torches"
> or "Work > Tools > Screwdrivers"
>
> Which entry in the database do you use?
>
> product = screwdriver with built-in torch, Model SC397
> Cat1 = Electronics
> Cat2 = Lighting
> Cat3 = Torches
>
> or?
>
> product = screwdriver with built-in torch, Model SC397
> Cat1 = Work
> Cat2 = Tools
> Cat3 = Screwdrivers
>
> Or, for another example, a site with recipies may have one recipe
> listed under every different ingredient as well as a major category.
>
> A fictitious example:
>
> "Vegetables > Tomatoes > Soups > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
> "Vegetables > Beans > Soups > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
> "Vegetables > Cabbage > Soups > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
> "Meats > Lamb > Soups > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
> "Soups > Vegetables > Tomatoes > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
> "Soups > Vegetables > Beans > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
> "Soups > Vegetables > Cabbage > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
> "Soups > Meats > Lamb > Lamb, tomato, bean and cabbage soup"
>
> How is something like this handled?
>

Errrr....I didn't really think this through very well, did I?...LOL

--
www.fixaphoto.co.uk
for photographic restorations